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Some form of qualification from going through police and court process

Proposal Summary

Going through the police and court process takes a lot of time and dedication that isn't recognised in community, there should be a formal qualification to help towards future pathways

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Going through the police and court process is very draining and life altering in so many ways. It is a heavy form of community service work that helps to make the community safer regardless of the outcome, however, this isn't recognised. The amount of time and effort that goes in and the mental health impacts are huge. In my experience, I put my life on hold and I was required to stay within the state of Victoria, or travel back (unfunded while having no money) to ensure the process continued. I ended up in someways trapped in Victoria and in my experience of trauma. 

I have finished the police and court process now mostly except for waiting at length for the Freedom of Information documents to be released which has taken more than 1 year now. This affects the healing of my trauma as this is delayed without knowing vital impacts that happened to me as a young person that are being withheld from me.

The damage I have experienced through this process on family connections and friendships is huge and there isn't support with re-building these. Going through this process was like a full time job, however, the available possible funding at the end of this doesn't pay you back for years of lost income without having work, nor is there enough money to fund you for years of not having the capacity to work.

Additionally, if you do find work, getting something that is safe, and trauma-informed is a real challenge. I experienced being labelled as slow and experiencing workplace bullying. For someone who has made the community a bit safer and gone through years of struggle, this is such a poor way to treat a victim survivor, but I was vulnerable because I was struggling and the system didn't support me. There really needs to be more help around where you can go to get safe employment, and additional income so that survivors aren't left vulnerable. There is no current duty of care to people who report sexual assault that I am aware of which there should be.

I believe that after going through so much hardship, survivors deserve to (at the least) have some formal recognition to hopefully contribute to a pathway to rebuilding their lives like having some RPL's towards a certain course or understanding where the skills learnt from the police, court, and healing process could take them.

Personally, from the time I have put into healing, and going through the police and court process, I have had the opportunity to fulfill dreams taken from me. I would have loved to have worked overseas, although I didn't have the capacity, or the time, and now I am too old. I would have also loved to have had kids, I still hope too, but the relationship damage from my experiences and the stunting of my growth from the police and court process has really damaged this for me. To do this in my mind would mean somehow doing this via sperm donation, I don't know that this is something I can afford and to do this all alone. My finances took a beating while trying to stand up for myself and getting myself back on my feet has been so hard.

To have the opportunity for RPL for courses or the understanding of trauma informed employment pathways or anywhere that values survivor contributions would be great to know about. I haven't heard anything of it so far.

To put things into context, I am the survivor of childhood sexual assault which takes years and years to understand and eventually stand up against the whole world you have grown up in that might not seem that bad to someone who has lived in it to some degree. It takes a huge amount of individual effort and strength to flip it all on it's head and tell it like it is. There's just not enough help out there and there should be so much more. I value a safe community, but with the lack of help out there, it doesn't seem like other people value this too.

• Effective funding models for supporting recovery after sexual violence