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Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 351, Subchapter J requires each commissioner’s court of a county to establish an Adult Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). A SART is a formalized coordinated response to a sexual assault that allows multi-disciplinary professionals to coordinate and develop interagency responses to work together to address sexual assault by providing wrap-around support and communication.
Counties with a population of 250,000 residents or smaller have the option of partnering with other nearby, small counties to form a regional SART. The commissioner’s court must invite all statutory members that provide services within a county to participate.
A brief introduction to Adult Sexual Assault Response Teams for COGs and counties is available by clicking the link above.
Click the link above for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault's (TAASA) comprehensive guide to Adult Sexual Assault Response Teams in Texas.
To see where SARTs have already been formed in Texas, click the link above. (We are working to get a list of active SARTs. If you would like to know about your specific county, please email SART@taasa.org. )
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault has created a DRAFT Regional SART Resolution template counties of 250,000 and below and/or regional councils can use to help establish multi-county response teams. Note: please consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with your organization's bylaws and other governing documents or requirements prior to approval or adoption. For questions, please contact SART@taasa.org.
Click here for PDF template. | Click here for Word template.
Subchapter J, Chapter 351, Local Government Code, as adopted by S.B. 476, requires that all counties participate in an Adult Sexual Assault Response Team. The statute allows counties under 250,000 to participate in a joint team with other counties in a contiguous area to form a multicounty response team. The County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas and the Texas Association of Regional Councils have developed the sample interlocal agreement below to facilitate the creation of a multicounty team. This draft provides that the participating counties will each appoint a member of an organizing committee to designate membership in the regional SART committee and by-laws for its organization.
Click here for PDF sample. | Click here for Word sample.
To assist counties and COGs as they stand up the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), TARC, CJCAT and TAASA partnered to provide a series of webinars to offer technical assistance. These webinars were recorded and are available for viewing by clicking the appropriate links below.
SART Basics - What is a SART?
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Click here to download the recording. | Click here to download the presentation slides.
SART Basics for Large Counties
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Click here to download the recording. | Click here to download the presentation slides.
(recommended for counties over 250k pop.)
SART Basics for Counties Interested in Regional Response
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Click here to download the recording. | Click here to download the presentation slides.
(recommended for COGs and counties with 250k pop and smaller)
If you have any questions or need assistance, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault stands ready to help. Send an email to SART@taasa.org with your question and contact information and someone from the organization will follow up with you.