Intimate Partner Sexual Violence SARTs need to be educated in all types of sexual assault, especially those that are most common but often overlooked. Most sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, often in the context of an intimate partner relationship. Many SARTs are well equipped to support victims whose offender is...

Technology and Sexual Assault Cases Developments in technology continue to affect the way offenders target victims, victims report sexual assault, crimes are investigated, possible types of evidence are collected, communities respond to sexual assault, and ongoing collateral harassment of or retaliation against victims occur. This section of the SART Toolkit provides information on some concerns...

Investigative Response by Law Enforcement Law enforcement’s response to victims of sexual assault has a tremendous impact on their recovery and long-term wellbeing. Law enforcement response also plays a critical role in the community’s response and work toward prevention. Officers and investigators who use trauma-informed practices during interactions with victims will validate and assist in...

Critical Issues in Responding to Reports of Sexual Assault This section of the SART Toolkit provides information on critical issues related to the SART response, victim safety, collateral concerns, and best practices. The content will help SARTs seeking to gain a basic understanding of an issue, learn best practices, and identify technical assistance providers to...

[1] Jessica Bateman, 2017, “Meet the Women Using Tech to Combat Sexual Assault,” The Guardian. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from LINK [2] U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, 2013, A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations: Adults/Adolescents, Second Edition. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from LINK [3] Bette Bottoms, Liana Peter-Hagene,...

  SART Operations SART Meeting Logistics SARTs generally hold regularly scheduled meetings to develop relationships, discuss emerging issues, and monitor progress on outcomes. Meetings provide regular opportunities to further the team’s mission by creating space to make improvements, identify concerns, and celebrate successes. The regular pattern of communication provided by meetings is seen as an...

[1] Graham Kenny, June 21, 2016, “Strategic Plans are Less Important than Strategic Planning,” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from LINK [2] Peter Bergman, Harvard Business Review, January 4, 2017, “Execution is a People Problem, Not a Strategy Problem,” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved January 20, 2017, from LINK [3] Don Hofstrand, 2016, Vision...

History of SARTs SARTs were created to change how sexual assault victims were treated, evidence was collected, and cases were managed. The histories of SARTs throughout the country show how victims, advocates, law enforcement officers, forensic laboratory scientists, health care professionals, and prosecutors collaborated to create integrated, victim-centered systems that support victims as well as...

  Confidentiality {“preview_thumbnail”:”/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/oS7MVsDmTlc.jpg?itok=WOL5yv5a”,”video_url”:”https://youtu.be/oS7MVsDmTlc”,”settings”:{“responsive”:1,”width”:”854″,”height”:”480″,”autoplay”:0},”settings_summary”:[“Embedded Video (Responsive).”]} This section of the SART Toolkit provides a framework for understanding and maintaining confidentiality in the context of multidisciplinary collaboration. Confidentiality — the duty to protect victim privacy — is a principle codified in federal [157] and state law, [158] is a stipulation under several sources of federal funding, [159]...

  Set Up a Leadership Structure Leadership structures on SARTs are just as unique as the jurisdictions and communities they serve. While SART champions may be SART leaders or members, establishing intentional leadership can be beneficial when attempting to formalize aspects of your team, strengthen relationships, address power dynamics, manage tasks, and hold members accountable....