By Elizabeth Ebright
October 27, 2016

Every year law enforcement, victim advocates, policymakers and researchers from across the United States gather to share best practices for serving survivors of crime and abuse at The National Center for Victims of Crime National Training Institute. At this year’s conference in Philadelphia, two members of the Research and Evaluation team at Safe Horizon participated in a panel conversation titled, “A Panel Discussion: Building Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in the Field of Victim Services.”

The National Center for Victims of Crime Conference’s panel included:

• Elizabeth Ebright, Research and Evaluation Associate at Safe Horizon, Moderator
• Amanda M. Stylianou, Senior Director of Research & Program Development, Safe Horizon
• Lauren B. Cattaneo, Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University
• Fran Danis, Retired Associate Professor at the University of Texas in Arlington School of Social Work and Danis Consulting: Research and Evaluation for Gender Justice
• Judy L. Postmus,  Associate Professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work and Director of the Center on Violence Against Women & Children

The panel’s goals were to discuss:

1. How to develop successful researcher-practitioner partnerships
2. Ways in which researcher-practitioner partnerships can further best practices in the field
3. Methods to effectively translate research to practice in a victim-centered manner

One theme in the conversation was encouraging practitioners to seek out and contact researchers who are doing work on similar topics or with similar populations. The panelists advised approaching a researcher for an initial conversation to see if there is a fit between the work of the practitioner and the work of the researcher. Everyone on the panel agreed that these initial conversations can lead to partnerships down the road.  The panelists also emphasized that the nature of an organization’s relationship with a researcher or research institution can take many forms. Dr. Cattaneo reflected that her best partnerships have been built upon the simple fact that she and the collaborator liked one another and recognized that they shared core values regarding how to best support survivors of crime.

Findings: Tips for developing researcher-practitioner partnerships

1. You can partner with academic institutions to utilize interns to support the organization’s work.
2. Feel free to shop around to learn about the different researchers in your area and find a researcher that is a “good fit” for your organization.
3. You can learn about the work of researchers by going to university websites and reading the faculty’s curriculum vitaes. If a researcher publishes on a topic that is of interest to your organization a good first step toward building a relationship is reaching out to schedule a phone call or a coffee meeting.
4. Many researchers in the field of victim services actively want to partner with organizations. Request a meet-and-greet opportunity for your organization and the researcher to share your work with each other.
5. As many funders are requiring evaluations as part of program grants, having researchers identified as strong potential partners prior to the request for proposals allows your organization to have a head start on funding opportunities.

To learn more about the work of Safe Horizon’s Research & Evaluation Department click here.