Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 8

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Volunteer Voice
July 30, 2010
Genevieve N. Waller, Esq. Executive Director Pamela Osman Office Manager Harriet Williams, LMFT (IN) Director of Crisis Services Sherry Lewis, MA, LPC Director of Therapy and Outreach Katie Reid, MSW Community Education Program Director Mary Dell Hayes Volunteer Services Coordinator Melanie Griffin, LMSW Sexual Assault Services Coordinator Meredith Peters, LPA (NC) Advocate Counselor Jennifer Gantt, LMSW Group Services Coordinator Anna Walton Bilingual Victim Advocate
August2010
August 2010
Sun 1 Mon 2 Tue 3 Newberry Child Safety Training Wed 4 Thu 5 Fri 6 Sat 7
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10 CE Event 11 on GLBTQ
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14 Benedict Family Day
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21 Speaker’s Bureau Training 28
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27 Cayce Child Safety Training
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 IN THIS ISSUE
August Calendar Ask an Advocate
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Have you attended a Child Safety Training? This three and a half hour training teaches adults how to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. Perfect for volunteers, teachers, church leaders! Register at www.stsm.org SC Pride will present on working with the GLBTQ community at 6:00pm at STSM’s offices. Please join us or check back for details about viewing the training online. Join Benedict College at their annual Family Day to teach about STSM’s work from 10:00am—1:00pm. Page 1
New Staff and Upcoming Events
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Tips for Working with Survivors from Institutions
By James DuBose
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Finding semen can give the police probable cause to make an arrest. The semen doesn’t have to be tested and identified first. If someone is committed to a state institution, they may be deemed unable to give their consent for a forensic exam or a penile swab to gather evidence. Even if the person functions at a comparative high level and gives their consent for sex, their consent might still be deemed invalid, and a search warrant must be obtained. It depends on the individual case, and law enforcement makes the call. Persons from the institution, including the aid accompanying the survivor, cannot give consent for the survivor to proceed with the exam. The only person who can do this is the legal guardian. If that person cannot be found, then a court order must be obtained. However, the survivor should still be asked how much information they would like revealed to the legal guardian. The legal guardian has a right to know so have the legal guardian call the head of the institution to get the details. Of course, no exam will be performed if the survivor refuses to have anyone touch him/her. Some people with developmental delays or physical/mental retardation might not be willing or able to take the large antibiotic pills. A substitute form to administer the medicines is a shot and tonic that should be taken with 8 oz of water. These medicines must be administered by the hospital. The tonic must be dispensed by the hospital, but it can be taken later at the institution. It might take longer than usual for the hospital lab to deliver the substitute medication. In addition, if the survivor has behavioral issues, do not give them a can of soda. Pour it into a Styrofoam cup. The jurisdiction depends on the location/perpetrator. SLED will investigate if an employee is accused of committing the crime. Public Safety investigates at state mental institutions. Other institutions are based on whatever jurisdiction the institution lies in. The pictures from a sexual assault are not released to the police. They are only done so with a court order. The pictures are for the use of the solicitor.
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James DuBose has been an advocate with STSM since February of 2008. He was awarded United Way’s Community Impact Volunteer of the Year in 2009. James is entering his second year of USC’s Masters in Social Work program this Fall. He is an avid runner and can often be seen at local races.
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Tips and Reminders
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Please always call the hotline if you have any questions or concerns about a hospital call. Our staff are always available and eager to help you with any problems and can often take care of issues like finding shelter faster than hospital staff. You can tag STSM’s Facebook page by using the @ symbol and then begin typing Sexual Trauma Services and you should be able to click on our link. You have to be a fan of STSM to be able to tag us, but y’all are all fans already, right? We need extra volunteer coverage the weekend of August 7. SASC Melanie Griffin is getting married in Charleston, and all staff will be out of town for the wedding!
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Welcome new volunteers!
July Call Totals
Total Hospital Calls: 25 Hospital Calls answered by volunteers: 20 Hospital Calls answered by staff: 5 Total After Hours Hotline Calls: 10 Hotline Calls answered by volunteers: 7 Hotline Calls answered by staff: 3
Lauren Acquaviva, Kim Alpaugh, Shaina Anderson, Emily Bowerman, Hazel Jackson, Lauren King, Samantha Osman, Jenn Osman, and Pam Osman all completed 25 hours of training in June and have started their on call advocacy. Congratulations, ladies! We are so excited to have you on board.
Ask your friends and family to join in the work you do with STSM. We are always happy to welcome new team members for volunteer advocacy, speaker’s bureau, and office volunteers.
Upcoming Dates to Remember: Tuesday, August 10: CE on Working with the GLBTQ Community Saturday, August 21: Speaker’s Bureau Training 9:00am—5:00pm Monday, September 6: STSM office closed Saturday, September 11: Church of God Deliverance Health Fair Tuesday, September 21: Child Safety Training Newberry September 25—September 30: Fall Volunteer Advocate Training Tuesday, November 9: CE Event on Communication Skills from 6:00pm—8:00pm Thursday, November 25: STSM office closed Friday, November 26: STSM office closed Friday, December 24: STSM office closed
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