Communitywide Strategies to Reduce Child Abuse and Neglect: Lessons From the Safe Kids/Safe Streets Program

• NCJ Number: 210275
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 97-MU-MU-005
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report presents lessons learned from the federally supported Safe Kids/Safe Streets Program (SK/SS) designed to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect and the development of juvenile delinquency.

Abstract

Past and present studies point to long-term consequences, finding that victims of child abuse and neglect are at greater risk of delinquency, substance abuse, adult criminality, and other problems. Initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Safe Kids/Safe Streets (SK/SS) Program was established in 1997 to help five communities reduce child abuse and neglect and their aftereffects through collaborative community-wide efforts. The initiative helped communities make significant changes in the policies, procedures, and practices of agencies that deal with children and families involved in or at risk of abuse and neglect. The five demonstration sites that implemented the SK/SS program were located in Alabama, Missouri, Ohio, Vermont, and Michigan. This report, adapted from a four-volume evaluation report, describes the results of a national evaluation of SK/SS planning and implementation. Lessons learned from the SK/SS experience are presented in the areas of community context, program design, collaboration building, system reform, enhancing the continuum of services, data collection and evaluation, prevention education, and resources. The SK/SS initiative represents the most comprehensive application in the child maltreatment field. It has succeeded in building broad-based collaboratives around child abuse and neglect issues in five different communities. In addition, they engaged a broad range of stakeholders in developing and implementing a complex agenda with collaboration made to be a normal way of doing business. References