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Safe Start Demonstration Sites

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Baltimore Safe Start
Baltimore, MD

Lead Agency: Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice

Co-Applicant: The Family League of Baltimore City, Inc.

Safe Start Staff:

Lillian Augustus, Safe Start Project Director, FLBC
Deloris Vaughn, Project Evaluator, FLBC
Michael Cenci, Cross-Agency Coordinator, FLBC
Taj Carson, Director of Research, FLBC
Andrea Anderson, Assistant Program Coordinator, FLBC
Marie Austin, Training Coordinator, FLBC

Project Purpose:

The Baltimore City Safe Start Initiative (BCSSI) is a partnership of numerous organizations and programs. The vision of BCSSI is of collaborative groups working together to reduce the impact of exposure to violence, enable children to reach their optimal potential, and enter school ready to learn. The Baltimore City Safe Start Initiative, in collaboration with community leaders, community organizations, parents, public and private service providers, will design and implement strategies resulting in systems changes that will reduce the harmful effects of exposure to violence on Baltimore's youngest children. The BCSSI will achieve this purpose by developing and implementing unified screening and assessment procedures, integrating the BCSSI with the Family Support Strategy (Baltimore's existing initiative focused on improved outcomes for children under six), expanding mental health services for children under six, and building strong evaluation and accountability processes.

The BCSSI will draw upon proven best practices, existing models and programs, including the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, Baltimore Child Development/Community Policing Program, Baltimore City Data Collaborative, Baltimore Mental Health Systems and Comprehensive Strategy. BCSSI will focus on two of Baltimore's more at risk communities - Park Heights and Southwestern Washington Village/Pigtown.

Project Goals:

Broad Community Awareness of the impact of child exposure to violence
Early and consistent detection of young children exposed to violence
Young children identified as impacted by exposure to violence receive mental health services from a provider who is Safe Start trained in their community
Young children identified as impacted by exposure to violence have improved access to appropriate community-based services