NCJ Number
199075
Date Published
November 2001
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the findings and goals of Chicago Safe Start.
Abstract
The findings of interviews and quantitative data conducted in 2000 were that there was chronic violence and alcohol and substance abuse in target communities. In the designated Chicago Safe Start districts, of the 18,992 children under age 5, approximately 68 percent heard a gunshot, 14 percent witnessed someone attacked with a knife, and 7 percent were present when someone was shot. Most service providers were not aware of the impact of exposure to violence or how to identify children that had been exposed. Few providers are currently equipped to intervene with children exposed to violence. There are limited specialized intervention and treatment resources addressing children’s exposure to violence. This issue has had limited focus as a public policy priority. The first goal of Chicago Safe Start is to identify the children that have been exposed to violence or are at risk of exposure to violence by formal or informal organizations that interact with or serve children. The second goal is for child-serving systems and service providers to implement a formalized and coordinated response for initial intervention and referral for children exposed to violence. The third goal is for the intervention and treatment system to have sufficient capability and capacity to seamlessly serve children and their families that have been exposed to violence. The fourth goal is for the issue of children’s exposure to violence to be the subject of sustained attention and action by policymakers. The fifth goal is to partner with other violence prevention and reduction initiatives to reduce overall exposure to violence for at-risk children. 7 appendices