Survivors come into contact with, disclose to, and seek services from a variety of professions. MCASA provides training, technical assistance, and resources essential to these professions as they work to deliver compassionate, trauma informed care, and assistance to survivors.

Advocates

Advocates provide immediate crisis intervention and ongoing support to survivors and their loved ones in the aftermath of a sexual assault. Their experience, specialized training, and access to MCASA member program resources allow them to address a wide range of survivor needs. Advocates provide trauma informed and survivor centered support, working to reduce the burdens on survivors and empower survivors to make fully informed decisions in their healing process.

Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is responsible for taking reports of a sexual assault and investigating when a crime has occurred. This can involve collecting statements from the victim, witnesses, and suspects as well as collecting and analyzing evidence, including the evidence collected during a medical forensic exam.

Legal & Lawyers (SALI)

The Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) of MCASA  provides comprehensive and direct legal services to survivors of sexual violence in the state of Maryland. Our dedicated staff of advocates and attorneys work at the pace of the survivor and provide support, referrals, and legal consultations. Please call 301-565-2277 for more information. 

Nursing & Medical

In Maryland, Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) work within a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) program at select hospitals. Specially-trained FNEs offer prompt, complete medical forensic examinations to collect important evidence and provide comprehensive, compassionate, trauma-informed medical care.

SART

A Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is a multidisciplinary team that works collaboratively to make system-wide improvements to the sexual violence response process. SART members work cooperatively towards many different goals, including developing protocol, providing cross-training, reviewing cases, and implementing a coordinated, victim-centered community response.

Brochures

MCASA offers a wide variety of free brochures, available for order from our online store.