REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

SEXUAL ASSAULT RESOURCE AND RESPONSE TEAM (SARRT)

LEADERSHIP & SUSTAINABILITYINITIATIVE

SARRT Facilitation and Leadership Education

through the

Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault[1]

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 11, 2016: Request for Applications Release in Coalition Connection

August 24, 2016: Conference Call for Prospective Applicants

September 30, 2016: Applications due to WCADVSA office

October 17, 2016: Successful applicants notified of selection

November 1, 2016 throughSeptember29, 2017: Intensive Technical Assistance (TA) period

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions:

Katie Hughes

Rural Program Capacity Specialist WCADVSA

(307) 635-1120

Send Completed Applications to:

Mail:Hand Delivered:

WCADVSAWCADVSA

PO Box 236710 Garfield St., Suite 218

Laramie, WY 82073Laramie, WY 82070

Scan and Email:

Introduction

General

The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (WCADVSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1987 to respond to the needs of domestic violence and sexual assault victims and to provide statewide representation and advocacy for the local domestic and sexual violence advocacy programs in Wyoming. Through a collective voice, the WCADVSA is committed to provide leadership, education, and systems advocacy to advance social change and end violence.

In order to lead the collective voice, the WCADVSA goals are to:

“Provide leadership and facilitate partnerships among victim advocates, allied state and national organizations;

“Promote quality services, education, technical assistance, legal services, and advocacy to advocates and programs;

“Engage in prevention, social change, and policy efforts that challenge the social, economic and political conditions that sustain a culture of violence in which domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are condoned;

“Increase the overall programmatic and financial sustainability of the WCADVSA”.

For the purposes of this Request for Applications (RFA), the following definitions apply:

Capacity- Ability of multiple community agencies to bring about, align, and sustain a group or organization’s mission, structure, processes, culture, human capital, and other resources for effective SARRT work.

Collaboration- The process of people communicating with one another and committing to partner in order to develop an effective SARRT. Collaboration among participants in a SARRT isoften referred to as interagency collaboration.

Data collection- The process of gathering measurable information to gain consistent information about sexual assault in a community that may inform the goals and objectives of the SARRT. Data collection may include gathering baseline statistics about the number of victims affected by sexual assault, or the ability of the SARRT to effectively respond to victims.

SARRT coordinator- Domestic violence sexual assault program staff who will lead in the development and sustainability of the SARRT. The SARRT coordinator will be the technical assistance contact person for this award with the WCADVSA.

Sustainability-Ability to manage and maintain a SARRT at a certain level for a long period of time. Though it is the responsibility of the collective SARRT to sustain an effective team and its efforts, a SARRT coordinator is responsible to nurture this process.

Background

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sexual violence refers to sexual activity where consent is not obtained or freely given. The CDC further explains that anyone can experience sexual violence, but most victims are female. The person responsible for the violence is typically male and is usually someone known to the victim. The person can be, but is not limited to, a friend, coworker, neighbor, or family member.[2]

Sexual violence is a widespread problem that has long-term effects. More specifically, studies have shown that:

  • Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the U.S. have been raped in their lifetime, while 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced sexual violence other than rape at some point in their lives.[3]
  • An estimated 20% to 25% of college women in theUnited States experience attempted or complete rape during their college career, with most assaults happening during the freshman or sophomore year.[4],[5]
  • Among high school students surveyed in Wyoming, about 12% reported having been forced to have sex. Females (15%) were more likely to report having been forced to have sex than males (8%).[6]
  • 1 in 5 adult Wyoming women have been forcibly raped at least once during their lifetime. The majority of these women were forcibly raped before they became adults.[7]
  • Men and women who experienced rape or stalking by an perpetrator or physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime were more likely to report frequent headaches, chronic pain, difficulty with sleeping, activity limitations, poor physical health and poor mental health than men and women who did not experience these forms of violence.2

Sexual Assault Resource and Response Teams

The general purpose of a Sexual Assault Resource and Response Team (SARRT) is to ensure justice for and create a more compassionate and streamlined response to sexual assault. SARRTs provide interagency, coordinated responses that are victim-centered, hold offenders accountable, and promote public safety. In addition, how a SARRT operates will vary based on the individuals and agencies on the team that offer knowledge of their unique professional roles and how they respond to sexual assault. SARRTs are also driven by the needs and the culture of their community.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center acknowledges three avenues to forming SARRTs[8]:

  1. “Cooperation occurs when multidisciplinary agencies informally exchange information, as needs arise.”
  2. “Coordination occurs when multidisciplinary agencies work together with an understanding that their missions are compatible.”
  3. “Collaboration occurs when multidisciplinary agencies commit to share resources, refer victims for services, coordinate or respond to sexual violence as a team, and monitor and evaluate interagency responses through quality assurance mechanisms.”

The WCADVSA recognizes the importance of comprehensive SARRTs and, therefore, will focus on building SARRTs as a collaborative response with engagement from community members that incorporates some degree of data collection. In order to develop a comprehensive community initiative, such as a SARRT, it is critical to use collaboration as a method to address the complex community issue of sexual assault. Just as sexual assault is a symptom of a larger problem, SARRTs should not be considered a single project, but rather a part of a larger system to end sexual assault.

Description of Program

The purpose of this Request for Application (RFA) is to select two Wyoming domestic violence sexual assault (DVSA) programs to receive intensive support, technical assistance (TA), and training from the WCADVSA Program Capacity Specialist in order to lead their community in developing a collaborative, sustainable SARRT. There will not be funding provided to the recipients of thisprogram award. The goal of the SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative is to equip local DVSA programs with the leadership skills and knowledge to develop and sustain an effective SARRT that promotes trauma-informed practices, interagency collaboration, and data collection. The intensive TA will be offered to two DVSA programs for one year beginningNovember 1, 2016 and endingSeptember 29, 2017.

Development and implementation of a collaborative SARRT will be determined by the needs of each community, complimented with the assistance and guidance of the WCADVSA Rural Program Capacity Specialist. More specifically, support, TA, and training may be provided on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Purpose of a SARRT (effective, victim-centered response)
  • Establishing SARRT leadership (communication skills & understanding collective strategies)
  • Data collection and evaluation (baseline data collection of number of sexual assault victims, evaluation of SARRT response effectiveness)
  • Building a SARRT (vision and mission statements, needs assessment, identifying community partners, roles and expectations of members, protocol & MOU development)

SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative

Who May Apply

Any Wyoming DVSA program that is seeking to build or rebuild a SARRT.

  • Preference will be given to:
  • Applicants who have the ability to commit time and energy to build capacity to lead a sustainable SARRT.
  • Programs that demonstrate a strong commitment to collaboration with other key agencies in their community.

DVSA Program Expectations

Throughout the year, and in order to get the most out of the award, the DVSA programs will be expected to maximize the resources, intensive support, TA and training that is provided to them from the WCADVSA Rural Program Capacity Specialist. The DVSA program award recipient will be responsible for providing leadership to the SARRT and will be responsible for communicating with the SARRT and WCADVSA.

Reporting Requirements

The DVSA program award recipients will be responsible for providing the WCADVSA with the following:

  • List of SARRT members/agencies,
  • SARRT meeting reports,
  • Summary of progress (successes and challenges), and
  • Evaluation formsand/or interviews with the WCADVSA Rural Program Capacity Specialist halfway through the award and at the end of the award.

Application Content and Scoring

Only completed applications will be reviewed and evaluated for selection. All sections are limited to a maximum of ONE page unless otherwise stated. Sections of the application are listed below.

  • Cover Sheet: The cover sheet should be the first page of your application. Please use the Cover Sheet form included as Appendix I.
  • Description of Need: Please describe the DVSA program, community, geographic area, and target population to be considered for selection. Why do you think there is a need for a SARRT in your community? What are the problems or needs to be addressed that are specific to the community? These may also include factors or influences that foster sexual assault in the community. (Up to 1 Page)
  • Summary of Current Interagency Collaboration Efforts: Summarize the community’s current collaborative efforts in response to sexual assault. Describe the efforts through the following questions: (Up to 2 Pages)
  • Have you identified community partners and resources for a SARRT? Have they been approached? If so, how would you describe their commitment?(See Appendix II)
  • Please describe any history of community partnerships and current collaboration efforts(successes, barriers and systems issues, etc.).
  • Do you have any measurable base-line data of sexual assault in your community (frequency of sexual assault, where it’s happening, victim demographics, perpetrator’s mode of operation, etc.)? Please explain.
  • Please describe the assets and obstacles in your community that may impact the success of a SARRT.

Please note: Selection as a community is not contingent on the existence or success of current or past SARRT or collaborative activities.

  • Organizational Experience and Capability: Please describe the experience and capability of the DVSA programand SARRT coordinator that will be responsible for SARRT development and sustainability (See Appendix III) through the following questions: (Up to 2 Pages)
  • What experience does the program have with leading a SARRT (successes, challenges, current momentum)?
  • What capacity does the program have to develop and lead a SARRT?
  • What percentage of program and SARRT coordinator’s time can be dedicated to SARRT in the next year, and long-term?
  • What strengths does the SARRT coordinator have to develop and lead a sustainable SARRT?
  • Please identify the SARRT coordinator and provide a brief bio (required as a separate attachment as Attachment I).
  • Vision for SARRT:When you think about your vision for a SARRT,describe what it would mean for your community and what that would look like. (Up to 1 Page)
  • Attachment II- Letters of Intent (optional):Please attach any letters from other agencies demonstrating their commitment to be part of the SARRT in your community.

Administrative Requirements

Issuing Agency

This RFA is being issued by the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual. Funding for WCADVSA staff time and resources is made available to the WCADVSA from the Rural Assistance Program through the Office on Violence Against Women.

Questions & Potential Applicant Conference Call

Potential applicants may participate in a conference call on Wednesday, August 24, 2016, from 9am-10am for more information on this RFA. To access the call, dial 1-218-862-3997 and enter passcode 1472# when prompted.

Additional questions about this RFA should be directed to Katie Hughes at the WCADVSA.

Katie Hughes

(307) 635-1120

Submitting Completed Applications

Completed applications must be submitted NO LATER than 5:00p.m. on September 30, 2016.Signed applications may be submitted either one of three ways, mailed, scanned and emailed, or hand delivered at the addresses listed below.

Mail:Hand Delivered:

WCADVSAWCADVSA

PO Box 236710 Garfield St., Suite 218

Laramie, WY 82073Laramie, WY 82070

Email:

Reserved Rights:

The WCADVSA reserves the right to select appropriate applicants based on the goals and objectives of the Rural Assistance Program Grant. Furthermore, if a community fails to finalize the required MOU during the allocated time, the WCADVSA may begin negotiations with the next qualified applicant.

Term of Award

Eleven(11) months (see Description of Program on page 4).

Throughout the award period, the continuation of awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds and evidence of satisfactory progress by the awardees (as documented in required reports).

Completing the Application

Application Format

All applications should be typed in 12 pt. font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins all around and include page numbers. All copies should be legible, and attachments should be clearly marked. The order of the application is listed below.

  1. Cover Page (Appendix I)
  2. Description of Need
  3. Summary of Current Interagency Collaboration Efforts
  4. Organizational Experience and Capability
  5. Vision for SARRT
  6. Attachment I- SARRT CoordinatorStaff Bio
  7. Attachment II- Optional Letters of Intent

Application Review Process

Applications meeting the guidelines set forth above will be reviewed and evaluated by three WCADVSAstaff members and submitted to Jennifer Zenor for final selection. The SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative recipients will be selected following the review and evaluation of all applications. Applications failing to provide all response requirements or failing to follow the prescribed format may be removed from consideration.

All applicants will be considered equally. Each section of the application will allow the reviewers to assess where the DVSAprogram and community currently stand on SARRT effortsand commitment to the issue. Selection as a recipient is not contingent on the existence or success of current or past collaboration activities.

Notification of Awards

The WCADVSA will notify successful applications of their selection as a SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative participant no later than October 17, 2016.

Appendix I: Cover Sheet

SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative Application Cover Sheet

NAME OF LEAD AGENCY: ______

NAME OF COMMUNITY: ______

NAME AND TITLE OF SARRT COORDINATOR AT DVSA PROGRAM:

______

SARRT COORDINATOR CONTACT INFORMATION:

PHONE: ______

FAX: ______

MAILING ADDRESS: ______

______

______

PHYSICAL ADDRESS: ______

______

______

EMAIL ADDRESS: ______

Authority: I have read and approved the following application for consideration of our community to build a SARRT with intensive technical assistance from the WCADVSA and for our program as the lead program.

______

Printed Name of DVSA Program Director

SIGNATURE: ______DATE: ______

Appendix II: Suggestions for SARRT Members and Resources

Core SART Members
(first responders) / SARRT Members
(secondary responders) / Potential Stakeholder Support
Community victim advocates
Law enforcement officers
Healthcare personnel; i.e. Emergency Department staff (physician and/or Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), Family Planning staff, Public Health staff
Prosecutors
Victim Witness / Culturally specific
organizations
Disability experts
Sexual assault survivor
Department of Family
Services
Dispatchers
Title IX coordinator
Faith-based organizations
Tribal representatives
Mental health staff / Civil legal attorneys
Allied organizations
Educational representative
Juvenile justice program staff
Elected officials
Hospital administrators
Media experts
Military officials
Probation, parole, & correctional
officers
Sex offender management
specialists
Researcher
Substance abuse programs
EMS personnel

Appendix III: Considerations when Selecting a SARRT Coordinator

The long-term success of a SARRT relies on the collective action of all participating members. For the purpose of this award,the WCADVSA requests DVSA program applicants to identify an individual who either has the knowledge, skills and capacity,or can commit to building their knowledge, skills, and capacity, to develop this comprehensive community initiative, for the award term. More specifically, please consider leadership and administrative knowledge, skills and abilities as they relate to being victim-centered while working collaboratively with diverse people.

Possible responsibilities of a SARRT coordinatormay include:

  • Organize and maintain a SARRT operating guide and materials.
  • Set meeting agendas and facilitate SARRT meetings.
  • Develop and maintain procedures for data collection and case record keeping.
  • Monitor and follow up on SARRT objectives.
  • Facilitate working relationships with representatives involved in the SARRT collaborative and other community alliances.
  • As part of a team, conduct presentations to inform the community about SARRT services.
  • Assist with professional trainings for criminal legal agencies, medical facilities, social service agencies, and other helping professionals.

The responsibilities of participation in the SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative are not on the SARRT coordinator alone, but on all individuals and agencies involved in the SARRT. These are merely considerations for DVSA programs as they select their SARRT coordinator for the purposes of this award.

2016 SARRT Leadership & Sustainability Initiative RFA

1

[1]This project is supported by Grant No. 2015-WR-AX-0011 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Understanding Sexual Violence Fact Sheet