Sexual Violence Reporting for People with Disabilities in Indiana
Sexual violence interventions of today (SV advocates, criminal legal centered aftermath, crisis shelters, SART teams) may need to be revised or altered to include supports and services for people with disabilities in general, and almost all services need specifically to be tailored to work for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their loved ones. Part of the process of ensuring that all people thrive is modifying current systems, like sexual violence intervention and prevention systems, locally and statewide to incorporate restorative services, support and opportunities for all people.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the state of Indiana who are receiving support for independent living or residential services or people with I/DD who attend day or vocational rehabilitation programs (including nursing homes) are subject to follow state guidelines for reporting any abuse, including sexual assault. The reporting process is complicated and because it is an institutional process, rather than a healing endeavor, the process can leave those who caused harm and those who were harmed unsupported.
The Indiana Disability Justice Task Force in collaboration with People with Disabilities seeks to create a supportive and restorative infrastructure for people with disabilities and their families. To that end, this post represents what we know about the current abuse reporting structure in the state of Indiana for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The education subcommittee is working on providing additional information, such as agency specific abuse reporting protocols and what happens when APS or CPS is notified (green shape in chart)?
Sexual Violence (or abuse) Reporting Flow Chart, Bureau of Quality and Support Services Task force members who created the flow charts:
- Micca Stewart, Bureau of Quality and Improvement Services (BQIS), Indiana Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA), micca.stewart@fssa.in.gov Heather Dane, Bureau of Developmental Disability Services (BDDS), Indiana Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA),
- Heather.Dane@fssa.IN.gov, Cell: 317-460-6484, Office: 317-233-7420
- Haleigh Rigger, Statewide Rape Crisis Coordinator, Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking (ICESAHT), created the disability services provider flow chart.
Reporting by Disability Services Providers
Download Chart PDF.
Reporting to Adult Protective Services
Download Chart PDF.
Reporting to the Division of Child Services
Download Hotline Chart PDF and CPS Intake Chart PDF.
The reporting systems as they currently exist in Indiana are still often fractured, focused on legal and state-involved solutions to violence, and often lack communication across agencies. For Indiana to shift towards transformative justice and restorative justice for survivors, and a more effective prevention practice, agencies must redouble their efforts to listen to and incorporate knowledge from survivors with disabilities. We hope that IDJ can help to begin this process.
Credit
This post represents the collective work of the Indiana Disability Justice Task Force. This post is written by Cierra Olivia Thomas Williams, Prevention Specialist at Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) and edited by Skye Ashton Kantola, Assistant Director at the Multicultural Efforts to End Sexual Assault (MESA).