Getting your community ready
Getting prepared to provide SKITs in your community is a process. The successful implementation of the project depends on having law enforcement, prosecution, advocacy providers, and medical facilities all prepared to effectively use this resource.
Implementing training on basic strangulation is a good start, as is forming a committee or workgroup of essential partners to focus on improving your overall response to strangulation.
Coordinated Response to Strangulation
Get Buy-In
As is true for most projects, someone has to take the lead. If you have an existing domestic violence coordinating team or any type of multi-disciplinary group, that may be the place to start. Get yourself trained, and invite others to attend training. Develop an elevator pitch about the need for a focus on strangulation and talk to everyone you can. Ask communities that have a response to talk to your key players, bring in a training, and keep pushing.
Build a Team
You will need a diverse group of folks from all parts of the system to form an effective team. Law enforcement is, without a doubt, key to the success of any system improvement. Yes, implementing a new process, especially a new form that means patrol and leadership need training, is a burden on already burdened staff. However, a strangulation supplemental (see below) is an effective tool that makes the identification of strangulation in the field much easier for officers.
Train Partners
In the middle of trying to convince everyone to participate, it is a good time to bring training to your community. Often a training will open eyes and propel folks to want to make improvements to the response to strangulation survivors. There are various ways to access training, including reaching out to communities that have been working on the response and locating local and statewide experts to assist you.
Roll Out
Once you have a solid trained team and a commitment to work on the response, it is time to plan how your community will meet its unique needs and what the priorities will be. Protocols are essential to defining the roles of each partner and will lead to necessary conversations.
Plan your roll out of tools (i.e. supplemental, SKITs) and do outreach to media and stakeholders.
Have your team meet regularly to gather data. problem solve any issues, and continue planning.
RESOURCES
Clackamas County Strangulation Protocols
Clackamas County Law Enforcement Strangulation Supplemental
