Lessons Learned From Safe Kids/Safe Streets

• NCJ Number: 213682
• Author(s): Roberta Cronin; Frances Gragg; Dana Schultz; Karla Eisen
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 97-MU-MU-0005
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This bulletin describes the Safe Kids/Safe Streets initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Justice and its successful application in the child maltreatment field.

Abstract

While collaborative approaches have been used successfully in other arenas, the Safe Kids/Safe Streets (SK/SS) initiative represents the most comprehensive application in the child maltreatment field. It succeeded in building broad-based collaboratives focusing on child abuse and neglect issues in five very different communities. The five collaborative sites enabled their communities to develop stronger interagency relationships and to focus on systems reform issues. They also engaged a broad range of stakeholders in developing and implementing a complex and ambitious agenda and made collaboration a normal way of doing business. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) developed the SK/SS program to help communities reduce child abuse and neglect and their aftereffects through collaborative, communitywide efforts. The SK/SS program was designed to help communities make significant changes in the policies, procedures, and practices of agencies that deal with children who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing abuse and neglect and their families. The collaborative sites were to include justice, child welfare, family service, education, health, and mental health agencies, as well as nontraditional partners. They had to develop and implement plans covering systems reform and accountability, enhanced continuum of services, data collection and evaluation, and prevention education. In 1997, DOJ selected five localities to implement SK/SS: Huntsville, AL, Kansas City, MO, Toledo, OH, Burlington, VT, and Sault Ste. Marie, MI. This bulletin describes the experiences of these participating sites, offering considerable insights into collaboration building, systems reform, service options, and other strategies. References