Assessment of Survivor Outcomes Validation Study – International Justice Mission

The Assessment of Survivor Outcomes (ASO) tool, developed by International Justice Mission, is a valid and reliable tool for measuring progress toward restoration and outcomes for survivors who are recovering from various forms of violence and exploitation.  IJM defines restoration to be when a survivor is able to function in society with low vulnerability to revictimization. The ASO fills a gap in holistic assessments that are able to measure outcomes of survivors recovering from various forms of violence and exploitation. In 2015, IJM commenced a two-part validation study to better understand the ASO’s reliability in providing an accurate picture of survivor progress toward restoration, and the process concluded in December 2017. Both the internal and external validation studies determined that the ASO tool is accurate, reliable, and usable for measuring progress toward restoration.

The ASO serves two key functions: (1) a case management tool to identify areas of survivor strengths and vulnerabilities, enabling a tailored plan of service provision; and (2) an impact measurement tool to provide data on the effectiveness of service provision by assessing survivor progress. The ASO measures six domains of functioning critical to a survivor’s restoration, each of which contributes to a survivor’s ability to function in society with low vulnerability to revictimization.

Domains	Description
Safety	Survivors are free from the threat or experience of victimization, and are motivated and able to remain safe.
Legal Protection	Survivors are knowledgeable about their rights and protections, and are able to pursue justice and protection if these rights are violated.
Mental Wellbeing	Survivors demonstrate stability, positive coping skills and reduced harmful behaviors that affect their long-term recovery.
Economic Empowerment and Education	Survivor’s households can maintain adequate income from a safe source to meet their needs, and are engaged in school, training and/or work.
Social Support	Survivors have supportive relationships and are accepted in their communities.
Physical Wellbeing	Survivors take care of their health needs, and can access basic medical services and safe, stable housing.

Assessors score a survivor’s wellbeing in each subdomain using a vulnerability scale of 1-4, with 1 as the highest level of vulnerability and 4 as the lowest level of vulnerability, and the domain score is calculated by averaging the subdomain scores.

 

IJM is pleased to share the ASO without a fee, as we believe that the ASO is a critical assessment for measuring survivor outcomes. Interested parties are required to sign and adhere to a user agreement for proper usage. A web-based training and guidance manual are available to accompany the tool. The validation report is available at www.ijm.org/aso. Please contact IJM Global Aftercare ataftercare@ijm.org for more information.