July 10, 2022–2:06 p.m.
NEWS RELEASE
The significant impact of solidarity is imperative in the effort to support survivors of sexual assault. All partners must be educated and informed on the best ways to offer support, resources, and empowerment.
Nearly a year after the Sexual Assault Reform Act of 2021 (House Bill 255) was passed, active collaboration between the Harbor House Child Advocacy Center, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, the Sexual Assault Center of NWGA (SAC), and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) came to fruition as Rome, Ga. hosted its first regional training on June 23, 2022, at the Forum River Center.
More than 100 law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) from across the state gathered for the one-day training offered by the CJCC, free of charge.
Entitled Coordinated Community Response to Sexual Assault Across the Lifespan, the presenters addressed participants collectively as Georgia’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and offered guidance on a multidisciplinary victim-centered approach for responding to victims of sexual assault.
SAC Executive Director, Kimberly King, said that offering additional training and opportunities to learn about the implementation of the reform act’s policies and processes was a necessity.
HB 255 brought about very critical and very necessary changes such as the creation of a statewide Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System that provides survivors the ability to track the status of their kit, and mandates agencies that handle kits to register in and utilize the system.
The reform also requires sexual assault protocol committees to submit an annual certification to ensure statewide compliance and mandates law enforcement agencies to enter information on certain crimes into the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP database).
Key topics covered throughout the day were Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and types of poly-victimization, an overview of the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System (SAKTS), the role of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), the importance of patients’ medical care following sexual assault and abuse, as well as key strategies to initiate and maintain effective communication and collaboration among multidisciplinary SART members while maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality.
Throughout each conversation and topic, presenters consistently acknowledged the importance of victim-centered approaches by applying trauma-informed care.
“Regardless of role or responsibility, it is critical for those who respond to sexual assault disclosures to practice victim-centered approaches and trauma-informed care. To the survivors and families who are actually going through trauma, our collective response makes all of the difference in their experience in asking for help,” King said.
“Being victim-centered and trauma-informed is extremely important,” Harbor House Executive Director, Joe Costolnick, added. “It allows those who are trying to help the victim understand what they might be experiencing, why they might be experiencing certain things, and how to perform at their best for particular needs at any given moment throughout the case. It is not only important, but it is also completely necessary in order to do things correctly.”
While the content was of the utmost importance, the training also allowed for networking and relationship building between agencies and personnel from across the state; ensuring collaboration and strength in solidarity. Participants represented child advocacy centers, colleges, hospitals, and police departments among others.
“This training could not have been possible without key people such as Sheriff Dave Roberson, who is not only an amazing law enforcement professional, but a serious advocate for victims of crime, such as child abuse and sexual assault,” Costolnick said. “His willingness to make things happen that led to securing the Forum, breakfast foods and technological support were extremely important.”
“I have served on the Board of Directors of Harbor House and the Sexual Assault Center of NWGA for several years and am thankful for the opportunity for the Sheriff’s Office to assist with this training right here in Floyd County,” Sheriff Dave Roberson said.
“I look forward to assisting in such training opportunities in the future.”
Both Costolnick and King expressed deep gratitude for the time and effort on the part of participants, some traveling many hours to receive the training.
“I hope that all of the professionals took with them something that they did not previously know, that will one day potentially change the way that they handle a simple task that might be life-changing for the survivor that they are working with at that moment,” Costolnick said.
As organizations like the SAC and Harbor House continue to work diligently to prioritize, support, and empower survivors of sexual assault, trainings such as these remind professionals that they are not alone. They have chosen a vocational purpose that can prove difficult and disheartening. This training was a reminder that they have support in each other, they are part of a SART, seeking to make a difference in the lives of survivors individually as well as their community at large.
“I hope that all participants left with a renewed sense of purpose, helping to restore their ‘why,’” King said. “My wish is that participants will consider how to implement practices that prioritize the survivor and the survivor’s experience in reporting and disclosing. We hope that our state and its service agencies that are tasked with protecting, supporting, and serving, will continue to improve practices by increasing education and training. We are incredibly proud to be part of this forward movement in sexual assault response and hope that more opportunities will arise in the future.”
