Welcome to the April 2011 Special Toolkit Issue of the Safe Start Center e-Newsletter. In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month and Children Exposed to Violence Prevention Week (April 18-22), we have compiled online toolkits and guides on topics related to preventing and reducing the impact of children's exposure to violence. These training and technical assistance resources are divided into various categories depending on the target audience (caregivers and families, fathers, children and youth, child welfare workers, juvenile justice, courts, etc.) or topic (evidence-based practices, cultural diversity). Please send your comments to us at info@safestartcenter.org.
ONLINE TOOLKITS AND GUIDES
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CAREGIVERS AND FAMILIES
Connect: Supporting Children Exposed to Domestic Violence–In–service Training for Resource Families, a Trainer's Guide & Tools
Family Violence Prevention Fund
Connect is a three hour curriculum, Power Point presentation and related tools intended for use in child welfare settings with caregivers with all levels of experience in caring for children who have been exposed to domestic violence. It is designed as a basic training on the dynamics of domestic violence, the impact of exposure on children, and strategies for supporting children who have been exposed to violence.
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Engaging Veterans and Families to Enhance Service Delivery: A Toolkit for Community Organizations
National Center for Family Homelessness (2010)
This toolkit offers tools, resources, best practices, lessons learned, and cutting-edge research to improve the effectiveness and engagement of veterans with community organizations. Available resources include "texting campaigns" reaching veterans anywhere, and how to ask about an individual's military service history.
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Exposure to Violence Toolkit
Chicago Safe Start
This is a collection of brief introductions to issues related to children's exposure to violence in order to expand the public's knowledge and strengthen their responses to young children. Contents for each topic include background information, signs and symptoms, positive interventions, and extended learning opportunities.
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Family Engagement: A Web-Based Practice Toolkit
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections
This is an e-learning tool for programs, States and tribes providing promising practices, resource publications and online curricula on topics related to family engagement. The content is continuously updated to reflect current practices and resources. Modules include organizational self-assessment, definitions, core principles, caseworker engagement, family partnerships, shared decision-making, cross system partnerships, and stakeholder involvement.
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A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Health, et al. (2003)
This guide was created to help families better understand how the child welfare system works, inform about rights and responsibilities, answer questions, and describe experiences of families with the system. Contents include laws and policies of agencies and the courts; various roles in service systems; ways to advocate for families' rights; responsibilities as a parent; and practical tips from other parents.
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Growing and Sustaining Parent Engagement: A Toolkit for Parents and Community Partners
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2010)
This toolkit provides strategies for strengthening partnerships between parents and community agencies and improving the responsiveness of systems to families. Resources include a decision-making roadmap, an effectiveness checklist, and steps for developing a support network.
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Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence – A Guide for Families
Safe Start Center (2009)
Children who experience or witness violence may suffer from "invisible wounds" that affect them emotionally and psychologically. In this booklet, the authors provide a guide to common behaviors of children at different developmental stages that may indicate distress, and what caregivers can do to support the healing process. A list of resources, including books for children, is included.
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Strengthening Families and Communities: 2011 Resource Guide
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2011)
The Resource Guide provides resources for service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. It focuses on the five protective factors which have been proven to reduce the risk of abuse, and includes tip sheets for parents and caregivers.
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Treat Them Like Gold: A Best Practice Guide to Partnering with Resource Families
North Carolina Division of Social Services, Raleigh, NC (2009)
Resource families are anyone who provides a safe, stable, loving home for a child when the child's birth parents are unable to provide one. In this guide, the authors provide tools and strategies for agencies to build and sustain partnerships with resource families. Topics include planning, funding, engaging families, diversity, community alliance building, and recruitment.
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CHILD WELFARE
Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2008)
This toolkit provides basic knowledge, skills, and values about working with children who are in the child welfare system and who have experienced traumatic stress. Topics include children's safety, permanency, and well-being and are explained through case analysis.
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Child Protection in Families Experiencing Domestic Violence
Administration for Children and Families (2003)
This manual provides information for case workers about the overlap between child protection and domestic violence and recommended worker responses to families. Contents include the basics of domestic violence and child protection, modifying child protection practices for families experiencing domestic violence, enhancing case worker safety, and building collaborative relationships with families.
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Child Welfare Services for Families Experiencing Family Violence – Training Participant Manual
Children's Bureau (2003)
This manual offers considerations and alternate protocols for Child Protective Service caseworkers developed from the practices of various agencies involved in child maltreatment and domestic violence. Contents include background information, basics of domestic violence, modifying child protective practices, enhancing caseworker safety and support, and building collaborative responses with families.
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COURT
Domestic Violence Advocacy in Dependency Court: The Miami–Dade Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence Handbook
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (2005)
This handbook describes the development, implementation, and lessons learned from an initiative in Miami-Dade County designed to address co-occurring domestic violence and child maltreatment in a dependency court setting. The handbook is divided into three parts: Part 1 describes the program; Part 2 explains daily operations, including the Advocate's role, and Part 3 discusses the value of domestic violence advocacy in the dependency court.
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Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Futures: A Judge's Guide
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law (2009)
This guide for judges addresses the wide array of health needs of very young children in the child welfare system. Contents include current research on physical health, child development, attachment, infant mental health, early care and education, and tools and strategies to help judges promote better outcomes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who enter their courtrooms.
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A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2006)
This guide provides an overview of the impact of exposure to domestic and community violence on children and youth, legal issues, promising community collaborations, and a judicial checklist for child protection cases involving domestic violence.
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Adaptation Guidelines for Serving Latino Children and Families Affected by Trauma
Chadwick Center for Children and Families (2008)
This document was created for practitioners who work with Latino families who have experienced traumatic events. There are 12 priority areas, ranging from micro issues (assessment and therapy) to macro issues (organizational competence and policy). Each section includes an overview of the priority area, recommendations for improving practice, and additional resources. Portions of these guidelines are geared for advocates and therapists, while other priority areas are designed for program administrators and policy makers.
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Breaking the Silence: A Training Manual for Activists, Advocates and Latina Organizers
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2006)
This training manual provides basic information about rights, how the system that protects domestic violence survivors works, creating a self-help group, and how to overcome the barriers to accessing available protections. Topics include strategies for organizing, how to start an agency to provide culturally specific services, and how to negotiate and improve the system.
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Cultural and Linguistic Competence: Implementation Guide
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (2008)
This guide provides strategies, best practice examples, resources/tools, and performance indicators for many infrastructure domains such as governance, services and supports, quality improvement, and collaboration/community outreach. It is a comprehensive resource for agencies and organizations seeking effective, evidence-based practices for including diverse and underserved populations, both on staff and as recipients of services.
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Promising Practices for Serving Crime Victims with Disabilities
Office of Victims of Crime (2007)
This toolkit is for organizations seeking to improve their skills and response to people with disabilities that have been victimized or abused. Topics include keys to collaboration, planning, implementation, and sustainability, with practical advice and examples.
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Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents
Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Services (BRCYS) (2005)
This toolkit is a compendium of culturally responsive parenting resources for agencies working with refugees in a variety of settings. Contents include reviews of parenting curricula and links to educational resources.
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Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook
Bridging Refugee Youth & Children's Services (BRCYS) (2007)
This booklet was created for case managers serving refugees and immigrants to teach basic information about U.S. laws and parenting practices. The booklet is targeted to families with low levels of English proficiency and/or low literacy levels. BRYCS recommends using this booklet in culturally appropriate parent support groups, where parents can ask questions, try out new behaviors, and find positive support to help ease their transition.
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A Social Worker's Tool Kit for Working With Immigrant Families – Healing the Damage: Trauma and Immigrant Families in the Child Welfare System
Migration and Child Welfare National Network (2010)
This tool kit provides guidelines for integrating child welfare practice with trauma-informed care and trauma-specific services. It will allow organizations to better respond to the needs of immigrant families exposed to child maltreatment, domestic and community violence, and other traumatic stressors. Materials include frequently asked questions, case examples, and links to websites.
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Addressing Domestic Violence in Indian Country
Office of Violence Against Women (2003)
This manual examines the reasons behind domestic violence in Native communities by looking at its historical origins and suggests ways to address its occurrrence. Contents include a framework for understanding, advocacy role, Native men who use violence, domestic violence and children, and community organizing.
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Advocacy Beyond Leaving: Helping Battered Women in Contact with Current or Former Partners. A Guide for Domestic Violence Advocates
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2009)
This Guide provides information for advocates in a question and answer format. Contents include practical suggestions to assist advocates in conducting safety planning, the potential for changing violent behavior, advocating safety training, and changing organizations to better serve families.
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The Needs of Children in Domestic Violence Shelters: A Toolkit to Assist North Carolina Domestic Violence Agencies and Other Service Providers to Identify and Respond to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
Center for the Study of Child and Family Health
This toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to the process of entering and leaving a domestic violence shelter. The toolkit offers guidance to workers in the field to improve their work in the areas of assessment, building positive parenting skills, understanding the impact of trauma on parenting, child service community partnerships, and the legal considerations and sensitivity of serving children in shelters.
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Realizing the Promise of Home Visitation: Addressing Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment (A Guide for Policy Makers)
Family Violence Prevention Fund, Safe Start Center and Avon Foundation for Women
This guide provides information about what works to promote safety for mothers and their children in home visiting programs and resources for developing policy initiatives. Topics include the relationship between domestic violence and child maltreatment, promising programs, national policy, current research, federal funding sources, and practice and policy recommendations.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD
Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: An Early Childhood Educator's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System and Family Violence Prevention Fund (2002)
This handbook provides information for front-line staff in child care and early childhood settings. Topics include the ways domestic violence impacts infants and young children, strategies for challenging behaviors, a pamphlet for families, and special contingencies when families are in a shelter.
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The Magic of Everyday Moments: Loving and Learning Through Daily Activities
Zero to Three (2000)
This series of booklets serve as guides to parents of infants and toddlers for building strong relationships with their babies through interactions during everyday moments. These activities serve as the foundation for their child's learning and healthy development.
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EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES
Putting the Pieces Together: Practical Strategies for Implementing Evidence-Based Practices
National Institute for Corrections (2011)
Using the example of community corrections, this manual presents organizational processes required to implement evidence-based practices. Topics include key principles; organizational ingredients; developing a work plan; and ongoing quality improvement. The author provides examples of recording methods and lessons learned.
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Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection from Federal Databases
U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011)
This information package summarizes findings and evidence from federal reviews of research
studies and program evaluations to help localities select the approaches best suited to their specific needs in order to develop a plan to address childhood exposure to violence and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.
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FATHERS
Breaking the Cycle: Fathering After Violence. Curriculum Guidelines and Tools for Batterer Intervention Programs
Family Violence Prevention Fund
These tools are for directors of programs for batterers who want to remain in their children and partner's lives. Contents include background information, staff training, evaluations of pilot programs, and a CD with a case study.
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Fathering After Violence: Working with Abusive Fathers in Supervised Visitation
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2008)
This guide is designed for visiting fathers who have been violent with their intimate partners. The authors propose a continuum of interventions for the engagement of abusive fathers in visitation centers. Topics include accountability and connection with fathers, involvement of mothers, organizational readiness, assessment, and best practices.
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HOMELESS FAMILIES
Developing Trauma-Informed Services for Families Experiencing Homelessness: An Interactive Training Video and Guide
National Center on Family Homelessness (2008)
This curriculum focuses on applying trauma concepts to providers' daily work with families experiencing homelessness. Topics include the relationship between homelessness and trauma, the effects of trauma on people's lives and functioning, vicarious trauma and self-care, and developing trauma-informed responses in shelter settings.
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A Guide for Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children
National Center on Family Homelessness (2006)
This guide is for caregivers working with children who have experienced traumatic stress. The authors define traumatic stress and complex trauma, explain common developmental effects on children, ways for caregivers to help children heal, the importance of self-care, and resources.
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A Long Journey Home: A Guide for Creating Trauma–Informed Services for Mothers and Children Experiencing Homelessness
National Center on Family Homelessness (2008)
This guide provides organizational strategies for supporting homeless children and families in their healing process. Topics include strategic planning to create a trauma-informed environment, policies and procedures, services and supports, staff development, and sustainability.
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Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit
National Center on Family Homelessness (2009)
This toolkit provides homeless service providers with concrete guidelines for modifying their practices and policies to respond to families who have experienced traumatic stress. Contents include an organizational self-assessment, developing a strategic plan, creating and sustaining organizational change, and a consumer self-assessment.
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JUVENILE JUSTICE
Information Sharing Toolkit
Child Welfare League of America and Juvenile Law Center (2011)
This Tool Kit was created to help jurisdictions improve their information and data sharing procedures for youth involved in multiple systems. Contents include a theoretical background for effective information and data sharing practices and practical tools such as memoranda of understanding, consent forms, etc.
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Youth Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Handbook for the Juvenile Justice System to Enhance Assessment and Intervention Strategies for Youth from Violent Homes
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System (2003)
This handbook offers information about the needs of children who grow up in violent homes, including children who are victims and witnesses to violence, perpetrators of violence, or those involved in abusive relationships. Topics include signs a youth is having difficulty, screening for exposure to violence, responding to disclosures, and risk reduction.
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LAW ENFORCEMENT
Children Exposed to Violence: A Handbook for Police Trainers to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System and National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (2002)
This train-the-trainer manual addresses topics such as understanding the needs of children, risk reduction and safety planning, and dual arrest. It features case examples, "at-a- glance" information, community resources, answers to frequently asked questions and references.
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Cops, Kids and Domestic Violence: Protecting Our Future (Video)
National Child Trauma tic Stress Network (2006)
This 20-minute training is intended for individual or group settings for law enforcement officers who come into contact with children while on the scene of a domestic violence call. The video is supplemented by a written overview with background and procedural information.
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Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence
International Association of Chiefs of Police (2009)
This guide addresses both prevention and intervention from a systemic view, clarifying the roles of the school, the community, families, law enforcement and the justice system and how these groups can work together effectively to respond to the problem of school violence. Topics include threat assessment, crisis planning during and after a crisis, legal issues, and working with the media.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Models for Developing Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Systems and Trauma-Specific Services
National Association of State Mental Health Directors and the National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning (2004)
The service models described in this guide are designed for women receiving mental health and/or substance abuse services who have been traumatized by violence and abuse during their childhood and/or adolescence. Contents include models for developing trauma-informed services and systems and status of research. The guide concludes with next steps for State mental health systems and provider organizations.
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TF–CBT Web: A Web-based Learning Course for Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Medical University of South Carolina
This online course is designed to complement a clinical course, workshop, or manual on TF–CBT. Contents include step-by-step instructions, printable scripts, and video demonstrations.
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Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Building the Infrastructure: A Guide for Communities
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care (2007)
This guide is organized into nine parts that correspond to the fundamental components of the infrastructure needed to support systems of care: planning, governance, system management, coordination of services and service array, communication, policy, finance, continuous quality improvement, and human resources and staff development. Contents include examples from the field, worksheets that correspond to the nine systems of care infrastructure components to assist the decision-making, and additional resources.
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Recognizing and Addressing Trauma in Infants, Young Children, and Their Families
Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2011)
This online tutorial is designed to help early childhood mental health consultants understand trauma, recognize the developmental context of trauma in early childhood, and extend their own knowledge for intervention through consultation. Contents include types and impact of trauma experienced by young children, signs and symptoms, and resources.
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PREVENTION
First Steps: Taking Action Early to Prevent Violence
Prevention Institute (2002)
This guide synthesizes the research showing the importance of starting violence prevention at an early age, and offers a comprehensive action strategy with case examples. The three key strategies presented are: 1) violence prevention requires a comprehensive approach; 2) risk and resiliency factors must be addressed; and 3) violence prevention requires an integrated strategy for action.
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Policyforresults.org
(2011)
PolicyForResults.org is an online set of tools for helping policy makers develop strategies for achieving measurable results for children and families. The focus is research-based strategies that achieve targeted outcomes for children and families through coordinated, community-wide initiatives to prevent child maltreatment.
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Principles of Prevention
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention (2011)
This free online course teaches key concepts of primary prevention, the public health approach, and the social-ecological model. Interactive exercises address child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, suicide, and youth violence.
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Working with Men and Boys to Prevent Gender-Based Violence
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2005)
This web site is a comprehensive tool kit designed for community advocates and practitioners to work with men and boys to prevent gender-based violence. It provides readings, case studies, handouts, exercises, and other resources as well as community-building tools. A Recommended Work Plan is provided to fully explore the materials.
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SCHOOL–AGE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Self-Directed Modules
Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs (2011)
These e-learning modules are designed to support professional development of AFL grantee staff and others working with adolescents who have experienced trauma. Topics include adolescent trauma, intimate partner violence, adolescent brain development, program evaluation, and collaboration and sustainability.
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Authentic Youth Civic Engagement: A Guide for Municipal Leaders
National League of Cities (2010)
This guide provides a definition and framework for what authentic youth engagement in municipal government can look like. The guide was developed through a series of focus groups, surveys and interviews conducted in 2008 and 2009. Contents include an assessment tool, critical elements for success, structural options, strategies, support, and a list of local and state youth councils and task forces.
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Dating Violence: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Liz Claiborne, Inc. (2010)
This resource is a 60-minute interactive training for educators and youth-serving professionals to help teens understand the risk factors and warning signs of dating abuse and ways to develop healthy relationships.
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Lessons from Literature Online Curriculum
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2009)
This curriculum is designed to empower English teachers and others who work with youth to use literature, or any medium of popular culture, to educate youth about relationships and family violence. Materials include information about approaching the issue of violence with teens, a resource library, lesson plans, online program evaluation, videos and a min-magazine.
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Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention (2005)
This compendium provides researchers and practitioners with a set of tools to assess violence-related beliefs, behaviors, and influences, and evaluate programs to prevent youth violence. Most measures included are for youth 11–24 years old, with some assessments for children 5–10 years old, and some versions for parents and teachers. More than 170 measures are included.
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Reaching and Serving Teen Victims: A Practical Handbook
National Center for Victims of Crime and National Crime Prevention Council (2007)
This handbook explains the unique impact of victimization during adolescence, and provides strategies for assessing teen victimization and creating effective teen outreach and services. It is designed for victim advocates, law enforcement officers, educators, counselors, and other professionals. The handbook also includes guidance on families and legal issues, mandatory reporting, and intervention strategies.
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Teen Action Toolkit: Building a Youth–led Response to Teen Victimization
The National Center for Victims of Crime (2007)
This toolkit includes resources and exercises for educators, law enforcement personnel, outreach workers, victim service providers and teens who might want to start a youth-led effort to improve local policies and services for adolescents experiencing violence.
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Understanding Links Between Adolescent Trauma and Substance Abuse: A Toolkit for Providers
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2007)
This is a compendium of training materials to help mental health clinicians, substance abuse treatment providers, parents, and youth understand the complex needs of youth with traumatic stress and substance abuse problems and to promote evidence-based practices in clinical settings. Materials include fact sheets, case examples, and multimedia presentations.
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SCHOOLS
The ABCs of Bullying: Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2004)
This online course teaches the causes and effects of bullying, prevention techniques and programs, screening, treatment options, and legal/ethical issues. Resources include publications, links to web sites, and videos designed for professionals in education, health, mental health, and related fields.
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Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2008)
This toolkit provides school administrators, teachers, staff, and parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in schools. Resources include fact sheets, strategies for accommodating a traumatized child, when to refer, and a DVD highlighting psychological, social, and academic problems that may result from trauma exposure for different age groups.
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Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Teacher's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System, Family Violence Prevention Fund and National Education Association (2002)
This handbook helps educators understand how violence affects children at different ages and recognize signs students may display when they have experienced trauma. Topics include supportive teaching strategies, handling challenging behaviors, and supporting students who disclose incidents of violence.
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How Schools Can Help Students Recover from Traumatic Experiences: A Tool Kit for Supporting Long-Term Recovery
RAND Corporation (2006)
This tool kit is designed for school personnel to help students recover from traumatic experiences, including experiencing violence. To help schools choose the best approach, the authors provide a compendium of program models classified by type of trauma.
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RELATED LINKS
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CONTACT US
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The Safe Start Center e-Newsletter is distributed by the Safe Start Center under Contract No. GS-10F-0285K with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Information and points of view in this newsletter do not imply endorsement by OJJDP, OJP, DOJ, or the Safe Start Center.
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