Promising Practice Programs

Rape Crisis Online

Agency NSW Rape Crisis Centre
P.O. Box 555
Drummoyne,
NSW
2047
Website www.nswrapecrisis.com.au
Contact Karen Willis - Manager
P: 02 9819 7357
F: 02 9819 6295
E: aukaren@nswrapecrisis.com.au
Start date July 2005. Or once staffing has been finalised.
End date On-going
Program type Therapeutic responses to victims
Geographical area State/Territory wide
Target group Women and Children
Description Rape Crisis Online offers an alternate way for callers to access NSW Rape Crisis Centre counsellors by providing a real time, online, person to person crisis intervention service accessed via the Centre’s website.

This project will increase access particularly for young people as research indicates that young people feel comfortable in an online environment. Additionally the family computer is usually situated in a more private part of the house rather than the living area where the telephone, and the rest of the family, is often located.

Online access will be for one to two contacts only after which callers will be encouraged to make telephone contact with the service. Online contact gives the person the opportunity to ‘check the Centre out’ before committing to the more personal voice to voice contact. Information will be provided and counsellors will encourage callers to overcome the shame, fear and other barriers many victims experience and to seek the help they have a right to.
Promising practice examples
  • Takes account of contemporary research and practice developments in the field of sexual assault: Research indicates that 65% of people under 25 years use the internet as their first source of information gathering in relation to health. Rape Crisis Online builds on the over 25,000 hits to the Centre's website by providing a way for visitors to make contact directly with a counsellor.
  • Demonstrates a sensitivity towards the barriers faced by victim/survivors in disclosing and reporting sexual assault.
  • Includes processes of accountability and evaluation.
  • Demonstrates a capacity for replication (i.e. other services/organisations could adapt/re-model the program for their use).
Based on existing program Kids Helpline, Australia: Kids Helpline is an early intervention service. 3% of their online contact are considered crisis contacts. Sexual assault is considered a crisis contact. The developmemt of Rape Crisis Online has been based on the experiences of Kids Helpline and the NSW Rape Crisis Centre telephone service.
Philosophical framework As with all NSW Rape Crisis Centre services, Rape Crisis Online is based on feminist principles and aims to be holistic, empowering, accountable and accessible. The Centre operates from a trauma response model.
The project has been developed specifically to increase access to service.
Research informing program Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000), Use of the internet by householders, August 2000, catalogue no. 8147, ABS, Canberra.

Better Health Channel, Health information on the internet, Victorian Government.
Publications N/A
Evaluation Evaluation has not yet been completed, but an internal evaluation is planned along the following criteria:
  • An increase in the number of callers who make contact for the first time.
  • An increase in the number of callers who indicate they may speak with Police.
  • Number of callers who indicate they would not have made initial contact by phone.
  • Service user feedback.
Funding
  • NSW Law and Justice Foundation
  • NSW Department of Health
  • National Rugby League (NRL)
  • Private donations

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