SASTF Webinar Archive

Presented on July 30, 2025

Tiffany Larsen, Chief of Family Violence and Adult Sex Crimes at the Brazos County District Attorney's Office, provided an in-depth discussion on the history of Rape Shield Laws in Texas and their application in both Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Sexual Assault Cases. Tiffany shared courtroom experiences and offered practical tips for arguing and advocating for these critical protections on behalf of survivors - during trial and beyond.

Children's Advocacy Centers & CACTX: 30 Years of Providing Safety, Justice, & Healing to Child Abuse Victims in Texas

Presented on April 2, 2025

In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Cathy Crabtree, Independent Consultant and former Executive Director for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX), presented Children’s Advocacy Centers and CACTX: 30 Years of Providing Safety, Justice, and Healing to Child Abuse Victims in Texas. This webinar revisited the roots of the children’s advocacy center (CAC) multidisciplinary team (MDT) model and the history of CACTX, the organization that has played a critical role in Texas’ response to child sexual abuse for the past 30 years. This webinar focused on the initial “why” behind the early development of this unique model and track its trajectory to today, a time when the 70 CACs across Texas are seen as the gold standard for child abuse investigation, prosecution, intervention, and treatment.

Addressing College Campus Sexual Assault: Prevention, Response and Support

Presented on February 26, 2025

A panel of experts from the fields of campus advocacy, campus health, Title IX, university police, and prosecution, discussed unique challenges when responding to campus sexual assault, best practices in the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault, as well as what support looks like from their perspective when assisting survivors on their healing journey in the aftermath of a sexual assault.

Fact or Expert: An Introduction to the Ethical Role and Use of Expert Witnesses

Presented on October 17, 2024

Presented by Margaret Bassett, LPC-S, Director of Applied Research & Innovative Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA). This webinar highlights who can be an expert witness and skills needed to professionally and ethically use or serve as an expert witness; benchmarks for establishing “expertise” before serving as or employing expert witnesses; and ethical, personal, and professional benefits of serving as, or utilizing, experts for case consultation and at trial.

Towards a Safer Texas: Combating Sexual Violence Through Prevention, Intervention, Collaboration, and Policy Change

Presented on July 31, 2024

Members of the Office of the Governor's Public Safety Office (PSO) present and discuss Texas' response to sexual violence as seen through the lens of three statewide initiatives overseen by the PSO: the Child Sex Trafficking Team, the Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force, and the Sexual Violence Prevention Workgroup.

SARTs in Texas: What Have We Learned and What's Next?

Presented on April 25, 2024

Presented by the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault's CEO Rose Luna and SART Project Coordinator Deepika Modali. A discussion on the formation and implementation of Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) across Texas. Rose and Deepika dive into the findings from the first statewide SART biennial reports while sharing how the coming together of SARTs can result in better community care and support for sexual assault survivors.