personas

Lerato: dedicated social worker

Demographics: Black, Female, 32 years old.
Role: Social Worker at a local Department of Social Development (DSD) office.
Goals & Needs: Lerato needs to quickly assess victims' risk levels and develop effective Care Plans for the next 3 to 6 months within the mandated 72-hour window. She needs a tool to complete these tasks effectively.
Frustrations: Overwhelmed by paperwork, unresponsive referral networks, and clients refusing shelter despite scoring as an "Emergency".
Interaction with the Tool: She administers the tool. Develops care plans. The colour-coded scoring helps her justify immediate 24-hour responses to her superiors.

empathy map

Thinks: I must fully assess this victim within the strict 72-hour window. I need to quickly identify emergencies to justify action, but the paperwork takes so much time.
Feels: Deeply empathetic but frequently overwhelmed by caseloads. Relieved when the colour-coded tool visually justifies her emergency interventions.
Says: "The form makes it easy to determine our clients' risk intervention." "I need to ensure the safety plan is actionable for the next 3 to 6 months."
Does: Administers the questionnaire without LIVES. Calculates total risk scores and drafts a Care Plan with a specific "review date".

Lerato: dedicated social worker

persona

Demographics: Black, Female, 32 years old.
Role: Social Worker at a local Department of Social Development (DSD) office.
Goals & Needs: Lerato needs to quickly assess victims' risk levels and develop effective Care Plans for the next 3 to 6 months within the mandated 72-hour window. She needs a tool to complete these tasks effectively.
Frustrations: Overwhelmed by paperwork, unresponsive referral networks, and clients refusing shelter despite scoring as an "Emergency".
Interaction with the Tool: She administers the tool. Develops care plans. The colour-coded scoring helps her justify immediate 24-hour responses to her superiors.

empathy map

Thinks: I must fully assess this victim within the strict 72-hour window. I need to quickly identify emergencies to justify action, but the paperwork takes so much time.
Feels: Deeply empathetic but frequently overwhelmed by caseloads. Relieved when the colour-coded tool visually justifies her emergency interventions.
Says: "The form makes it easy to determine our clients' risk intervention." "I need to ensure the safety plan is actionable for the next 3 to 6 months."
Does: Administers the questionnaire without LIVES. Calculates total risk scores and drafts a Care Plan with a specific "review date".

Chantelle: frontline social auxiliary worker

Demographics: Black, LGBTQAI+, 25 years old.
Role: Walk-in / Social Auxiliary Worker at a local NGO.
Goals & Needs: Conducts initial intakes. She needs clear and simple checklists to trigger a GBV Risk assessment from the intake process.
Frustrations: Overwhelmed by complex legal jargon. She needs to work fast to process walk-ins.
Interaction with the Tool: Uses CW 01 – 09 forms to screen, capture identifying information, make internal or external referrals, complete intake registers, and trigger the GBV questionnaire, if needed.

empathy map

Thinks: I need to build immediate rapport and get the basic demographic and intake info right before handing this complex case over to a social worker.
Feels: Anxious about causing secondary trauma. Appreciates the simplicity of the checklist format.
Says: "The simplicity of the risk assessment and the care plan especially for victims who are traumatised and require emergency intervention is appreciated.".
Does: Uses the "Interview-based" method and asks TIP questions to flag trafficking early.

Chantelle: frontline social auxiliary worker

persona

Demographics: Black, LGBTQAI+, 25 years old.
Role: Walk-in / Social Auxiliary Worker at a local NGO.
Goals & Needs: Conducts initial intakes. She needs clear and simple checklists to trigger a GBV Risk assessment from the intake process.
Frustrations: Overwhelmed by complex legal jargon. She needs to work fast to process walk-ins.
Interaction with the Tool: Uses CW 01 – 09 forms to screen, capture identifying information, make internal or external referrals, complete intake registers, and trigger the GBV questionnaire, if needed.

empathy map

Thinks: I need to build immediate rapport and get the basic demographic and intake info right before handing this complex case over to a social worker.
Feels: Anxious about causing secondary trauma. Appreciates the simplicity of the checklist format.
Says: "The simplicity of the risk assessment and the care plan especially for victims who are traumatised and require emergency intervention is appreciated.".
Does: Uses the "Interview-based" method and asks TIP questions to flag trafficking early.

Peter: compliance-driven manager

persona

Demographics: Black, Male, 50 years old.
Role: Social Work Supervisor / Manager.
Goals & Needs: Reviews and signs off on Care Plans, ensuring cases flagged as High Risk or Emergency receive urgent intervention. Ensures staff comply with the Directives under the Domestic Violence Act.
Frustrations: Frustrated when practitioners submit incomplete forms, fail to secure client consent, miscalculate the scoring key, or when a Social Service Practitioner (SSP) fails to conduct a risk assessment.
Interaction with the Tool: Oversees emergency cases to reduce femicide or homicide. Relies on the structured Incident Report and transparent scoring key to verify correct risk determinations before authorising closures.

empathy map

Thinks: Are my social workers accurately calculating the scores? Are we legally compliant with the Draft Directives under the Domestic Violence Act?
Feels: Frustrated by non-compliance or failure to conduct risk assessments.
Says: We must ensure high-risk cases receive urgent intervention.
Does: Reviews Care Plans and verifies risk scoring before authorising case transfers or closures.

Peter: compliance-driven manager

Demographics: Black, Male, 50 years old.
Role: Social Work Supervisor / Manager.
Goals & Needs: Reviews and signs off on Care Plans, ensuring cases flagged as High Risk or Emergency receive urgent intervention. Ensures staff comply with the Directives under the Domestic Violence Act.
Frustrations: Frustrated when practitioners submit incomplete forms, fail to secure client consent, miscalculate the scoring key, or when a Social Service Practitioner (SSP) fails to conduct a risk assessment.
Interaction with the Tool: Oversees emergency cases to reduce femicide or homicide. Relies on the structured Incident Report and transparent scoring key to verify correct risk determinations before authorising closures.

empathy map

Thinks: Are my social workers accurately calculating the scores? Are we legally compliant with the Draft Directives under the Domestic Violence Act?
Feels: Frustrated by non-compliance or failure to conduct risk assessments.
Says: We must ensure high-risk cases receive urgent intervention.
Does: Reviews Care Plans and verifies risk scoring before authorising case transfers or closures.

Sibusiso: empathetic community worker

persona

Demographics: Black, Male, 40 years old.
Role: Community-Based Lay Counsellor.
Goals & Needs: Working in rural areas with limited internet, he strictly needs an offline-first tool. He aims to connect Mild and Low-risk clients with local community resources.
Frustrations: Struggles when he cannot access immediate police or medical assistance for clients in deep rural areas.
Interaction with the Tool: Uses the "Interview-based" method and the Intervention Tables to find practical community-level referrals.

empathy map

Thinks: I need an offline tool because digital applications fail in my working environment.
Feels: Frustrated when immediate emergency support (police/medical) is unavailable in remote locations.
Says: I need practical, community-level resources for my clients.
Does: Administers the tool offline and relies heavily on community-based intervention guidelines.

Sibusiso: empathetic community worker

Demographics: Black, Male, 40 years old.
Role: Community-Based Lay Counsellor.
Goals & Needs: Working in rural areas with limited internet, he strictly needs an offline-first tool. He aims to connect Mild and Low-risk clients with local community resources.
Frustrations: Struggles when he cannot access immediate police or medical assistance for clients in deep rural areas.
Interaction with the Tool: Uses the "Interview-based" method and the Intervention Tables to find practical community-level referrals.

empathy map

Thinks: I need an offline tool because digital applications fail in my working environment.
Feels: Frustrated when immediate emergency support (police/medical) is unavailable in remote locations.
Says: I need practical, community-level resources for my clients.
Does: Administers the tool offline and relies heavily on community-based intervention guidelines.

Sarah: victim of technology-facilitated abuse

persona

Demographics: Black, Female, 29 years old. Role: Survivor of tech-facilitated IPV and identity theft.
Goals & Needs: Sarah needs immediate protection from cyberstalking and digital harassment. She needs help reclaiming her financial independence after her abuser committed identity theft to ruin her credit and maintain coercive control.
Frustrations: She feels that technology companies and even law enforcement dismiss digital abuse as "not real violence," despite it causing her severe physical symptoms like insomnia, headaches, and debilitating anxiety. She feels constantly surveilled by her abuser through spyware and hacked accounts.
Interaction with the Tool: The Harassment section of the GBV tool is critical for Sarah, specifically the questions regarding whether someone is tracking her online or threatening to post bad things about her. Her care plan must include strict digital safety planning.

empathy map

Thinks: I can't escape him. Every time my phone buzzes, I panic because I know he has found a new way to track me or ruin my finances.
Feels: A complete loss of autonomy, overwhelming paranoia, and systemic betrayal when customer support fails to secure her accounts.
Says: "He controls my bank accounts, my emails, and my location. The internet has become a weapon against me."
Does: Frequently deletes her social media profiles out of fear and requires trauma-informed digital interfaces that do not trigger her PTSD.

Sarah: victim of technology-facilitated abuse

Demographics: Black, Female, 29 years old. Role: Survivor of tech-facilitated IPV and identity theft.
Goals & Needs: Sarah needs immediate protection from cyberstalking and digital harassment. She needs help reclaiming her financial independence after her abuser committed identity theft to ruin her credit and maintain coercive control.
Frustrations: She feels that technology companies and even law enforcement dismiss digital abuse as "not real violence," despite it causing her severe physical symptoms like insomnia, headaches, and debilitating anxiety. She feels constantly surveilled by her abuser through spyware and hacked accounts.
Interaction with the Tool: The Harassment section of the GBV tool is critical for Sarah, specifically the questions regarding whether someone is tracking her online or threatening to post bad things about her. Her care plan must include strict digital safety planning.

empathy map

Thinks: I can't escape him. Every time my phone buzzes, I panic because I know he has found a new way to track me or ruin my finances.
Feels: A complete loss of autonomy, overwhelming paranoia, and systemic betrayal when customer support fails to secure her accounts.
Says: "He controls my bank accounts, my emails, and my location. The internet has become a weapon against me."
Does: Frequently deletes her social media profiles out of fear and requires trauma-informed digital interfaces that do not trigger her PTSD.