LOGIN – The login screen is the first step in the database. The default logon is Administrator and the default password is ”password”. The password field is automatically field in for your convenience in the DEMO version.
MAIN MENU – From the Main Menu you can select from four choices: Client Information, Reporting, Victim Advocates, and HQ. Additionally, the Main Menu provides information on the current software release and whether you are running a Registered or Demo Copy of the software.
CLIENT INFORMATION – The Client Information Screen automatically opens to a ‘new’ record. From here, you simply need to start filling in information for a new client. The ‘Contact ID’ filled will be AUTOMATICALLY populated. Note that the ‘Age’ is calculated from the ‘First Contact Date’ minus the ‘Birth date’ fields. This is to ensure that the Statistical Analysis that runs against the ‘Age’ query is accurate for the Age the client was when you FIRST saw them, not necessarily their current age. As such, the ‘Age Range’ pull down menu allows you to adjust their statistical age range should you see them again in the distant future and want to ensure your statistics are accurate for the year or month in which you run them.
SERVICES – The Services screen is the MOST IMPORTANT area of the database for Statistical Analysis. No statistics are generated unless the services page is populated. For accurate statistical analysis, it is important to define the different classifications of clients. The four (4) groups of clients are PRIMARY, CONT PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND CONT SECONDARY. You may alter and/or rename these four groups from the Headquarters (HQ) screen. However, regardless of what you may rename them; it is important to understand how the statistical analysis runs against these four groups. The database understands that you may see the same person multiple times during the same month. The different groups allow you to dictate how they are counted in your statistical analysis.
A PRIMARY client is the ”VICTIM” and a PRIMARY service is the first time that you have seen the victim. ”PRIMARY” represents the initial visit and initial service. A CONT PRIMARY is the ”VICTIM” who returns for subsequent consultations of which the same service is rendered. While the same person, the database calculates a CONT PRIMARY as a different client. This allows you the power to count the same person multiple times during the same month and same service for your statistical analysis. For example, a ”Victim” sees you every day for 30 days (one month) for the same service. You can either count them 1 time for the month (by making them a PRIMARY for every visit) or two (2) separate times by making their 2nd – 30th visits a CONT PRIMARY.
See the example below:
| PRIMARY | Domestic Violence | 01/01/09 |
| CONT PRIMARY | Domestic Violence | 01/10/09 |
| CONT PRIMARY | Domestic Violence | 01/11/09 |
| PRIMARY | Court Advocacy | 01/15/09 |
| PRIMARY | Women’s Shelter | 01/20/09 |
The database will count four (4) people seen during the month of January even though they are all the same person. If all the categories were PRIMARY, the database would count three (3) people seen as the first three services are the same and the last two services are different.
If all the categories were PRIMARY and all the SERVICES were the same, then the database would count that client as one (1) person. As such, you have the power to dictate how many times you want a client counted toward your statistics.
SECONDARY is a client who is NOT the victim but who is seeing you on BEHALF of the victim; perhaps a parent of an abused child. The SECONDARY and CONT secondary are calculated just as with the PRIMARY and CONT PRIMARY; the same algorithms for analysis apply.
LEGAL – From the Legal Screen, you can keep track of related Court Information for your client. Note that this screen is provided simply as a digital record keeping; it does not have any bearing on the statistical analysis that is run from the Reporting Screen.
NOTES – From the NOTES screen, you can keep digital records of all your comments per each client visit. The NOTES screen is built with the assumption that EACH VISIT will be a NEW note. You simply enter the date into a new row and start typing your notes. You can subsequently enter the date and then select that note and click ‘OPEN SELECTED NOTES’ for a more user friendly entry window for your notes. Additionally, this screen allows you to ‘SELECT ALL NOTES’ to view them all sequentially or to PRINT THEM for your hard copy records.
DEFENDANT – From the DEFENDANT screen, you can catalog important information about the DEFENDANT of the victim including sentencing information, court dates, presiding judges; and their mug shot. To import their mug shot simply double click on the photo box and import from either a file or an attached scanner. The defendant screen allows for multiple defendants to be entered by clicking ”add record”. Each defendant record is tied to the VICTIM on the CLIENT INFORMATION screen.
PHOTO – From the PHOTO screen, you can import photos of the CLIENT into the database by double clicking on the PHOTO box. These can include Mug Shots of the Client and/or photographic evidence of domestic violence (abrasions, scars, bruises). The various photo categories are tailored from the Headquarters (HQ) screen off the Main Menu. The Offender Name pull down menu is populated by ALL defenders that have been inputted in the database, regardless of CLIENT NAME. This allows for the possibility that one offender is responsible for aggressions against more than one particular CLIENT. This field WILL NOT be populated unless the Defender Information has been populated for at least one CLIENT.
HEADQUARTERS (HQ) – From the HQ screen, you can control what users have access to the database and whether they have administrator privileges (access to the HQ). Additionally, you can tailor all relevant pull down menus throughout the database to your particular needs. Note for database integrity reasons, you do NOT have the ability to delete fields from these pull down menus but you can change them. The fields are populated with ‘generic’ items and are not meant to be all-inclusive. You can change them to your liking or add additional items for each pull down menu in the database.
REPORTING – From the Reporting Screen you can run important statistics against Victim Advocate Training and Experience, Demographics for your Clients, statistics about Services rendered.
NOTE: The Master Report is disabled in the DEMO version of the software. A spreadsheet software is required to view the Master Report in the REGISTERED VERSION – such as Microsoft Excel or Open Office (Available for Free Download).
VICTIM ADVOCATES – From the VICTIM ADVOCATE screen, you can keep track of Continuing Education and Media Coverage for your Victim Advocates. To start, just click ‘Add Record’, type the name of the VA in the name box and add the appropriate items under the appropriate categories for that victim advocate. Later, to return to the relevant record, simply select find record and type at least the first few letters of the VA’s name in the ‘FIND RECORD’ box. It will return all relevant records with your search string and then just select which record you want and close the SEARCH BOX. Add available entries as required.