Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children -- Update Available

In February 1998, OJJDP released the revised edition of Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies. First published in 1996, the Directory is a product of the Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and Exploited Children, composed of representatives from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Justice, State, and Treasury; the U.S. Postal Service; and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The mission of the task force is to coordinate Federal resources and services to effectively address the needs of missing, abducted, and exploited children and their families.

The purpose of the Directory is to support practitioners with information on resources, technical assistance, and services available to them in investigating cases involving child sexual exploitation, child pornography, child abductions, and missing children. The Directory covers a broad range of topics, ranging from access to specialized forensic resources for a child abduction case to proactive training and prevention programs.

The Directory describes the role of each task force agency in the location and recovery of missing and exploited children, and it includes contact information for accessing the services available from these agencies and from other organizations. The section "Where To Get Help" is organized by types of assistance offered (such as training, technical assistance, and litigation assistance) and by groups to whom assistance is provided (such as missing and exploited youth and their families, Federal prosecutors, State and local prosecutors, nonprofit organizations, and the general public). A particularly useful feature is the inclusion of telephone cards that can be removed and kept onhand for quick reference.

Every agency that works with missing and exploited children cases will find the Directory useful in its work to safeguard these young victims. Copies can be obtained from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000. The toll-free number is 800-638-8736.