Best Practices, Policies & Protocols

Batterers Treatment

The Batterer’s Treatment Forum was formed in 1995 as a joint effort of CAWS North Dakota and the North Dakota Department of Corrections Division of Parole and Probation. The volunteer members of the Forum include individuals from a variety of human service, criminal justice, legal, and social service fields. The Batterer’s Treatment Forum meets quarterly to collaborate, network, and train providers statewide.

North Dakota Adult Batterer Treatment Standards

Supervised Parenting Time

Supervised parenting time (formerly known as visitation) is contact between a child and adult, usually a parent, which takes place in the presence of a third party who is responsible for providing safety for those involved. Supervised parenting time becomes necessary for a variety of reasons, the main reason being that contact with the adult may present a risk for the child or other adult in a child’s life.

CAWS North Dakota’s concern for survivors and their children compels us to establish a set of standards that centers offering these services should consider. These standards offer the minimum requirements needed to provide the highest standard of service, and maximum safety to all involved, at a reasonable cost. These Standards are meant to be a baseline to which all centers are in compliance in an effort to provide safe and consistent services statewide.

Standards for Supervised Parenting Time and Exchange Centers in North Dakota

Sexual Violence Policies and Protocols

The purpose of the North Dakota Model Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Policy is to establish guidelines for an effective law enforcement response to reports of sexual assault. Reduce the incidence of and improve the response to sexual assault in local communities by setting forth best practices which encourage a consistent and effective law enforcement response by:

• Acknowledging and validating the experience of victims of sexual assault

• Investigating effectively to build strong cases against sexual assault suspects

• Supporting and empowering victims of sexual assault through effective collaborations

• Documenting sexual assault allegations thoroughly and accurately to assure effective prosecution and the successful delivery of services

North Dakota Model Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Policy


The North Dakota Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Protocol was created to promote a uniform evidence collection protocol that will assist to: minimize the physical and psychological trauma to the victim of sexual assault; offer communities a means to develop a victim-centered response; maximize the probability of collecting and preserving physical evidence for potential use in the legal system; and provide guidance to local communities.

North Dakota Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Protocol

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE)

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are registered nurses who have completed specialized education and clinical preparation in the medical forensic care of the patient who has experienced sexual assault or abuse. The role of a SANE includes taking a history from the victim for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment of health care concerns; conducting a complete physical assessment; performing a thorough genital exam; collecting and documenting any forensic evidence; providing appropriate information and referrals; working with the victim advocate and other SART members to assure coordinated service; and providing courtroom testimony when needed.

The mission of the State SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Coordinator office is to ensure the SANEs of North Dakota respond to all victims of sexual assault holistically and in a non-judgmental manner. Also to ensure all SANEs provide honest, patient-centered care that includes, competently collecting evidence with sensitivity, no matter the race, creed, culture, or sex of the patient.

North Dakota Model Law Enforcement Domestic Violence Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures for addressing matters of domestic violence and to implement the most effective strategies for dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is often the result of unique and subtle emotional and social circumstances and, therefore, requires judicious response and rational application of a law enforcement officer’s professional judgment and discretion.

North Dakota Model Law Enforcement Domestic Violence Policy

Community Coordinated Response

A coordinated community response (CCR) team brings together key players and service providers from a community to develop strategies, procedures, and protocols for a multidisciplinary victim-centered intervention response to domestic and sexual violence that will keep survivors safe and hold perpetrators more accountable.

A CCR assists community service providers and crisis intervention centers in communication, networking, and collaboration. Team stakeholders including advocacy, law enforcement, prosecution, medical and social services, and other professionals work together to discuss domestic violence and its effect on the community. Then collectively participate in creating strategies and developing the services needed to decrease domestic violence and heighten community awareness.

For more information about coordinated community response, please contact CAWS North Dakota.

Sexual Assault Response Team

A sexual assault response team (SART) is a collection of professional service providers and officials that respond essentially as a group and in a timely fashion to the various needs of rape victims (Source). A SART approach is designed to facilitate coordination among professionals from different disciplines in a community who are involved in immediate response to victims of sexual violence with the shared goal of improving the overall response. A SART builds respect and trust between member agencies and offers a forum for open dialogue and constructive problem solving.

SAFETY ALERT: If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, call 911, a local hotline, the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.Escape
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