About

In recent decades, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) have spearheaded efforts to build, grow, and professionalize the victim service field. Despite these advancements, efforts to demonstrate the effects of services on persons impacted by crime have lagged. Grantee and subgrantee data currently collected by OVC and OVW demonstrate how hard programs are working, both in terms of the number of persons impacted by crime being served and the range of services offered. However, "output measures" are not enough. To continue to advance the field, providers, agencies, and organizations offering services to persons impacted by crime must move from measuring outputs to outcomes, from anecdote to evidence.

While some service providers, agencies, and organizations currently administer outcome and/or quality surveys to the survivors they work with, many do not. Additionally, among the programs that collect this information, there is considerable variability in the type, quality, and timing of questions. iMPRoVE was developed to support providers nationwide in a standardized collection of outcome and service quality measures among persons impacted by crime. Service providers will be able to use iMPRoVE to assess their own programs and, as data is gathered by more and more service providers, be able to compare their program to national benchmarks.

The iMPRoVE platform builds on existing work from across the field and was developed with critical support and input from practitioners around the country. Before the iMPRoVE was ready for use by providers, agencies, and organizations, RTI International and partners engaged in extensive testing of the survey instrument, methodology, and platform. See the iMPRoVE Modules and Outcome Measures for more information.