Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault have nuanced needs and require specialized care. All too often, these people are lost in the fray of a healthcare system that struggles to meet the needs of everyday people. In this article, you’ll learn the ins and outs of how Co-Responder programs support victims of domestic violence.
Co-responder programs combine the resources of top professionals to meet the needs of the vulnerable and underserved, whether victims of domestic violence, chronic abuse, or sexual assault. These co-responder teams can bring together social workers, SANE nurses, mental health professionals, and community paramedics.
The complexity of these topics is one of the reasons that co-responder programs were formed, to ensure that those who suffer violence have access to the care they need. Let’s talk about it.
What Do Co-Responder Programs Do to Support Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault?
The incredibly difficult topic of domestic violence and sexual assault requires a holistic and comprehensive approach if community health providers are to deliver lasting care. In many cases, domestic abuse and sexual assault go hand in hand, and victims are often hesitant to reveal the true extent of injuries and abuse for fear of retaliation.
Caring for these people is no simple thing, and that’s why co-responder programs have been developed. The goal is that care providers can offer hope instead of creating more barriers while people are going through the most horrific human experiences.
These co-responder teams need to contain varied, experienced, and compassionate professionals; otherwise, the sad trend of victims being overlooked, undertreated, and forgotten could continue.
Here are several goals co-responder programs have when supporting victims of violence and sexual assault:
- They Care for the Victim (Rather than Just Work to Solve the Crime)
- Co-Responder Programs Can Provide Specialized Support for Sexual Assault with SANE Nurses
- Co-Responder Programs Can Give Victims of Domestic Violence Access to Social Care
- MIH Co-Responder Programs Offer Mental Health Care and Resources
- Co-Responder Programs Can Address Broader Healthcare Needs of Victims of SA and Domestic Violence
- Co-Responder Programs Give Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Substance Abuse Care
- Co-Responder Programs Provide Privacy and Reduce Travel Burdens for Victims
More details below.
Supporting Domestic Violence Victims: They Care for the Victim (Rather than Just Work to Solve the Crime)
For certain crimes, no readily apparent victim needs care–for example, someone speeding well over the legal limit or shoplifting. Of course, these crimes can cause harm to people and must be prevented and stopped, but there is something undeniably different about a crime where someone else has been physically harmed.
In the case of domestic violence or sexual assault, there is more than a crime scene. There’s a victim. While police officers may have the training to provide immediate protection to a victim, they are sometimes more focused on stopping a perpetrator than helping the victim.
Make no mistake, catching and convicting criminals who commit violence against others is essential and needed. With that said, the goal of the domestic victim co-responder program is to ensure that the person harmed is not forgotten and to ensure that they not only get short-term help but also help in the weeks, months, and years it can take to recover and continue to lead a healthy life.
Even if a co-responder program did nothing else, focusing on helping the victim would be a worthy task; however, thankfully, co-responder programs can do much more. Let’s talk about some of the specifics.
Co-Responder Programs Can Provide Specialized Support for SA with SANE Nurses
One of the first ways that a co-responder program can support victims of domestic violence and particularly sexual assault is to assign the victim a SANE nurse. “SANE” is an acronym that stands for sexual assault nurse examiner.The goal of the SANE nurse is to bring specialized training to the treatment and evaluation of sexual assault victims.
To become a SANE, nurses must meet specific criteria and undergo specialized training. If a SANE can meet the patient in the field, the specialized care can begin much sooner.
What does a SANE do? The SANE has several jobs. First, the SANE nurse acts as a bridge between the legal and medical systems. They perform a physical exam to find and document evidence of sexual assault, and they may speak on the victim’s behalf to provide context in some cases.
Second, the SANE will provide referrals to the victim based on their condition. In some cases, pregnancy is involved, and the victim will need to find maternal care. Other times, the victim will need continuous mental health support.
When a SANE can work with a co-responder program, they can act as the leader, assessing victims and directing them to the next steps toward healing.
Co-Responder Programs Can Give Victims of Domestic Violence Access to Social Care
In many cases, for a victim of domestic violence to find freedom, they require a complete restructure of their personal lives. This can be incredibly taxing for someone to do on their own (and in some cases, basically impossible).
The co-responder program may employ medical professionals as well as a social worker. The social worker can assess the victim and make a reasonable plan to help them implement changes that will lead to healing and freedom from further abuse.
Social workers can help them find safe housing, healthcare funding, and anything else they can do to help the victim get their feet back on the ground and start a new life.
Another vital member of the team is the mental health professional.
MIH Co-Responder Programs Offer Mental Health Care and Resources
Just like the SANE nurse and the social worker have a part to play in assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, the mental health professional plays a huge role in helping these people. Sadly, we know that many victims of violence struggle with depression and anxiety, and many have suicidal ideations. The mental health professional does several key tasks.
First, they are trained to provide immediate care to the victim. Many people don’t know how to talk to someone who has been through something so traumatic, and that’s where mental health professionals can help stabilize the situation initially. Second, these professionals can assist the victim in finding a pathway to long-term success and freedom.
Co-Responder Programs Can Address Broader Healthcare Needs
There are times when the victims of domestic violence suffer from untreated chronic disease. Sadly, it is because of these chronic vulnerabilities that they are sometimes targeted. A co-responder program can help a victim not only recover from the assault but also address other pressing health needs.
For example, a paramedic on a co-responder team may check the victim’s blood pressure and blood sugar and look for any signs of chronic disease. If the patient struggles with high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, or any other debilitating chronic disease, paramedics can connect them with medical providers who can start administering real care.
Co-responder Programs Give Substance Abuse Care
Just as we mentioned, victims of domestic violence are often depressed and struggling with other mental health illnesses; they also frequently deal with substance abuse. For someone who has a severe drug addiction, it can be challenging for them to get back on their feet after experiencing an assault.
Drug addiction can prevent progress in so many areas of life. When it comes to regaining some semblance of normality after experiencing an assault, the victim does not need the fog of substance abuse clouding their journey.
Co-responder programs have recognized this. As a result, some teams will have a recovering professional either attend or be ready to consult. In some cases, mobile integrated health teams can provide follow-ups to a victim with a substance abuse issue, giving them resources on the path to recovery and ensuring that this aspect of their care is not overlooked.
Co-Responder Programs Provide Privacy and Reduce Travel Burdens for Victims
While there can be a need to remove victims of assault from their environment permanently, when possible, co-responder programs try to deliver care in the person’s home. Part of their job may even be to help them find a stable home where they are safe and have access to regular check-ups.
Sometimes, these check-ups do not require the victim to leave their home; the co-responder team will go directly to their residence to administer care.
Conclusion: The Ways that Co-Responder Programs Help Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Co-responder programs support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing specialized professionals, such as SANE nurses, holistic care by way of social workers and mental health teams, and good medical treatment by paramedics and EMTs.
Not every co-responder team will look the same, but the goal will always be to provide the best care possible to those going through the worst time of their lives.
Contact Julota to learn more about how their advanced software platform can aid your co-responder team in providing urgent care to vulnerable people and victims of violence in your community.