Defending Childhood Initiative

OJJDP's State and Community Development Awards program was established to provide grants and cooperative agreements to organizations that OJJDP has selected for funds in prior years. This program has been authorized by an Act appropriating funds for the Department of Justice.

The Attorney General's Children Exposed to Violence Demonstration Program will develop and support comprehensive community-based strategic planning and implementation efforts to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes, schools, and communities.

Shelby County Office of Early Childhood will expand of the Defending Childhood Initiative in Shelby County by infusing more resources into applying best practices in Shelby County and scaling up best practice elements already initiated in Phase I of the DCI-Network For Overcoming Violence and Abuse (NOVA) initiative.

NOVA will increase access to trauma focused resources by children and families through building capacity and strengthening relationships with first responder professional and community members. The expansion of NOVA has two primary goals and respective objectives:

1) Promoting early detection and identification of children exposed to violence by families, communities and practitioners by expanding trauma-informed education for diverse professionals and community members who are first responders and

2) Promoting awareness and public education among community stakeholders who work with children to mobilize the community to change norms and enhance support to reduce children's exposure to violence.

The project will continue process evaluation activities with the national evaluator, as well as coordination with the local evaluation team to document and measure outputs, outcomes and impact. NCA/NCF

OJJDP's State and Community Development Awards program was established to provide grants and cooperative agreements to organizations that OJJDP has selected for funds in prior years. This program has been authorized by an Act appropriating funds for the Department of Justice. The Attorney General's Children Exposed to Violence Demonstration Program develops and supports comprehensive community-based strategic planning and implementation efforts to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in their homes, schools, and communities.

The Defending Childhood Initiative in Shelby County, "Network for Overcoming Violence and Abuse" (NOVA) focuses on reaching families early to enable them to take full advantage of preventive and support services and opportunities that improve their quality of life. NOVA will focus on increasing access to trauma-focused resources for children and families though building capacity and strengthening relationships with first responder professional and community members. FY14 State and Community Development Invited Award funds will be used to expand trauma-informed education, continue to offer family and youth violence prevention curriculum to the faith community and actively engage boys and men of color in violence prevention strategies. NCA/NCF