Facilitation and Coordination

Program Description

Often agencies are aware of issues and opportunities to improve processes but lack the time and resources to tackle these issues. PVP provides facilitation and coordination that brings a variety of disciplines together to solve problems and create system change.

Partners for Violence Prevention leads two broad teams of providers, the only urban groups in Minnesota, to improve services for victims of assault.

Teams

Safe Harbors Youth Intervention Project (SHYIP)

Each year there are 200 to 300 Hmong girls reported missing in St. Paul. Midwest Children’s Resource Center reports that 75% of Hmong girls they treat experience gang rape, multiple perpetrators or prostitution. In assessing the nature of the runaway and sexually exploited youth problem in Ramsey County, this project works to identify: the needs of these youth and their families, each agency’s responsibilities, the resources available to serve youth and gaps in the system that need to be addressed.

The central goal of this project is to create a protocol, through cooperative effort, that will coordinate, assist and respond to runaway and sexually exploited youth. Over 30 agencies in Ramsey County participate in this project.

Ramsey County Sexual Assault Protocol Team (RCSAPT) 

PVP facilitates and leads the RCSAPT, a multi-disciplinary group that has developed and implemented culturally sensitive victim-centered protocols and training to improve services to victims of sexual assault.

The mission of the Ramsey County SAPT is to coordinate and implement an interagency response to sexual assault victims that promotes consistency, respect and cultural competency. Participating disciplines include law enforcement, advocacy, medical, prosecution and corrections. The development of this protocol is an eight-step cycle that is revisited each time the protocol is revised. The steps include:

• Inventory of Existing Services
• Victim Experience Survey
• Community Needs Assessment.
• Writing Protocol
• Renew Agency Agreements
• Training
• Monitoring
• Evaluation (Boles, Patterson, Sage, 1997)

Following are some comments shared through the Victim Experience Survey:

“SOS saved my life. I’m so blessed that they were there as a resource. All the staff of the St. Paul Police Deptartment treated me with dignity and respect. Especially the male officer who initially responded…”

“The nurse and advocate were both very genuine and caring about my situation. I really appreciated their help.”

"I am very thankful for how urgently I was seen and how respectful everyone was. I might not have gone in if I hadn’t heard about the wonderful program the hospital had.”