OJJDP'S FY2010 National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches

The Safe Start Promising Approaches Project will develop and support practice enhancements and innovations to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes and communities. The project will help communities implement collaborative and evidence-based practices across the services continuum for children and their families. Exposure to violence includes being a victim of violence or a witness to violence, and encompasses abuse, neglect or child maltreatment, domestic violence, and community violence. This program is authorized by Sections 261 and 262 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended (42 USC 5665-5666).The 10 pilot sites will test various evidence-based enhancements and practice innovations such as AF-CBT, TF-CBT, Strengthening Families Program, Coping Resources and other interventions in community-based settings such as DV shelters, libraries, Head Start, community mental health clinics and afterschool clubs.

This national evaluation of the Safe Start Promising Approaches program will measure project sites' efforts to expand current partnerships between service providers that create a comprehensive service delivery system for preventing children's exposure to family and community violence and reducing its impact. The evaluation will enhance understanding of the scope of the problem of children's exposure to violence in the United States. This program is authorized by Sections 261 and 262 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended (42 USC §§ 5665-5666). NCA/NCF

OJJDP has a specific mission to develop and disseminate knowledge about what works to prevent juvenile delinquency and violence and improve the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq authorizes the Administrator of OJJDP to conduct research or evaluations and undertake statistical analyses on a wide range of juvenile justice matters. OJJDP also provides funding to states and localities to carry out research, evaluation, and statistical analyses.

The National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches is examining the outcomes of ten programs intended to ameliorate the negative impacts of violence exposure on children across the country. The 5-year evaluation uses a common set of measures to evaluate these programs, each of which (a) uses a promising approach, (b) focuses on multiple types of violence, (c) includes variations in ages and age-appropriate practices, and (d) is implemented with different types of populations. An experimental or quasi-experimental research design is being implemented in each site. Both treatment and control/comparison group participants are being assessed at three time points over one year. An outcome evaluation will examine the effectiveness of the programs. The culmination of the national evaluation will be a comprehensive final report and a brief, practitioner-oriented publication highlighting best practices identified by the evaluation.

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This program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants and cooperative agreements for research and evaluation activities to organizations that OJJDP designates.

The Safe Start Promising Approaches project supports the development and study of the practice enhancements and innovations to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes and communities. The national evaluation of the Safe Start Promising Approaches project supports study of the practice enhancements and innovations to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes and communities. The multi-state national evaluation uses experimental and quasi-experimental research design to test the effectiveness of new approaches to improve outcomes for children exposed to violence in real world community-based settings. The national evaluation is being conducted by RAND and supported through OJJDP research funding. The project helps communities implement collaborative and evidence-based practices across the service continuum. Under this project, RAND corporation is examining the outcomes of ten programs intended to ameliorate the negative impacts of violence exposure on children across the country. The 5-year evaluation uses a common set of measures to evaluate these programs, each of which (a) uses a promising approach, (b) focuses on multiple types of violence, (c) includes variations in ages and age-appropriate practices, and (d) is implemented with different types of populations. An experimental or quasi-experimental research design is being implemented in each site. Both treatment and control/comparison group participants are being assessed at three time points over one year. An outcome evaluation will examine the effectiveness of the programs. The culmination of the national evaluation will be a comprehensive final report and a brief, practitioner-oriented publication highlighting "best practices" identified by the evaluation. NCA/NCF

This program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants and cooperative agreements for research and evaluation activities to organizations that OJJDP designates.

The Safe Start Promising Approaches project supports the development and study of the practice enhancements and innovations to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes and communities. The national evaluation of the Safe Start Promising Approaches project supports study of the practice enhancements and innovations to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes and communities. The multi-state national evaluation uses experimental and quasi-experimental research design to test the effectiveness of new approaches to improve outcomes for children exposed to violence in real world community-based settings. The national evaluation is being conducted by RAND and supported through OJJDP research funding. The project helps communities implement collaborative and evidence-based practices across the service continuum. Under this project, RAND corporation is examining the outcomes of ten programs intended to ameliorate the negative impacts of violence exposure on children across the country. The 5-year evaluation uses a common set of measures to evaluate these programs, each of which (a) uses a promising approach, (b) focuses on multiple types of violence, (c) includes variations in ages and age-appropriate practices, and (d) is implemented with different types of populations. An experimental or quasi-experimental research design is being implemented in each site. Both treatment and control/comparison group participants are being assessed at three time points over one year. An outcome evaluation will examine the effectiveness of the programs. The culmination of the national evaluation will be a comprehensive final report and a brief, practitioner-oriented publication highlighting "best practices" identified by the evaluation.

NCA/NCF

The National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches (SSPA) is examining the outcomes of programs intended to ameliorate the negative impacts of violence exposure on children across the country. The evaluation uses a common set of measures to evaluate these programs, each of which (a) uses a promising approach, (b) focuses on multiple types of violence, (c) includes variations in ages and age-appropriate practices, and (d) is implemented with different types of populations. An experimental or quasi-experimental research design is being implemented in each site. Both treatment and control/comparison group participants are being assessed at three time points over one year. An outcome evaluation will examine the effectiveness of the programs. The culmination of the national evaluation will be a comprehensive final report and a brief, practitioner-oriented publication highlighting “best practices” identified by the evaluation. Originally, there were 10 program sites. During year 4, the Hawaii and Kalamazoo sites stopped implementation of the intervention and data collection for the study because they each lost a key community partner. In addition, the St. Johns University site in Queens, NY has not been funded fully for their project and during year 5 stopped enrolling families in the evaluation study earlier than originally planned. Originally funded as a 5-year project, delays in implementation start-up at some sites require that the national evaluation continue into a 6th year. This proposal describes the final (Year 6) data analysis and dissemination of results.

Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law.

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