About SADA
Sexual Assault in Disability and Aged Care (SADA) Action Strategy
The SADA Action Strategy was initiated in 2005 by Northern Sydney Sexual Assault Service due to the number of older women and women with disability approaching their service and the growing awareness of the lack of appropriate responses within the ageing and disability sector. In 2006 the project received funding from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs' Office of Women. The project is now auspiced by People with Disability Australia.
Mission statement
The SADA Action Strategy provides a framework for action in which organisations work together to:
- protect vulnerable people in care settings
- raise the awareness of the issues of sexual assault amongst people with disability and older people in care in the wider community
- provide resources and training on preventing and responding to sexual assault.
Scope of the project
The SADA project was funded for a two year period, from April 2005 to June 2008. The project is comprised of three stages, the first two stages undertaking extensive consultation throughout the ageing and disability sectors and the third developing tools and resources for staff and services, to assist in the prevention of sexual assault, as well as ensuring appropriate responses to assaults that do occur.
The second stage of project involved 44 consultations across New South Wales with staff and managers from disability and age-care residential services. The objective of the consultations was to engage the disability and age-care sectors in the project and gain an understanding of their needs as well as challenges they face in identifying, responding and preventing sexual assault. From the information gained through the consultations, a priority list of tools and resources was collected and developed. See the SADA report [PDF].
The third stage of the project, of which this website is a part, involves the collection and development of tools and resources that were identified in the first two stages of the project.
The project reference group
The project is guided by a reference group of non-government and government agencies with expertise in disability, ageing, sexual assault and human rights. The reference group provides expert advice to the project and has an oversighting role.
The members of the reference group are:
- People with Disability Australia
- NSW Violence Against Women Network
- NSW Women's Health Network
- NSW Sexual Assault Services
- NSW Police
- Benevolent Society
- NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care
- Aged Care Accreditation Agency
- Guardianship Tribunal
- NSW Attorney General's Department: Victims Services and Office of the Public Guardian.