ACSSA Aware No. 26, 2011

In this issue

Welcome! This edition of Aware is a bumper issue. It is also our last. From this point on the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault will be publishing smaller, more frequent stand-alone resources in place of Aware. This wasn't an easy decision - we know how popular Aware has been with our stakeholders. At the same time, since ACSSA's inception in 2003, the sexual assault sector has evolved significantly - it is a highly innovative, sophisticated and well-networked sector.

Preventing and responding to sexual assault in our communities increasingly involves partnerships with new agencies and sectors - mental health, housing, drug and alcohol, therapeutic services for sexual offenders, just to name a few. Interagency service delivery and integrated policy development is also prominent. A public health, primary prevention framework has in many ways shifted the "traditional" sexual assault sector well into the domain of mainstream public policy and service provision. More recently, there is the imperative of evidence-informed policy and service provision. We too are evolving along with the sectors working to prevent sexual assault.

In place of Aware we aim to provide stakeholders with regular, accessible, and relevant resources to assist you in your work. We will be publishing online Resource Sheets (short, accessible summaries of key issues about sexual assault) and Research Reviews (an accessible synthesis of the current evidence base including findings, implications, and limitations). We will continue to publish both the ACSSA Issues and ACSSA Wrap series.

This final edition of Aware includes a summary of recent policy development in various states and territories by ACSSA Research Officer Mary Stathopoulos. We are also pleased to include an article on current research by Bianca Klettke and Sophie Simonis at Deakin University. Their research looked at attitudes individuals hold about adolescent victims of sexual assault and the extent to which they are regarded as responsible for their abuse. Rachel King (formerly ACSSA Research Officer) interviewed Dr Michael Flood and Associate Professor Mary Heath, who each reflect on the concept of "sexual ethics" and the challenges that remain in preventing sexual assault.

I'd like to welcome new research staff to the clearinghouse - Cindy Tarczon, Nicole Bluett-Boyd and Liz Wall join the Institute as ACSSA Research Officers. They each bring expertise, experience, and energy to the work we do and join Mary Stathopoulos and Bianca Fileborn who continue in their roles.

Sadly, we also farewell ACSSA's Senior Research Officers Haley Clark and Deb Parkinson. Both Haley and Deb brought great passion and commitment to their roles and will be sorely missed by the team and the Institute. After 5 years, Haley goes on to complete her PhD, while Deb takes up the role of Director of Research and Advocacy at Women's Health in the North and is completing her PhD at Monash. We wish them all the best.

On behalf of the ACSSA team

Antonia Quadara

Next: Preventing violence against women: Developments in policy