Needs Assessment
Sexual Violence
Social Policy
November 6, 2012
I. Introduction As a result of our research on sexual violence, its prevalence, and its impact on our society were able to identify a service gap within our local communities. A core nonprofit agency, ContactLifeline, Inc. specifically targets people affected by sexual violence and crisis. We interviewed people in the community, local educators, students, and key staff from ContactLifeline Inc. to gather professional opinions and opinions of our fellow community members and educators to see how these service gaps may have affected them or may not have. We discovered that ContactLifeline is a nonprofit agency that provides specific services to sexual assault and rape survivors for the entire state of Delaware. ContactLifeline offers many options for survivors to receive multiple kinds of aftercare services, free of charge, but we noticed that their efforts in prevention were not being met on a full scale by our school system in an effective long term manner. We asked what is being done by our local schools to provide and promote education on this specific topic. What is being done to educate our youth on what healthy relationships and sexual behaviors are so that most importantly we see a decrease in victims and are not spending so much time and money on aftercare? This needs assessment addresses this service gap in depth and provides a possible policy change within our local school districts and potentially a state wide adaption of a sexual education program that includes a curriculum that teaches our youth what healthy relationships and sexual behaviors are and how to effectively maintain these. All of this is based on a hope to prevent the large amount of sexual violence and abuse we see in our society and start addressing it in our local communities.
II. Nature and Extent of Problem
Definition of Sexual Violence
Sexual violence has a profound impact on physical and mental health. As well as
Social Policy
November 6, 2012
I. Introduction As a result of our research on sexual violence, its prevalence, and its impact on our society were able to identify a service gap within our local communities. A core nonprofit agency, ContactLifeline, Inc. specifically targets people affected by sexual violence and crisis. We interviewed people in the community, local educators, students, and key staff from ContactLifeline Inc. to gather professional opinions and opinions of our fellow community members and educators to see how these service gaps may have affected them or may not have. We discovered that ContactLifeline is a nonprofit agency that provides specific services to sexual assault and rape survivors for the entire state of Delaware. ContactLifeline offers many options for survivors to receive multiple kinds of aftercare services, free of charge, but we noticed that their efforts in prevention were not being met on a full scale by our school system in an effective long term manner. We asked what is being done by our local schools to provide and promote education on this specific topic. What is being done to educate our youth on what healthy relationships and sexual behaviors are so that most importantly we see a decrease in victims and are not spending so much time and money on aftercare? This needs assessment addresses this service gap in depth and provides a possible policy change within our local school districts and potentially a state wide adaption of a sexual education program that includes a curriculum that teaches our youth what healthy relationships and sexual behaviors are and how to effectively maintain these. All of this is based on a hope to prevent the large amount of sexual violence and abuse we see in our society and start addressing it in our local communities.
II. Nature and Extent of Problem
Definition of Sexual Violence
Sexual violence has a profound impact on physical and mental health. As well as
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