How to help?
The purpose of this page is to provide the community of Golden and its service providers with a resource to turn to when working with victims of relationship violence or sexual assault.
Click here to view the full Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Response Toolkit
Click here to view the full Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Response Toolkit
How can the community and individuals respond?
When relationship violence is disclosed or witnessed it is our responsibility to respond. A range of responses exist within our community, and you can understand how different service providers respond in these situations on pages 21 through 41 of the 'Relationship Violence and Sexual Response Toolkit'. Safety and support are important to a coordinated and effective first response to relationship violence. The safety of the victim is the top priority.
First helper – A First Helper is the first person who may witness an act of violence or may be the first person a victim/survivor tells about the violence that is occurring in their life. It doesn't matter if the violence was witnessed in a parking lot or a front yard, the first responder should start by asking the following questions:
1.Are you okay? Are you safe?
2.What happened?
3.What can I do to help?
1. Are you okay? Are you safe?
If the victim requires immediate medical attention, call 911 or taker him/her to the hospital if you are able to and it is safe to do so.
If the person says they are in danger, safety is the primary goal. Safety means getting the victim to a safe place, away from the offender. If the victim is in immediate danger, and by association you may be as well, call 911. If children are involved and at risk, notify both the Ministry for Children and Families as well as the police about their safety needs.
Stay with the victim during this time to support his/her needs.
2. What happened?
If you haven’t witnessed the violence, asking when, where and how are good indicators of the level of immediate danger. It is also important to ask if weapons and/or drugs and alcohol are involved.
3. What can I do to help?
If you are not a professional service provider your role in helping the victim/survivor may end once safety is achieved. You should continue to provide support to the victim/survivor once police and/or services providers become involved if they ask you to stay in contact.
Assist, support and empower the victim/survivor to make safe choices about what to do next.
Do believe the victim’s experience because it is true for him/her
First helper – A First Helper is the first person who may witness an act of violence or may be the first person a victim/survivor tells about the violence that is occurring in their life. It doesn't matter if the violence was witnessed in a parking lot or a front yard, the first responder should start by asking the following questions:
1.Are you okay? Are you safe?
2.What happened?
3.What can I do to help?
1. Are you okay? Are you safe?
If the victim requires immediate medical attention, call 911 or taker him/her to the hospital if you are able to and it is safe to do so.
If the person says they are in danger, safety is the primary goal. Safety means getting the victim to a safe place, away from the offender. If the victim is in immediate danger, and by association you may be as well, call 911. If children are involved and at risk, notify both the Ministry for Children and Families as well as the police about their safety needs.
Stay with the victim during this time to support his/her needs.
2. What happened?
If you haven’t witnessed the violence, asking when, where and how are good indicators of the level of immediate danger. It is also important to ask if weapons and/or drugs and alcohol are involved.
3. What can I do to help?
If you are not a professional service provider your role in helping the victim/survivor may end once safety is achieved. You should continue to provide support to the victim/survivor once police and/or services providers become involved if they ask you to stay in contact.
Assist, support and empower the victim/survivor to make safe choices about what to do next.
Do believe the victim’s experience because it is true for him/her
Personal safety when responding as a first helper
It can be difficult to remain connected and calm when responding to an individual in danger. As a first helper your safety is also important. Before asking if someone is safe or okay, you should assess your own situation for safety. Trust your gut feeling. If the situation does not feel safe for you to respond directly then find a phone and call 911. Some other considerations might be:
- Do you have access to a safe building/vehicle if the offender turns the violence towards you?
- Are there other witnesses nearby? One person’s action for safety can move others to also take a positive action.
- Can you see what is in the hands of the victim and offender? If there is any sense that there may be weapons involved, call 911 immediately. Weapons can be anything that the offender could use to hurt the victim or you (i.e. Rocks, broken bottles, etc.)
- Do you know the offender and/or victim? In smaller communities, responding directly may create future danger for you or members of your home.