People with disability have the same rights as every individual in the community to be free of and protected from abuse. These rights are strongly represented in legislation at international, national and state levels.
Despite these protective measures, reality is that people with disability experience much higher rates of sexual assault - many will have experienced repeated incidences of sexual assault by the time they are 18, with people with an intellectual disability especially vulnerable. Sexual assault is most likely perpetrated at locations where the victim is as a direct result of their disability (home, residential support, institution, day program, etc.), and by people who they depend on for support.
Effective response to sexual assault in turn is hampered by outdated myths surrounding sexuality, sexual assault and people with disability. These deeply and sometimes unconsciously embedded myths have profound effects on attitudes and help perpetuate varying levels of denial that exist regarding the sexual assault of people with intellectual disability. As a result, often clear indicators of sexual assault are ignored and/or response to disclosure is inadequate. The vulnerability of victims of sexual assault is not addressed and they remain in environments that are unsafe, continuing to share spaces with their assaulters.
This practical two-day course is essential for anyone working with people with intellectual disability. It debunks the myths surrounding sexual assault and builds understanding of how people with intellectual disability experience it. It takes participants through their obligations and equips them with a toolkit of strategies they can use to support victims of sexual assault as well as decrease vulnerability through capacity-building of people with intellectual disability and helping to create safer environments for them.
Learning objectives:
- To enable staff working with people with intellectual disability to gain an understanding of sexual assault focusing on their client group.
- To provide the information needed by staff to respond appropriately to cases of sexual assault including information on legislation, services available, rights of persons with intellectual disability and ways to respond supportively.
- To recognise the indicators and effects of sexual assault and offender behaviour.
- To assist staff to explore attitudes and concerns which impact upon people with intellectual disability who may have been victimised sexually.
- To identify ways of responding to disclosures within a casework framework.
- To equip staff with an understanding of the implications for practice relevant to the issues of sexual assault, arising from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse and UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
This training package is designed for service providers to people with disability. It will equip participants with an in-depth understanding of preventative approaches to violence and abuse. It will help them to recognise where workplace cultures can impede best practice responses to sexual and other violence, and give them strategies for addressing these issues. This training builds on understanding and competency and addresses and focuses on the following:
- To equip staff working with people with intellectual disability to gain an understanding of sexual assault focussing on their client group.
- To provide the information needed by staff to respond appropriately to cases of sexual assault including information on the law, services available, rights of persons with intellectual disabilities and ways to respond supportively.
- To examine indicators and effects of sexual assault and offender behaviour.
- To identify ways of responding to disclosures within a casework framework.
- To assist staff to explore attitudes and concerns which impact upon people with intellectual disabilities who may have been victimised sexually.
