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Consultants commissioned by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office last year to perform a “workplace culture assessment” have delivered a report on morale problems in the office’s victim advocacy program, which provides outreach to victims of felonies and domestic violence.
Among the concerns outlined in the 22-page report by Lake Oswego-based Edwards Consulting, which was completed in March and recently obtained by WW: minimal training, a lack of diversity and unclear performance expectations. “There is a strong perception by respondents that the work of victim advocates is undervalued and appreciated,” it says.
Consultants surveyed 13 victim advocates anonymously. All reported ”a significant lack of formal training and onboarding of new hires” and “unanimously described their training as ‘sink or swim’ and ‘trial by fire.’”
One of advocates’ key responsibilities, it says, is referring victims to community services. But the office offers no formal training in how to do that and “no centralized, up-to-date” list of available services, and that existing service providers don’t meet the needs of the “diverse demographics currently being served.”
The general consensus among staff, according to the consultants, is that the workplace is “toxic” and has an “old-school mentality.”
The report includes a series of recommendations, including investing in more training, diversifying leadership and hiring more staff.
Liz Merah, the office’s spokeswoman, said DA Mike Schmidt inherited problems in the program and is working to fix them. The office is implementing the consultants’ recommendations, Merah says, and has already create a new position “focused on training, program support, and community engagement.”
“We anticipate requesting additional funds from the county commission to further implement these recommendations in partnership with the VAP,” she said.
These are all familiar criticisms of the District Attorney’s office. Earlier this year, the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries found “substantial evidence” of gender discrimination in the office due to a lack of “standardized criteria” for promotions to management positions.
Last July, a lead victim advocate in the office wrote a scathing resignation letter in which she accused him of understaffing the victim advocacy program and failing to adequately train young prosecutors.
And Schmidt himself told WW last week that the lack of training in his office was one of his chief concerns, and his office has said it is significantly understaffed.