Evaluating an Anonymous Service: Challenges Experienced with the Evaluation of a Sexual Assault Hotline and Recommendations for Better Practices

For traumatic events like sexual assault, hotlines are a widely implemented service modality; however, evaluation is difficult due to their anonymous nature and lack of consistency in training and practice. Without a complete picture of callers and services requested and provided, training for hotline workers is less informed.

Research Objectives:

1)  Describe the current state of evaluation practices regarding hotline services, particularly those serving an anonymous clientele and for sexual violence.

2)  Analyze documentation of hotline calls as an evaluation data source for completeness and quality of information obtained.

3)  Identify specific challenges experienced in the evaluation of a sexual assault hotline and provide suggestions for future data collection practices.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of archival data was performed. Five-years of documented hotline call sheets spanning 2008-2012 from a sexual assault center in the Southeast United States comprised the sampling frame (N=1970). Twenty-percent of call sheets were selected for analysis using stratified random methods (n=383), with the final sample excluding designated prank calls (resulting n=357). Analyses were performed to reveal the completeness of documentation and call sheets were reviewed for content that could inform practice. A supplemental convenience sample of hotline documentation sheets from across the state were used to inform points of data that hotlines should consider for standard documentation.

Results

Response rates for several items were surprisingly low, including a significant amount of missing data for for the following variables:  sex of victim, (n=44, 11.5%), date of assault, (n=111, 29%), age of victim, (n = 195, 50.9%), and existing caller, (n=284, 74.2%). These frequencies reflect when the variable was applicable to the content of the call, but not recorded.

In addition, the convenience sample of call sheets elucidated information that is not routinely gathered by the hotline sampled in the current study, but could provide meaning points for evaluation, such as: if the individual is currently in services, type of assault, and any legal action taken.

Tables detailing these and other results will be included in the presentation.

Conclusions and Implications

Call sheets should be more standardized across agencies and thoroughly completed to provide a complete picture of callers and facilitate evaluation across programs.  Low documentation rates leave the program with little information about how and by whom the hotline is being utilized.  Mandatory information (if clinically appropriate), complemented by voluntary information where applicable may increase the likelihood of completion by volunteer workers.  Existing technologies, already in place for some centers, could streamline services and increase the likelihood of completion with drop-down boxes for information and mandatory response for certain items. Education for staff regarding commonly missed documentation, and its use for evaluation and training purposes could also increase the likelihood of completion when clinically appropriate.