The Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) has recently released two free resources that should be helpful to community sexual assault program managers:
The Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) has recently released two free resources that should be helpful to community sexual assault program managers:
Many young people feel being pressured into having sex or participating in a sexual act before one feels entirely ready is a normal part of growing up; this is especially true if they have received little to no healthy relationship and sex education. However, we know this is a form of sexual violence and advocates working with youth have a unique opportunity to debunk this myth. Every person has complete control over their body and choice with whom and when they decide to hug, kiss, have sex...
At WCSAP we are always working to support programs. Sometimes that means taking time to stop and recognize the amazing work that’s being done and the strength, compassion, and drive it takes for advocates to provide ongoing services.
Programs are generally really good at recognizing volunteers and contributors but sometimes they lose sight of those providing the services. Taking the time to genuinely show appreciation has proven to increase productivity,...
What are some of the unique considerations in working with trans and gender non-binary youth who have experienced sexual assault? Join this webinar to gain practical skills in working with trans/gender non-binary survivors who are pre-teens and teens.
Content will address unique issues and strategies of working with both trans youth from supportive family structures and youth who do not have stable home or school environments. Topics will include: barriers to accessing services,...
Diversity, non-discrimination, cultural competency, anti-oppression, & social justice are not synonyms — they are not words that replace one another, nor are they words that connote the same meaning or the same type of interaction.
As advocates and preventionists, it is vital that we take into account power relations and oppression. Advocating on behalf of survivors and being an ally includes thinking about services, survivors, and yourself in terms of diversity, non-...
All people need to be able to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity. This is a safety issue that arises for transgender people in places that are open to the public like gyms, restaurants, and retail stores. A unique issue for transgender youth is safe access to restrooms and locker rooms at school. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality:
…59% of trans students have...
Working with young people who have been sexually assaulted can often be a daunting task for advocates and volunteers. Often, sexual assault advocates are tasked with "specializing" in so many areas of victimization, that it becomes overwhelming. How can one use the expertise that they already have to their benefit when working with young people? What barriers stand in the way of serving youth in a relevant and empowering way? In this webinar, participants will get an overview of what makes...
In WCSAP's 2006 issue of Connections, Sexual Assault: Not Part of the Penalty, we explored the issue of sexual assault in correctional facilities. A lot has changed since then. Although the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed in 2003 to address sexual assault and abuse in prison, it was not until 2012 and 2014 that the final PREA standards that govern implementation of this law took effect.
One thing that has not changed since our last exploration of the issue of...
For many of us music can have an important and influential role in our lives. It's more than just a means of enjoyment though, it can also be a platform for communicating social norms. That's why a lot of prevention efforts include media literacy skills. As preventionists, one of our biggest roles is to facilitate meaningful conversations that will help lead communities towards prevention that is personal and more likely to be effective. Therefore before diving right into the fun of...
Over the last several years, sexual assault service providers in our state have been working to enhance their response and accessibility to minor survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA). Ideally, we want to create communities that offer safety for young survivors to disclose abuse and agencies that are prepared to provide early intervention services. However, we know that for many reasons, CSA survivors may not disclose their abuse for years. Thus, we want to also be ready to meet the unique...
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a form of child sexual abuse. It is sexual activity involving a minor in exchange for something of value, or promise thereof, to the child or another person or persons. The young person is treated as a commercial and sexual object.
Often when schools and communities request a CSEC program this is connected to increased media attention of CSEC or in response to a recent incident. Programming that defines the violence and focuses on...
This summer, WCSAP released a support statement for the #blacklivesmatter Movement as a recommitment to our anti-racism work and allyship with African American communities. In that statement, we committed to being transparent about our ongoing process and to sharing tools that we find helpful along the way with our membership. We don’t have all the answers, but we want you to come along with us as we continue and deepen...
Three agencies — Disability Rights Washington (DRW), the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP), and Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) — came together as the Alliance to End Sexual Violence in Long-Term Care. Alliance partners created this handbook as a result of their collaboration to develop technical assistance for advocates working with residents of long-term care facilities in Washington State.
This handbook celebrates the combined...
Most detention facilities are required to comply with PREA. This includes state and federal...
This training is intended for trained and experienced sexual assault advocates. It explores the roles and responsibilities of hotline sexual assault advocates with two or more years of experience. Participants will explore the unique needs of survivors and address the specific challenges that may arise when advocating. Through sensitive, intentional and informed interventions, advocates will be equipped to offer survivors resources, options and crisis intervention, supporting their healing...
This tip is about consent-now I know you might be thinking, again? But hear me out.
Yes, consent is a fairly common topic area in sexual assault prevention, and there are good reasons for that. Far too often though we come up with reasons why we CANNOT teach consent. Things like the kids I'm working with are too young for that, or the school doesn't let us talk about sex. And this is why this Tip is about consent... without sex.
A recent...
Advocates come from all walks of life and advocate for a variety of purposes; but the purpose of these training materials is to provide information and support for advocates who work with residents of long-term care, specifically, long-term care ombuds, sexual assault program advocates, or disability advocates.
Building advocacy where disability, sexual violence and long-term care meet is nuanced and important. The intention of this booklet is to assist in the development of...
Around the nation, and now in Washington State, there has been a push for more comprehensive prevention efforts by providing saturated resources. This model allows for more robust staff and agency time and resources to invest in prevention. With this shift there may be questions about how to design this type of comprehensive prevention programming on the ground.
This webinar will provide an overview of the guidance within our state and share stories from other states about local...
The Office of Crime Victim's Advocacy (OCVA) has developed one service standard for prevention work conducted under the Community Sexual Assault Programs Core Services, Marginalized and Native American Communities, and the RPE program. This Primary Prevention Standard outlines the goal of the standard, eligible activities, participants, and the training required for participating staff. This is current for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year.
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I recently read a comment from a child advocate that speaks to the core of why advocacy is such an important service for young survivors of sexual abuse in our communities: "I've been working for decades now with children who have experienced significant harm. Each of them expected nothing more or less from life than what they'd experienced." Ultimately, our goal in child advocacy is to help young people envision and pursue a life that is more than and different from the trauma they have...
This training will help advocates learn more about the role of the sexual assault nurse examiner and better understand the sexual assault medical exam. Included will be help in understanding general anatomy, medical findings and forensic evidence collection. Additionally, this training will include information on the collaborative roles of advocates and SANE nurses in the care of sexual assault patients.
A trauma-informed approach to advocacy with parents of children who have been sexually abused means considering the range of stressors that families encounter. Specifically, we must recognize the possibility that parents may also have experienced sexual abuse as a child. In conjunction with the services offered to children, supporting the healing of parent-survivors helps both generations. Advocates have an excellent opportunity to help parent-survivors focus on their strengths. While their...
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into law in 2003 and in 2012, the Department of Justice standards that govern its implementation in most types of detention facilities were finalized.
The purpose of these standards is to tell facilities that are covered under PREA, what they need to do in order to be compliant. A number of these standards relate to a facility's responsibility to provide incarcerated survivors with access to sexual assault advocacy services. It was...
This audience for this brochure is corrections professionals. The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requires correctional facilities to provide access to confidential community based sexual assault advocacy services for incarcerated people who have experienced sexual assault.
This means that correctional facilities will be reaching out to community based sexual assault programs for assistance in meeting this requirement. However, many corrections professionals are unfamiliar with...
