The principles

The following crisis service ‘Principles of Delivery’ were developed utilizing the rich knowledge and experience of those working in the sexual violence sector. Information was originally gathered as part of a stocktake of services back in 2009, and then collated into statements of value. The principles have been updated on the basis of a survey of the sector early 2015, and the participation of people working in the sector on the advisory group for this project.

A fundamental premise of the work of sexual assault support services is that we work for victims/survivors, to have their needs heard and met. The inclusion of survivor voices alongside provider knowledge and research in this project reflects this orientation and the collaborative spirit of its development.

The evidence-base supporting the ways we work has developed over the past decade both internationally and locally. This literature has been integrated within each principle that follows. However there remains an ongoing need for further research, particularly within Aotearoa, regarding effective service interventions within the sexual violence sector.

Practice examples

Within each Principle section, a section presenting the ‘principle in practice’ specific to various local services will be described. It is hoped this will provide some inspiration for the development of other services, and, also provide an opportunity for services to share ‘good practice’ with each other as this project becomes live.