Program Spotlight: SafeShelby

SafeShelby Sexual Assault Services is a program of SafeHouse of Shelby County. SafeShelby opened in December of 2016 to provide forensic medical exams and support advocacy to victims of sexual assault commonly known as a SANE exam. In 2019, SafeShelby began conducting forensic exams for intimate partner violence and strangulation. A team of five nurses and six advocates are specially trained and ready to serve victims of sexual assault 365 days a year 24 hours a day. SafeShelby serves Shelby, Chilton, Clay, and Coosa counties for sexual assault. All of SafeShelby services are at no cost to you.

Who Can Seek Services?

Anyone ages 14 and older who has experienced a sexual assault, physical assault by an intimate or dating partner, and/or strangulation. SafeShelby staff can respond to the hospital should you need medical attention and are unable to get to our clinic.

What is a SANE exam?

A SANE exam is a comprehensive forensic exam performed by a specially trained nurse following a sexual assault. You will be greeted by an advocate who will escort you to a cozy room where the nurse will conduct a history taking. You will be asked basic information about your health and asked to share details of the assault. This will help the nurse know where on your body to look for injuries and collect evidence.

Throughout the exam, the nurse will be looking head to toe for injuries and taking photographs. At the conclusion of the exam, the advocate will offer for you to take a shower,if you would like one, and provide you with all new clothing.

Following the exam, you will be offered medications as a prevention measure for sexually transmitted infections and emergency contraception. While the thought of having a “Rape kit” done can be fearful and scary, our team of nurses and advocates go above and beyond to make sure you feel safe and comfortable. You are in control of the exam and have a right to stop at any time.

What is Advocacy?

Because victims who work with advocates suffer less distress and are more likely to experience better emotional health in the future, SafeShelby’s volunteer sexual assault advocates provide essential services to victims of sexual violence.  During the SANE medical exam and other supportive services, advocates offer beneficial information and compassionate emotional support allowing victims to better understand their rights and make informed choices.  Should victims choose to file police reports, advocates can provide accompaniment when talking to law enforcement officers and should the case go to trial.

SafeShelby’s advocates complete twenty hours of comprehensive training on trauma-informed approaches for assisting victims and practice interacting in ways that promote healing and prevent re-traumatization.  SafeShelby will be hosting advocate training sessions this summer, dates to be announced.  Caring individuals interested in serving as volunteer advocates may apply by contacting LeAnne Knight at leannek@safehouse.org.

 Workshops and Training Provided

Program Spotlight: Prevention Team

What would you say if a friend told you they had been raped? Do you know how to respond if a family member confided in you about an abusive relationship? Could you tell them where to find help?

Most people would probably answer no to all of those questions. That’s okay. It’s an extremely difficult conversation and not one that we have often.

One of the goals of our Prevention Team is to help you answer those questions. Our Prevention Team also wants to educate the community on the dynamics of domestic violence and sexual assault to prevent future abuse. They offer a variety of trainings and presentations.  

How to Help sessions are exactly what they sound; we talk to the audience about how to help someone who has been a victim of interpersonal violence. This one-session presentation is great for churches or other helping organizations who may encounter victims. Family members of victims can also have individualized How to Help sessions with our counselors.

Domestic Violence 101 will cover the basics of domestic violence- the cycle, different types of abuse and warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.

In Her Shoes is an interactive activity that can be added with almost any of our presentations. In Her Shoes asks participants to make decisions based on actual domestic violence scenarios. The experience opens the eyes to the different barriers victims face when trying to leave an abusive relationship. We also have a special In Her Shoes for teenagers and dating violence. It’s great for youth groups and college students.

The 4^th R is a 4-session group for high school and college students revolving around the issue of dating violence. Our Prevention Specialist can condense sessions making it easily adoptable for school, youth groups or after school programs.  

*Coming Soon* Bringing in the Bystander is our newest training that we can’t wait to roll out! This curriculum teaches participants how to recognize and safely intervene on behalf of potential sexual assault victims. This versatile presentation can be altered to fit a workplace, a college party and everything in between.

Don’t wait to book a presentation! Our Prevention Team is scheduling for summer and fall. Reach out to Sarah, our Prevention Program Coordinator at sarahr@safehouse.org for more information or to book a training.