Initial and continuing education training of domestic violence program staff is critically important. In addition, quality supervision is an integral component for the provision of excellent advocacy and in supporting staff. Advocates and advocate supervisors must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the nature and scope of domestic violence as defined by this chapter, as well as the historical and societal attitudes in which domestic violence is rooted. Training must be current and relevant to the provision of empowerment based advocacy. Domestic violence agencies should also strive to ensure that staff incorporate training on services to underserved populations as part of each advocate's annual continuing education hours. In furtherance of these goals, domestic violence program staff must meet the following minimum training requirements.

(1) Staff providing supportive services and prevention efforts, and supervisors of staff must obtain a minimum of twenty hours of initial basic training that covers all the following topics and skills:

(a) Theory and implementation of empowerment based advocacy;

(b) The history of the domestic violence movement;

(c) Active listening skills;

(d) Legal, medical, social service, and systems advocacy;

(e) Anti-oppression and cultural competency theory and practice;

(f) Confidentiality and ethics;

(g) Safety planning skills and barriers to safety;

(h) Planning, clarifying issues and options, and crisis intervention;

(i) Providing services and advocacy to individuals from culturally specific populations; and

(j) Policies and procedures of the domestic violence program.

(2) Staff who will be engaged in prevention efforts must incorporate training on prevention as part of, or in addition to, the initial training requirements.

(3) Initial training must be completed prior to providing supportive services to clients or their children.

(4) The recommended format for initial trainings is live and in-person group sessions. Structured job shadowing and self-study may be included as part of the overall initial training. All domestic violence program in-house training must be based on a written training plan that covers one or more of the required initial training topics.

(5) Staff who provide either supportive services or are engaged in prevention efforts, or both, and staff supervisors must obtain an annual minimum of twenty hours of continuing education training beginning in the state fiscal year after they completed their initial training, and in every year thereafter. Staff who will be engaged in prevention efforts must incorporate training on prevention as part of, or in addition to, the annual continuing education requirements.

(6) A minimum of ten hours must be live training on topics specifically focused on either serving victims of domestic violence and their children, or prevention efforts, or both.

(7) The remaining ten hours of training may be satisfied through self-study on topics specifically focused on serving victims of domestic violence and their children, or prevention efforts, or both.

(8) Within six months of being hired as an advocate supervisor and for each year thereafter, the supervisor must obtain a minimum of five hours of training on supervision. Supervision training can be counted toward the twenty hours of annual continuing education training hours required by this chapter. Examples of supervision training topics include leadership skills, job coaching and staff evaluation, multicultural supervision, and how to foster professional development of, and self-care with, advocates. While live, in-person training is the preferred method for supervision training, all methods of live and self-study training are acceptable.

(9) Domestic violence program staff are not required to obtain initial and continuing education training as described in this section if they do not:

(a) Provide supportive services to clients or their children; or

(b) Conduct prevention efforts.

(10) Examples of staff who are included in this category are emergency shelter housekeeping staff, individuals providing child care assistance as defined in this chapter, and bookkeeping and accounting staff. We recommend, however, that staff who may come into contact with clients and their children, but who do not provide supportive services or conduct prevention efforts, receive training on the following:

(a) Confidentiality;

(b) Relevant policies and procedures of the domestic violence program; and

(c) Mandated reporting of child abuse/neglect as required by chapter 26.44 RCW.