Sexual assault victims will get more help by new program

The Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre is behind a new program aimed at helping victims of sexual assault know what services are available to them.

Several organizations and volunteers in the city, including the Fredericton Police, the RCMP, the Domestic Violence Outreach Program and others, are working together on the new initiative to help and inform anyone who's been a victim of sexual assault.

"We really wanted to bring people together in a formal way, to have meetings and talk about where we can approve things. It just seemed like this was the best time," said Jennifer Richard, the director of Community Development Crisis Centre and the co-ordinator of Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre.

Richard said the city's sexual assault crisis centre has been working on this for more than two years and hopes the end result will address the gaps in the system.

"We're always looking at improving the police response as well as looking at access to support services, counsellors and for the clinic to be responsible for after care," she said.

"We do have a partnership with the hospital that if someone comes from triage they call ... the person can always refuse if they want, but we're there through the process. We stay with them through the process."

The new team will launch on Wednesday when officials sign the team's operations manual.