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921 Chapter 5:Temporary Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors (TA-DVS) Program • Section 9: Co-located domestic violence advocates (07/2026) Co-located domestic violence advocates Who is a co-located domestic violence advocate? The ODHS co-located domestic violence advocate is a certified domestic violence advocate that is not a Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) employee. The advocates are contracted to be co-located in ODHS Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency program offices. “Certified advocate” means a person who has completed at least 40 hours of training in advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking that meets the minimum training requirements and is currently employed by a qualified victim services program. “Qualified victim services program” means a nongovernmental, nonprofit, community-based program receiving moneys administered by the Oregon Department of Human Services or the U.S. Department of Justice that offers safety planning, counseling, support or advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. The advocates are from your local nonprofit domestic violence sexual assault (DVSA) organizations. The primary purpose of an advocate is to support survivors of domestic violence (DV). The advocates can provide confidential advocacy services for survivors and ODHS staff. Advocacy services can include but are not limited to: • Safety planning • Referrals and help with accessing other community resources • Help with restraining orders • Attending court with survivor • Attending ODHS home visits with Self-Sufficiency, and • Other confidential services for survivors of domestic violence with or without children. These services apply to all survivors. Employees of ODHS may also access services provided by the co-located domestic violence advocates. Domestic violence advocates’ confidentiality and privilege Co-located DV advocates have specific confidentiality rules called advocate privilege. This means the information shared with an advocate is not shared elsewhere. Co-located DV advocates have very strict confidentiality standards as a condition of their federal grant funding from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The standards state the advocates cannot disclose any information without the survivor’s consent that can personally identify an individual or any individual information or reveal information of individuals who are accessing services. Why is confidentiality important? • It enhances survivor safety. • It preserves the dignity of survivors. • Survivors may be more willing to access services.