Apricot for Violence Survivors (AVS) is a database that has been set up with a standard process for entering data. It allows you to enter new information about clients who are receiving services from your organization. It was built primarily for organizations who provide services to survivors of domestic violence.

These instructions outline the process for entering information about a call on the hotline.

A hotline caller may be anonymous or may provide a name or other identifying information about themselves. If your caller wishes to remain anonymous, skip down to the instructions for "If the Caller is Anonymous" further down the page.

If your caller provides enough identifying information that you can fill out a client profile record for them, you will need to search the existing client profile records to see if they are a returning client or are new to the system.

1. One way to find your client profile records is to click the button under "Welcome to AVS" called "Client Profile Search."

2. Another way is to look on the left hand menu and click on the client profile form.

Both of these options will take you to the same place.

This is the Client Profile search page. From here, you can search for an existing Client Profile record or create a new Client Profile record.

Before you create a new record, you should search the database to make sure a record has not already been created for the hotline caller.

1. To search the Client Profile records that have already been saved in the system, expand the black arrow next to "Add a Search Field."

2. Select an option from the drop down menu. If you know the client's name, it is probably easiest to add the Name field, but you can add any field listed here and you can also add more than one field if you think that would be helpful.

2. In this case, none of the records in the database match the name of our client. This means she has not been entered into the system before and a client profile record must be created for her.

3. On the right hand menu, select "New Client Profile."

Every client in the system must have a client profile record; this is how the database keeps track of the people who have been enrolled in a program or who are receiving services. A client profile record is like a face-sheet - it collects demographic and similar kinds of data that are unlikely to change over time: name, date of birth, social security number, gender, race, etc. After it has been saved, it can be updated if your client changes their name or provides new information they did not have when they initially came in for services.

1. Some fields on this form are marked with a double apricot icon. This indicates the field is a "duplicate check" field - the database will automatically take the information you enter into these areas and match it against other records that have already been created. If you are trying to create a record for someone who already exists in the system, you will be notified and directed to the previous record. You will not be able to save this record until it contains unique information in each of the duplicate check fields.

2. Some fields on this form are marked with an asterisk *. This indicates the field is "required." Required fields must be completed before you will be allowed to save the record. These fields have been marked as required because they are necessary pieces of information to collect on every client who comes in for services.

3. On the right hand menu, you will see a list in green text showing the remaining required fields that still need to be filled out. You can click on these and the screen will scroll down to the required fields.

4. When you have finished entering data into the Client Profile form, select Save Record.

Once a record has been successfully saved, a pop- up window will give you the options to:

- Continue: You will remain on the same page. If you have additional information to add to this record or need to correct an error, select Continue.

- View Folder: You will be taken to this client's document folder. If you are satisfied with the information that has been entered into this client profile record and would like to move on to enroll this client into services, select View Folder.

- Go to Search: You will return to the Client Profile search page. If you have more client profile records to complete for more new clients, select Go to Search and repeat the previous steps to search the database and create another new client profile record.

For our purposes, we will select View Folder where we can enroll this new client into specific services.

This is the document folder for our new client. Every client in the system has a document folder just like this where you can see at a glance what services or programs they have participated in.

1. To fill out relevant hotline call information, you will need to complete a program enrollment record. Hover your mouse over the Actions tab to the right of Program Enrollment and select "Create New."

While the client profile form collects data that is unlikely to change much over time, the information collected in the program enrollment form is more like a current snapshot of what is going on with your client today. This information might and probably will change between visits or over the course of time.

1. Like the Client Profile form, this form also has "required" fields indicated by an asterisk *. Notice that the Service Start Date field is required but the Service End Date field is not - when a client comes in for services, enter their start date, but not their exit date. When they leave services, you will open this record again and record their exit date at that time.

2. This form will change what kinds of information are required depending on the answers you fill in. Under "Program Type," select "Hotline" and the form will ask for information relevant for persons calling in on the hotline.

Scroll down until you see the section labeled "Hotline."

Above is an example of the hotline call section of the Program Enrollment. When you have filled out the relevant information, select Save Record in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Once you have saved the record, you have completed your data entry for a hotline caller. If your organization also requires you to fill out other records for certain situations or certain kinds of hotline callers, return to the Document Folder and select another form to fill out.

Sometimes callers on the hotline do not have the desire or the ability to leave identifying information about themselves. These callers are recorded in the database as "anonymous" callers.

1. To fill out an anonymous caller record, select the My Apricot tab at the top of the page.

2. Select the button under "Welcome to AVS!" that says "Anonymous Victim Hotline Call."

3. You can also find the Anonymous records by opening the Client Profile search page and searching for a client named "Anonymous."

While the client profile form collects data that is unlikely to change much over time, the information collected in the program enrollment form is more like a current snapshot of what is going on with your client today. This information might and probably will change between visits or over the course of time.

1. Like the Client Profile form, this form also has "required" fields indicated by an asterisk *. Notice that the Service Start Date field is required but the Service End Date field is not - when a client comes in for services, enter their start date, but not their exit date. When they leave services, you will open this record again and record their exit date at that time.

2. This form will change what kinds of information are required depending on the answers you fill in. Under "Program Type," select "Hotline" and the form will ask for information relevant for persons calling in on the hotline.

Scroll down until you see the section labeled "Hotline."

Above is an example of the hotline call section of the Program Enrollment. When you have filled out the relevant information, select Save Record in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Once you have saved the record, you have completed your data entry for a hotline caller. If your organization also requires you to fill out other records for certain situations or certain kinds of hotline callers, return to the Document Folder and select another form to fill out.