Virtual Training
Session 1 – August 27, 2025
Session 2 – September 10, 2025
Session 3 – September 24, 2025
All sessions are from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the three-part webinar training series, "Abuse in Later Life."
Series Description:
We all deserve to age with safety and dignity. However, abuse in later life affects older adults more often than people realize. This type of abuse, which focuses on the intersection of domestic and sexual violence and elder abuse, is frequently underreported and overlooked, resulting in significant gaps in services and community responses tailored to older survivors' unique and complex needs. These factors make it critical for multidisciplinary professional service providers to collaborate in providing more healing and just outcomes for older adults. To bridge this gap and address this need, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) has partnered with DCJS to present three interactive virtual webinars: “An Overview of Abuse in Later Life,” “Enhancing Services & Supports for Older Adults,” and “The Importance of Community Collaboration in Addressing Abuse in Later Life.”
Session 1 – “An Overview of Abuse in Later Life”
This session will focus on the unique intersection of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking that older adult victims of violence face. The goals of the webinar are to increase participants’ awareness of the issues related to abuse in later life and to obtain a deeper understanding of the distinct risk factors as well as tactics utilized by abusers.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:
-
Describe the unique dynamics associated with abuse in later life.
-
Identify risk factors that can contribute to older adults being vulnerable to abuse.
-
Explain the tactics used by abusers against older adult victims.
Session 2 – “Enhancing Services & Supports for Older Adults”
This training will provide an in-depth discussion on trauma-informed, victim-centered advocacy and the application of these strategies in service provision. This webinar will delve into the various barriers older adults face, safety strategies and planning, and explore tailored approaches to developing services for older adults.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:
-
Identify the barriers older adults face in seeking safety and justice.
-
Describe trauma-informed techniques to safety plan with older adult survivors.
-
Identify victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches to supporting older adult victims.
Session 3 – “The Importance of Community Collaboration in Addressing Abuse in Later Life”
During this webinar, participants will learn more about essential community partnerships, like community coordination teams and initiatives, that are crucial in addressing abuse in later life, in both rural and urban areas. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive conversations with fellow Virginia service providers to learn more about each other’s specific services. They will also discuss older adult case scenarios to determine effective and practical collaboration strategies for addressing cases of abuse in later life in their communities.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:
-
Identify community collaboration models useful in addressing abuse in later life.
-
Explain collaboration strategies that help address cases of abuse in later life in communities.
-
Identify services and service providers addressing abuse in later life in Virginia.
Presenters:
Victoria Ferguson-Young is the Victim Services Coordinator of the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), a project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (End Abuse). In this role, Ferguson-Young is responsible for nationwide leadership within the domestic violence and sexual assault movements on enhancing the safety and the quality of life of older victims and survivors. She develops and facilitates training and technical assistance to the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Abuse in Later Life (ALL) Grant Program recipients and other entities in the abuse in later life field. Ferguson-Young has 15 years of extensive experience in the field of domestic violence through advocacy, prevention, community outreach, training, and education. In the past, her work has included direct victim services, justice system legal advocacy, improving offender accountability, faith community engagement and training, implementing community programming, and increasing services for abuse in later life victims. Ferguson-Young received her Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Divinity from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.
Ann Laatsch is the Justice System Coordinator for the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), a project of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (End Abuse). Laatsch is responsible for nationwide leadership within the criminal justice system on enhancing the safety and the quality of life of older victims and survivors of abuse. In this role, she also provides training and technical assistance on justice system issues, and creates training materials and curricula on justice system responses to abuse in later life. In her past work, she has provided legal representation to survivors of domestic and elder abuse and people with disabilities. Laatsch has developed and presented training on a range of topics, including domestic violence, housing law, public benefits, elder rights, and disability issues. Laatsch is a graduate of Carroll University. She received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2005. She lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Who Should Attend: All professionals serving victims are welcome.
Participant Registration and Cost: This training webinar series is free. Participants need to register in advance. Please click here to register.
For more information, please contact Tricia Everetts, Victims Services Training and Communication Coordinator, at tricia.everetts@dcjs.virginia.gov