Promising Practice Programs

SHAPES - Sexual Harassment and Assault Peer Education and Support Program

Agency	Counselling and Careers Service University of New England Armidale NSW 2351
Website	http://une.edu.au/cc/
Contact	Annette Stevenson Senior Counsellor Phone (02) 6773 2897 Fax (02) 6773 3763 Email asteven2@une.edu.au
Start date	1999
End date	Ongoing
Program type	Community awareness/education Service provider training Therapeutic responses to victims
Geographical area	New South Wales Local community Regional centres Rural
Target group	Adult survivors Culturally diverse Rural
Description	SHAPES stands for "Sexual Harassment and Assault Peer Education and Support". The SHAPES program includes the provision of a 2.5 day training weekend to approximately 30 tertiary students each year, plus ongoing training sessions and support meetings to all SHAPES "Reps". Students are primarily selected from the various on-campus residences (at University of New England) where students socialise, live and study together. The program's objectives are to educate these students or SHAPES "Reps" about what constitutes sexual harassment and assault, how to support fellow students who have been harassed or assaulted, how to make referrals to relevant services, and how to, in turn, educate their peers about attitudes or behaviours that are inappropriate and serve to promote a culture of sexual violence (the long-term aim is to reduce incidents of sexual harassment and assault on campus). The assumption of the program is that students are more likely to hear a message or be influenced by "informed" peers rather than by "experts". The training weekend includes group discussions, exercises and role-plays. Peer education strategies developed by the SHAPES Reps over the years have included: designing and distributing posters, stickers, and stubby holders promoting SHAPES; designing and wearing T-shirts at social functions; distributing attitude surveys; and writing articles for the student newspaper. Ongoing training includes things like video and discussion nights, developing communication skills, and brainstorming how to promote SHAPES.
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, and 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) The SHAPES program also demonstrates good practice in the following ways It is reviewed each year by the Counselling and Careers Service and also by a staff member from the local Sexual Assault Service - to ensure that what we include is consistent with NSW Health policy It educates students about tailoring support to the needs of the individual (ie not a "one size fits all" approach) (ie recognition of diverse needs and sensitivity to needs of the survivor/victim It has been developed into a manual that has been sold to other tertiary institutions. The manual includes all materials used in our program so that the program can be replicated or adapted SHAPES Reps are not expected to take on a notification/investigative role, but a supportive and educative role (ie defined conceptual framework) The program is accountable to a Working Party and ultimately the the Pro Vice Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at our tertiary institution Each year the SHAPES Reps ar e required to provide statistics on ways they have carried out their role. eg numbers of people they have supported, or educational activities they have provided
Based on existing program	"What's Your A-Gender" designed by Melissa Gibson, Senior Policy Analyst, Department of Health, Sydney - first run at the University of Western Sydney in the 1990s for a student population. The program was modified for use with students within college residences in a tertiary setting - as this is an environment where students study, socialise, live together, and take risks with sex, alcohol and other drugs.
Philosophical framework	Rather than have usually older and unknown "experts" provide students with information about sexual harassment and assault and educate students in these areas, the SHAPES program is based on the premise that: "People are more likely to hear and personalise a message that may result in changing their attitudes and beliefs if they believe the messenger is similar to them in lifestyle and faces the same concerns and pressures" (Sloane and Zimmer 1993: 242). Students selected to complete SHAPES are those who want to be informed by "experts". Once informed, they are in a position to influence and educate their peers who may be less informed, as well as provide support/referral as needed.
Research informing program	The program is based on the work of Sloane and Zimmer (1993) that has shown "students rely on their peers as their most important source of information. They often learn about taking risks in areas such as sexuality or alcohol use from uninformed peers, other reliable sources, or personal experimentation". See other quote above.
Publications	Wissink, Lilian and Vaughan, Maurice (2001), Sexual Harassment and Assault Peer Education and Support - Training Manual: Take a Hands-Off Approach. Armidale, NSW: Counselling and Careers Service, University of New England. Wissink, Lilian (2001), Re-SHAPING the Future - paper presented at the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand, December. Wissink, Lilian (2004), 'Reshaping the future: student peer support for sexual harassment and assault'. Association for University and College Counselling Journal Spring (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). (In 2002 Lilian Wissink was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Equity for her development and promotion of the SHAPES program).
Evaluation	Evaluation is internal in written form following attendance using both pre-tests and post-tests. The weekend training program is evaluated each year and adapted, where possible, in accordance with participant feedback. We also give a pre and post training weekend attitude survey. The data for several years of the program are still needing to be collated and analysed to measure attitudinal change. There is to be a review of the SHAPES program and of UNE-wide student sexual harassment and assault policies and procedures.

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