Promising Practice Programs
Respect, Protect, Connect
| Agency | SECASA (South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault) East Bentleigh, Vic |
| Website | http://www.secasa.com.au/ |
| Contact | Carolyn Worth, Coordinator Ph: (03) 9928 8741 |
| Start date | 1996 |
| End date | Ongoing |
| Program type | Community awareness/education Service provider training Training for other community groups |
| Geographical area | Local community, urban and rural |
| Target group | Children Male victim/survivors |
| Description | Respect, Protect, Connect is a school based peer educator program for years 7-12.
Workshops are conducted for local schools for young boys and young men on a number of
issues including racism, violence, sexual assault, homophobia. Occasionally schools
request a series of workshops on a particular issue. Whilst SECASA is working with the
male students Women's Health in the South East (WHISE) works with the female students. The aim of the program is preventative. The young women look at how to recognise and separate from violent relationships and the young men work on how not to see violence as a legitimate response to a range of situations. |
| Promising practice examples | Takes account of contemporary research and practice developments in the field of sexual assault. Positions diversity as key to the development, understanding and delivery of good practice models. Contributes to improving systems' responses to sexual assault, or is directed at preventing sexual assault. Demonstrates a sensitivity towards the barriers faced by victim/survivors in disclosing and reporting sexual assault. Has a clearly defined conceptual framework. 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). Utilises peer educators which has a double benefit. SECASA trains up a group of young men and WHISE trains up a group of young women. In addition, the students appear to relate better to people more their own age who are at a different point in their life i.e. either working or studying after school. |
| Research informing program | Peer Education Programs efficacy |
| Publications | Respect, Protect, Connect: A Workshop Program for Young People in Schools. Russell Pratt and Carol Pyke, Australian Journal of Primary Health Vol 7 No 3 2001. |
| Evaluation | External/independent. Written evaluations following attendance. Program has recently been evaluated by a student from Swinburne University. |