(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) That the provision of quality services for victims of crime is of high priority.
(2) That existing victim service programs do not have sufficient financial resources to consistently recruit and employ fully trained personnel.
(3) That there is no consistency in the training provided to the various agencies serving victims.
(4) That comprehensive training for victim service agencies is geographically limited or unavailable.
(5) That there is currently no statewide comprehensive training system in place for the state to ensure that all service providers receive adequate training to provide quality services to victims of crime.
(6) It is the intention of the Legislature to establish a statewide training program within the Office of Emergency Services to provide comprehensive standardized training to victim service providers.
(b) The Office of Emergency Services shall establish a statewide victim-assistance training program, the purpose of which is to develop minimum training and selection standards, certify training courses, and provide funding to enable local victim service providers to acquire the required training.
(c)(1) For the purpose of raising the level of competence of local victim service providers, the Office of Emergency Services shall adopt guidelines establishing minimum standards of training for employees of victim-witness and sexual assault programs funded by the office to provide services to victims of crime. The Office of Emergency Services shall establish an advisory committee composed of recognized statewide victim service organizations, representatives of local victim service programs, and others selected at the discretion of the executive director to consult on the research and development of the training, selection, and equivalency standards.
(2) Any local unit of government, community-based organization, or any other public or private nonprofit entity funded by the Office of Emergency Services as a victim-witness or sexual assault program to provide services to victims of crime shall adhere to the training and selection standards established by the Office of Emergency Services. The standards for sexual assault victim service programs developed by the advisory committee established pursuant to Section 13836 shall be the standards for purposes of this section. With the exception of the sexual assault standards, the Office of Emergency Services shall conduct or contract with an appropriate firm or entity for research on validated standards pursuant to this section in consultation with the advisory committee established pursuant to paragraph (1). The Office of Emergency Services may defer the adoption of the selection standards until the necessary research is completed. Until the standards are adopted, affected victim service programs may receive state funding from the Office of Emergency Services upon certification of their willingness to adhere to the training standards adopted by the Office of Emergency Services.
(3) Minimum training and selection standards may include, but shall not be limited to, basic entry, continuation, supervisory, management, specialized curricula, and confidentiality.
(4) Training and selection standards shall apply to all victim service and management personnel of the victim-witness and sexual assault agencies funded by the Office of Emergency Services to provide services to victims of crime. Exemptions from this requirement may be made by the Office of Emergency Services. A victim service agency which, despite good faith efforts, is unable to meet the standards established pursuant to this section, may apply to the Office of Emergency Services for an exemption. For the purpose of exemptions, the Office of Emergency Services may establish procedures that allow for partial adherence. The Office of Emergency Services may develop equivalency standards which recognize professional experience, education, training, or a combination of the above, for personnel hired before July 1, 1987.
(5) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a victim service agency, funded by the Office of Emergency Services to provide services to victims of crime, from establishing training and selection standards which exceed the minimum standards established by the Office of Emergency Services pursuant to this section.
(d) For purposes of implementing this section, the Office of Emergency Services has all of the following powers:
(1) To approve or certify, or both, training courses selected by the agency.
(2) To make those inquiries which may be necessary to determine whether every local unit of government, community-based organization, or any other public or private entity receiving state aid from the Office of Emergency Services as a victim-witness or sexual assault program for the provision of services to victims of crime, is adhering to the standards for training and selection established pursuant to this section.
(3) To adopt those guidelines which are necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
(4) To develop or present, or both, training courses for victim service providers, or to contract with coalitions, councils, or other designated entities, to develop or present, or both, those training courses.
(5) To perform other activities and studies necessary to carry out the intent of this section.
(e) (1) The Office of Emergency Services may utilize any funds that may become available from the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund to fund the cost of training staff of victim service agencies which are funded by the Office of Emergency Services from the fund. The Office of Emergency Services may utilize federal or other state funds that may become available to fund the cost of training staff of victim service agencies which are not eligible for funding from the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund.
(2) Peace officer personnel whose jurisdictions are eligible for training subvention pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 13500) of Title 4 of this part and correctional or probation personnel whose jurisdictions are eligible for state aid pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 6035) of Chapter 5 of Title 7 of Part 3 are not eligible to receive training reimbursements under this section unless the person receiving the training is assigned to provide victim services in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Emergency Services and is attending training to meet the established standards.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 448. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.)