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Sexual Assault Response Team


The Santa Barbara Cottage SART facility was established in 1986.

The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is a multi-disciplinary project whose success has been recognized statewide. Since 1986, the cottage became operational providing a facility where medical and forensic interviews are conducted under one roof.

In 1992, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital donated the entire use of a small house to SART for at least the next ten years. The Junior League of Santa Barbara subsequently adopted this project. With their leadership, the SART Cottage Project raised over $150,000 to renovate and equip the facility. Drug traffickers unwittingly assisted the office project: The Santa Barbara County District Attorney, the Sheriff's Department and the Santa Barbara Police Department joined together to use asset forfeiture funds to purchase state of the art equipment to assist in the medical examinations and facilitate the illustration of injuries for prosecution purposes.

The mission of the SART project is to begin the healing process for all child, adolescent and adult survivors of sexual assault and abuse at the first contact with the legal system by responding with a coordinated team effort involving law enforcement and supportive social service agencies.

The Victim/Witness Unit continues to work with SART in providing assessment and treatment to survivors of sexual assault. The team approach assures that survivors are subjected to a limited number of interviews and receive care in the most positive environment possible.
The Victim Witness Assistance Program Staff continue to be actively involved with the countywide Sexual Assault Response Team. The team is comprised of representatives from Law Enforcement, the District Attorney's Office, the Rape Crisis Center (North and South County), Child Welfare Services, UCSB Rape Prevention and Education, CALM, and the Public Health Department. The members meet on a monthly basis to review policy issues and address potential areas of improvement. One of the areas of improvement that was identified in January of 1998 was that of creating a SART Cottage in the North County. With the cooperation of the Lompoc District Hospital, who donated a small house owned by the Hospital, private citizens and members of the SART team, the Council successfully exported the SART cottage concept to the Lompoc Valley. A total of $214,000 in donations were received from private donors, as well as the District Attorney's Office, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. These funds allowed for the completion of the renovation. The Cottage was officially opened in November of 2000 and will serve sexual assault victims in the North County.

Since its inception, the SART facilities and process has been used in hundreds of adult and child sexual assault cases.






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