Justice's OJP's OVC Announces Toolkit for Communities that want to Develop or Improve Sexual Assault Response Teams

 

The U.S. Department of Justice's, Office of Justice Programs' Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)-- http://www.ovc.gov/ -- has released an online toolkit for communities that want to develop or improve sexual assault response teams (SARTs). Developed by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center(http://www.nsvrc.org/) with support from OVC, the toolkit provides information and resources for establishing and/or enhancing collaborative, multidisciplinary SARTs to respond effectively to victims of sexual assault.

 

This toolkit is a collection of resources that victim service professional s may use to formalize, expand on, or evaluate their interagency responses to sexual assault. The toolkit includes five main sections:

 

-Learn About SARTs-- briefly reviews the basics: definitions and statistics related to sexual assault, the common makeup of SARTs and the reasons behind setting them up, and a brief historical outline of SART development since the 1970s.

-Develop a SART-- lays out the steps involved in putting together your SART. You'll learn how to build your team; collect data about your jurisdiction to help you create a relevant victim response; develop a strategic plan outlining your goals, objectives, and protocol; determine communication standards for your team (e.g., ethical communication, confidentiality); hold effective meetings; monitor and evaluate your victim response; and sustain your SART. This section also includes detailed information about common SART members"”describing their roles and responsibilities"”and highlights several critical issues related to sexual assault that every SART should know.

-Put the Focus on Victims-- describes how victims may be feeling, approaches to responding to various victims, and ways to help victims heal.

-Follow Innovative Practices--highlights SART programs from around the country. See what other jurisdictions are doing before setting up or revamping your SART. Programs cover the fields of advocacy, law enforcement, health care, prosecution, and forensics and deal with multidisciplinary issues and culturally specific practices.

-Find Tools--includes sample resources for specific SART members and tools to use when developing your team and evaluating its activities. Find examples of surveys, forms, brochures, guidelines, legislation, memorandums of understanding, and other resources.

 

To view the toolkit and many other resources regarding SARTs and responding to the needs of sexual assault survivors, please visit: http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/sartkit/

 

 

The OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is thrilled to announce a new national award for the student / youth group that most boldly & effectively raises LGBTQ visibility, calls attention to bullying & harassment, and promotes fairness & equality for all by holding an OUT IN THE SILENCE event during National Coming Out Day, Ally Week and LGBT History Month -- October 2011.

 

The $1,500 Grand Prize will go to the gay-straight alliance, diversity club, or other youth group that best reaches a wide cross-section of the school and community through a creative and inspiring film screening / speak-out event.

The $750 Impact Award will recognize the group that best reaches a new audience and recruits unexpected allies.

The $500 New Kid on the Block Award will recognize an event that helps put a new student / youth group on the map.

 

ENTERING THE COMPETITION IS EASY. CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS AT: http://wpsu.org/outinthesi"‹lence/award

Winners will be announced in The Huffington Post on December 10 -- International Human Rights Day!

 

 

The Idaho Council on Suicide Prevention announced that they are seeking a youth (about ages 19-24) for the governor-appointed position to serve a 2 year commitment. More info: http://idahossc.com/

 

A new online toolkit that provides information to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the foster care system receive the support and services they need and deserve. Developed in partnership by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Lambda Legal, the tool kit gives guidance on an array of issues affecting LGBTQ youth and the adults and organizations who provide them with out-of-home care.

 

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning ("LGBTQ") young people are in America's child welfare and juvenile justice systems in disproportionate numbers. Like all young people in care, they have the right to be safe and protected. All too often, however, they are misunderstood and mistreated, leading to an increased risk of negative outcomes. This tool kit offers practical tips and information to ensure that LGBTQ young people in care receive the support and services they deserve. Developed in partnership by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Lambda Legal, the tool kit gives guidance on an array of issues affecting LGBTQ youth and the adults and organizations who provide them with out-of-home care. 

 

~ Basic Facts About Being LGBTQ

~ Information for LGBTQ Youth in Care

~ Families Supporting an LGBTQ Child

~ Caseworkers with LGBTQ Clients

~ Foster Parents Caring for LGBTQ Youth

~ Congregate Care Providers Working with LGBTQ Youth

~ Attorneys, Guardians ad Litem & Advocates Representing LGBTQ Youth

~ Working with Transgender Youth

~ Keeping LGBTQ Youth Safe in Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Placements

~ Working with Homeless LGBTQ Youth

~ Faith-Based Providers Working with LGBTQ Youth

~ Basic LGBTQ Policies, Training & Services for Child Welfare Agencies

~ Recommendations for Training & Education on LGBTQ Issues

~ What the Experts Say: Position & Policy Statements on LGBTQ Issues from Leading Professional Associations

~ LGBTQ Youth Resources

~ Teaching LGBTQ Competence in Schools of Social Work

~ Combating Misguided Efforts to Ban Lesbian & Gay Adults as Foster & Adoptive Parents

~ LGBTQ Youth Risk Data

 

Child Welfare League of America: CWLA is the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit advocate for children and youth and has a membership of nearly 1000 public and private agencies, including nearly every state child welfare system.

 

Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal is the nation's oldest and largest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.

 

CWLA/Lambda joint initiative "” Fostering Transitions: In 2002, Lambda Legal and CWLA combined their respective expertise in child welfare and LGBTQ issues and launched a historic partnership "” entitled Fostering Transitions "” to change the way LGBTQ youth and adults are treated in the nation's child welfare and juvenile justice systems. In addition to this tool kit, Fostering Transitions has published other educational and advocacy tools, including Out of the Margins: A Report on Regional Listening Forums Highlighting the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth in Care.

 

Fostering Transitions is supported by a generous grant from the Andrus Family Fund (www.affund.org), a grantmaking foundation with a priority area of funding projects that help young people transition from foster care to adult independence. CWLA and Lambda Legal are profoundly grateful for the Andrus Family Fund's support and vision, without which Fostering Transitions and this tool kit would not have been possible.

 

To order free copies of the Getting Down to Basics tool kit, Out of the Margins and other resources, contact Lambda Legal at 1-866-LGBTeen (toll free) or 212-809-8585, or download them for free at http://data.lambdalegal.org/publications/downloads/gdtb_overview-of-tool-kit.pdf or www.cwla.org.

 

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Co-Chairs:

Charlie Shealy, NW Network of BTLG Survivors of Abuse

Heather Murphy, Ph.D., school psychologist.

Mo Lewis, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center

 

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