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May 2011Vol. 12, No. 4Responding to Children Exposed to Violence

Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection From Federal Databases is a new report that summarizes Federal reviews of research studies and program evaluations to help localities address childhood exposure to violence and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Subject matter experts at the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services collaborated in preparing this information, which is based on reviews of Federal databases of evidence-based programs. Data were drawn from the following databases maintained by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

  • SAMHSA's National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs
  • SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Network
  • OJJDP's Model Programs Guide
  • OJJDP's Children Exposed to Violence Evidence-Based Guide

From this review, researchers created a matrix of 42 effective programs and 13 promising programs. The description of each program in the matrix includes a rating; the age range for the children served; outcome indicators; and whether the program increased resilience, reduced trauma symptoms, or reduced incidence. Other elements of the package include a glossary of terms, a discussion of service characteristics for program components, and a section on guidance and information for replication of programs.

Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection from Federal Databases is available for download on OJJDP's Safe Start Center website:

www.safestartcenter.org/pdf/Evidence-Based-Practices-Matrix_2011.pdf (335 KB)