Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Response Protocol Update

MCCHR has joined forces once again with the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to update SART’s Sexual Assault Response Protocol. SART is a collaborative of 23 agencies working together to build a coordinated community response to sexual violence. Our research team was involved in the development of the initial protocol in May 2012.The project reflects an ongoing partnership between MCCHR and the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region.

The new protocol expands on services dedicated to First Nations and LGBQ+ and trans communities. Many of the new additions include using advisable language when discussing diverse groups and facts pertaining to these groups and sexual assault in our Region. It also includes sections on the neurobiology of sexual assault, more specifically, the reality of secondary victimization, the psychological impact of sexual violence and how trauma impacts behavior. We also decided to include antihuman trafficking information and an overview of Bill 132: Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment). To make the document user-friendly, we have provided links to the province’s new sexual health policies. The SART protocol can be found on the Sexual Assault Support Centre’s webpage where the document will be able to be accessed electronically. We have also created a short 9-minute webisode with members of SART who explain the context of the new SART protocol in order to make it more user friendly for potential users, agencies and organizations. This is posted on the SASC website.