Advocacy Training, Certification, & Standards

We are designated to certify homicide and other violent crimes advocates and generalist advocates. Become a certified advocate by learning advocacy skills, tools for wellness, and more.
We offer the following training courses for advocates serving survivors:
Homicide & Other Violent Crime (HOVC) Specialist training
Next Training
POSTPONED - New dates TBA
February 7-18, 2022 (online)
10am-12pm M/T/Th/F
Registration deadline: Friday 1/28/2022
Violent Crime Advocate Training (VCAT)
This training meets Victim Counselor/Confidentiality training requirements per Iowa Code and provides some more advanced content as well.
This curriculum is primarily for:
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VOCA-funded program staff
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New HOVC advocates who need victim counselor training for their certification
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Community members who work with survivors but may not yet be funded to do so
Next Training
2022 dates TBA
Previous Training
Dates: July 13-23, T/W/Th/F
Times: 12pm-3pm EXCEPT Thursday July 22nd (9am-12pm)
Registration deadline: Friday, July 2nd, 11:45pm
Continuing education
Workshops, webinars, and other learning opportunities for advocates pursuing or renewing certification.
Certification process
To learn more about our certification process, download our Certification Manual.
To apply for or renew your HOVC certification, follow the links below:
Standards for Victim/Survivor-Serving Programs
In collaboration with the Iowa Crime Victim Assistance Division (CVAD), ICCC is responsible for creating, updating, and assisting programs with compliance with the Program Administration & Direct Service Standards. These standards and best practices apply to CVAD-funded programs serving survivors of homicide and other violent crimes specifically, as well as those serving crime victims on a generalist basis.
To learn more, download & view the Program Administration & Direct Services Standards.