The Hennepin County SMARTeam (Sexual Assault Multi-disciplinary Action Response Team) is a collective effort to improve the experience for victims/survivors of sexual assault when seeking legal remedies, protection and services, while at the same time holding offenders accountable for their violence. The implementation of the SMARTeam includes eight different steps taken by the group as a whole: 1) Inventory of Existing Services, 2) Victim Experience Survey, 3) Community Needs Assessment, 4) Writing Protocols, 5) Formal Adoption of Written Protocols, 6) Training, 7) Monitoring, and 8) Evaluation. The team is working together to identify training needs, cross-train between SMARTeam members, ensure protocol implementation and increase the teams overall knowledge and effectiveness.
Current members of the Hennepin County SMARTeam include: Minneapolis Police Department – Sex Crimes Unit, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Sexual Violence Center, Sexual Assault Resource Service (forensic nurses), Avenues for Homeless Youth, Hennepin County Human Services & Public Health Dept. of Adult Protection Services, Division of Indian Work, Hennepin County Dept. of Community Corrections, WATCH, Breaking Free, MN Indian Women’s Resource Center, MN Network on Abuse in Later Life, ARC Greater Twin Cities, Community University Health Care Clinic, and Rape and Sexual Abuse Center.
The SMARTeam receives technical assistance from the Sexual Violence Justice Institute.
