Protecting children from violent crime, child abuse and neglect, and other forms of victimization is one of OJJDP�s primary goals. The Office funds a number of programs to help keep children safe. One of its accomplishments in FY 2000 was to establish a Child Protection Division, which will help the Office consolidate and more efficiently manage its many activities related to child protection issues. An OJJDP Bulletin, Keeping Children Safe: OJJDP�s Child Protection Division, describes this new division and is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

Several of the activities OJJDP supports to help keep children safe address child abuse and neglect. These activities include programs that provide advocates for abused and neglected children at dependency court hearings and train teams to work on child abuse cases, including sexual abuse and child fatalities. Other programs offer training to law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and social service agencies on effective approaches for addressing child abuse. Another initiative, Safe Start, is helping nine communities respond to and protect children who have been exposed to violence in their families and communities. OJJDP also is funding several programs to respond to the newest area of child victimization, online sexual exploitation, brought about by the rapid growth of the Internet. Since 1984, OJJDP has funded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to serve as a national resource center and clearinghouse providing assistance to family members, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and the general public in recovering missing and exploited children.

This chapter highlights these and other aspects of OJJDP�s efforts to help reduce the victimization of children. The activities discussed illustrate OJJDP�s commitment to providing services for children and parents, educators, prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and other professionals and interested persons working on child safety issues.

Children Exposed to Violence Initiative

In 1999, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services convened a National Summit on Children Exposed to Violence. The Summit brought together 150 professionals from law enforcement agencies, the courts, child and family services and mental health agencies, and Federal, State, and local governments. Summit participants developed a framework for understanding and addressing children�s exposure to violence. This framework became the basis of Safe From the Start: Taking Action on Children Exposed to Violence, a blueprint for Federal, State, and local action to help children who have been exposed to violence. Published by OJJDP in 2000, Safe From the Start offers both general principles and specific suggestions for meeting the needs of children who have been victims of or witnesses to violence. It also provides examples of effective programs and lists of available resources. The document is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

Children�s Advocacy Centers

Children�s Advocacy Centers (CACs) are child-focused, child-friendly programs that bring together teams of investigators, prosecutors, medical personnel, and social service and mental health professionals to work on child abuse cases. During FY 2000, OJJDP continued to fund the National Children�s Alliance (NCA) of Washington, DC, and four Regional Children�s Advocacy Centers (RCACs), which encourage and help other communities to establish centers. The Regional Centers are Midwest RCAC (St. Paul, MN), Northeast RCAC (Philadelphia, PA), South RCAC (Huntsville, AL), and West RCAC (Pueblo, CO). For information on the regional centers, phone NCA at 800–239–9950 or visit NCA�s Web site (www.nca-online.org).

During FY 2000, NCA produced a number of publications, including Best Practices (Third Edition) and Putting Standards Into Practice, that guide communities in establishing and strengthening CACs. NCA also provided onsite training and technical assistance to some 20 CACs across the country, received an average of 456 calls per month requesting information about the CAC model, and approved 16 CACs for full membership in the alliance. NCA also worked with the RCACs on a number of activities, including identifying culturally competent practices, implementing telemedicine pilot projects, and developing CACs in underserved areas and tribal communities.

Court Appointed Special Advocate Program

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs help ensure that abused and neglected children receive timely and effective representation in dependency hearings. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate in court for the best interests of abused or neglected children. During FY 2000, OJJDP continued to fund the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (NCASAA) of Seattle, WA. The association provides specialized training, technical assistance, information, and resources to States and local jurisdictions to support the development of new CASA programs and strengthen and expand existing ones. NCASAA is focusing efforts on communities where representation rates are low, numbers of abused and neglected children are high, and service systems are not meeting the needs of families and children. In FY 2000, more than 900 CASA programs in 49 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands served more than 200,000 children. NCASAA provided onsite monitoring and technical assistance to local CASA grantees and held an annual national conference. NCASAA produces a number of publications, which are available through its Web site (www.nationalcasa.org).

Crimes against Children Research Center

OJJDP has supported the Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, since 1998. The Center supports research and undertakes surveys and statistical analyses to help the public, policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and child welfare practitioners combat crimes against children. CCRC focuses on research about the nature and impact of crimes such as child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse. CCRC researchers have also conducted a survey on youth Internet safety, which is described in Internet Safety Survey.

OJJDP created a new Bulletin series—Crimes Against Children—that presents the latest information about child victimization, including analyses of victimization statistics, studies of child victims and their special needs, and descriptions of programs and approaches that address these needs. The Bulletins summarize data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). To date, OJJDP has published the following Bulletins in the series: Characteristics of Crimes Against Juveniles, Juvenile Victims of Property Crimes, Kidnaping of Juveniles: Patterns From NIBRS, and The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases. The Bulletins are available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

Internet Crimes Initiatives

OJJDP�s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC Task Force) program is helping communities protect children from online victimization. This initiative encourages States and local law enforcement agencies to develop and implement regional multijurisdictional, multiagency task forces to prevent and respond to online crimes against children. Since this program was developed in 1998, task force agencies have arrested 420 offenders, identified hundreds of investigative targets, seized 825 computers, provided training to 10,000 prosecutors and law enforcement officers, and reached thousands of children, parents, and educators with information about safe online practices for children and teenagers.

With the addition of 20 new regional task forces in FY 2000, the ICAC program is now providing forensic, investigative, and prevention services in 31 States. The following law enforcement agencies received FY 2000 grants: Alabama Department of Public Safety; Connecticut State Police; Cuyahoga County (OH) Office of the Prosecuting Attorney; Delaware County (PA) Office of the Prosecuting Attorney; Hawaii Office of the Attorney General; Knoxville (TN) Police Department; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County, NV; Maryland State Police; Massachusetts Department of Public Safety; Michigan State Police; Nebraska State Patrol; North Carolina Division of Criminal Investigation; Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; Phoenix (AZ) Police Department; Saint Paul (MN) Police Department; San Diego (CA) Police Department; Seattle (WA) Police Department; Sedgewick County (KS) Sheriff�s Department; Utah Office of the Attorney General; and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Other ICAC program activities in FY 2000 included directing SEARCH Group, Inc., of Sacramento, CA, the ICAC technical assistance and training provider, to develop and deliver a hands-on investigative course and a national 3-day training workshop that focused on emerging technology and its relevance to criminal activities and ICAC investigative efforts. OJJDP also introduced the Investigative Satellite Initiative (ISI), which broadens the impact of the ICAC Task Force program by building the forensic and investigative capacities of smaller State and local law enforcement agencies. Under the ISI program, agencies lacking the resources to commit to full-time regional task forces may still acquire OJJDP funds to train and equip local officers to respond to cases of child pornography and enticement through the Internet.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) continued to play a role in making cyberspace a safer place for children. The Center�s CyberTipline (www.cybertipline.com) has now received more than 20,000 reports of suspicious online activity and plays an increasingly important role in ensuring that reports from children, parents, and other sources are routed to appropriate law enforcement agencies. At the request of OJJDP, NCMEC hosted a national investigative planning session and provided two weeklong policy orientation seminars for the new ICAC Task Forces.

NCMEC, in cooperation with Fox Valley Technical College of Appleton, WI, also sponsors a series of Protecting Children Online training courses to help law enforcement investigators, commanders of law enforcement units, and prosecutors focus on Internet crimes against children. The course for prosecutors is new�it was pilot tested in FY 2000 and will be offered for the first time in FY 2001.

Internet Safety Survey

Commissioned by NCMEC and supported by OJJDP, the Youth Internet Safety Survey collected information about incidents of possible online victimization of youth. The survey, which was conducted in FY 2000 by researchers from the Crimes against Children Research Center, included telephone interviews with a national sample of 1,501 youth ages 10�17 who used the Internet regularly (at least once a month for the past 6 months). The survey addressed three main issues: sexual solicitations and approaches, unwanted exposure to sexual material, and harassment. Major survey findings include the following:

• Many youth are victims of online sexual solicitations. Almost one in five (19 percent) of the young Internet users surveyed said they had received an unwanted sexual solicitation in the past year.

• Many youth are exposed to sexually explicit pictures on the Internet without seeking or expecting them. Twenty-five percent of the surveyed youth reported unwanted exposures to sexual material.

• Some youth are victims of online harassment. Six percent of the survey respondents reported harassment incidents (threats, rumors, or other offensive behavior) during the past year.

• Overall, few of the solicitations, exposures, and harassments were reported to authorities (police, hotlines, Internet service providers, or teachers). Only 18 percent of even the most serious incidents—aggressive solicitations—were reported. When reports were made, they were usually directed to Internet service providers.

Complete results from the survey are available in Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation�s Youth, which was published in June 2000 and can be downloaded at www.missingkids.com (select the links �Education & Resources,� �Library of Resources,� and �Internet�). An OJJDP Fact Sheet, Highlights of the Youth Internet Safety Survey, is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

NCMEC is a national resource center and clearinghouse dedicated to serving missing and exploited children and their families. Located in Alexandria, VA, the Center operates a toll-free hotline (800�843�5678) where citizens can report investigative leads and parents and other interested individuals can receive information about missing children. During FY 2000, NCMEC�s hotline received approximately 103,000 calls, ranging from citizens reporting information about missing children to parents and law enforcement personnel requesting information and publications. NCMEC also produced a number of publications, which are available on its Web site (www.missingkids.com).

During FY 2000, NCMEC assisted in the recovery of hundreds of children and disseminated millions of photographs of missing children. The Center also sponsored a national training workshop for State missing children clearinghouses and missing children nonprofit organizations.

NCMEC also assists the State Department in enhancing effective compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, a treaty designed to deter international child abduction. Through an interagency agreement, the U.S. Department of Justice�s Office for Victims of Crime transferred funds to OJJDP for NCMEC to provide assistance in cases of international parental abduction, including emergency transportation for American parents, crisis intervention services, assistance in participating in criminal justice proceedings, and payment for forensic medical examinations of victims. In FY 2000, NCMEC handled 48 such cases that involved 66 children.

NCMEC also operates the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center (JRLETC), which offers two law enforcement training programs designed to improve investigative responses to missing children cases. The Chief Executive Officer seminar approaches missing children cases from a management perspective and offers police chiefs and sheriffs information about coordination and communication issues, resource assessment, legal concerns, and policy development. The Responding to Missing and Abducted Children course focuses on investigative techniques for all aspects of missing children cases. In FY 2000, 424 police chiefs and sheriffs and 409 investigators participated in these training programs.

National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse

The National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse (NCPCA), operated by the American Prosecutors Research Institute of Alexandria, VA, offers training and technical assistance to help improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. During FY 2000, NCPCA staff conducted dozens of training sessions attended by hundreds of prosecutors and investigators. The Center also provided individual consultation services, maintained an extensive library of resources for prosecutors, and published a monthly newsletter and a series of State statutes, training materials, conference reports, and other written resources. NCPCA assistance benefited law enforcement officials, social workers, therapists, and other personnel involved in the investigation of child abuse cases. More information about NCPCA is available on its Web site (www.ndaa-apri.org/apri/programs/ncpca/index.html).

Parents Anonymous®

Parents Anonymous®, Inc., of Claremont, CA, is a national child abuse prevention organization. Since 1994, OJJDP has been helping Parents Anonymous® replicate its self-help model, which is designed to strengthen families and reduce child maltreatment. In FY 2000, this organization continued to expand the number of local groups and the number of parents attending meetings, the diversity of populations served, training and technical assistance, and curriculum and other resource materials. Parents Anonymous® also developed a national database. In the past year, newly accredited organizations were added in the District of Columbia, Kentucky, New York, and North Carolina. Parents Anonymous® also conducted intensive training for local executive directors, staff members, and volunteers regarding its new Children�s Program, which is designed to give children a structured opportunity to deal with issues of self-esteem and development while their parents attend group meetings. Initially tested in 4 locations, the Children�s Program added more than 50 new locations across the country as a result of training efforts by Parents Anonymous®. More information about Parents Anonymous® is available on its Web site (www.parentsanonymous.org).

In FY 2000, OJJDP began funding a national evaluation of Parents Anonymous® through the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) of Oakland, CA. NCCD researchers are conducting a process evaluation that will examine the nature of the Parents Anonymous® program, its implementation, and its participants. The researchers also are conducting an outcome evaluation to examine the effects of the program on participants, compare the parenting performance of participants and nonparticipants, and measure the effects of the program on both risk and protective factors related to child abuse.

Safe Start Initiative

Preliminary research findings show that children who have witnessed domestic violence experience higher levels of childhood behavioral, social, and emotional problems than children who have not witnessed such violence and that viewing or hearing violent acts may often have the same lasting emotional effects on children as being a direct victim of violence. In light of these findings, OJJDP initiated a new program during FY 1999 to help communities intervene early in the lives of children exposed to violence in order to protect them from further violence and provide them with the treatment they need to recover. The Safe Start Initiative strives to prevent and reduce the impact of family and community violence on young children (primarily from birth to age 6) by creating more comprehensive service delivery systems. Currently, nine communities are participating in the Initiative: Baltimore, MD; Bridgeport, CT; Chatham County, NC; Chicago, IL; Pinellas County, FL; Rochester, NY; San Francisco, CA; Spokane, WA; and Washington County, ME. Each community is working to expand partnerships among service providers in key areas such as early childhood education and development, health, mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse prevention and treatment, crisis intervention, child welfare, law enforcement, and the courts.

During FY 2000, the nine communities reviewed existing services, policies, and funding streams; collected data; and identified strengths, needs, and gaps. Based on its comprehensive assessment, each community is now developing a 5-year strategic plan that will identify a vision for the project and outline a comprehensive response to children exposed to violence. The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence of New Haven, CT, is coordinating training and technical assistance for Safe Start communities. A national evaluation team is conducting an intensive assessment of Safe Start activities in the nine communities. The team, which is working in collaboration with local evaluators in the communities, includes researchers from the Association for the Study and Development of Community of Gaithersburg, MD; Caliber Associates, Inc., of Fairfax, VA; Research Triangle Institute of Research Triangle, NC; and Roper Starch Worldwide of Princeton, NJ.

In addition to these nine communities, OJJDP is helping three other cities—Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; and Newark, NJ—develop and implement improvements to services for children exposed to violence. The national evaluation team also is assessing activities in these cities.

An OJJDP Fact Sheet, Children�s Exposure to Violence: The Safe Start Initiative, summarizes Safe Start activities. The Fact Sheet is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

Training and Technical Assistance

Addressing issues associated with missing, exploited, and abused children can be complex, cumbersome, and often frustrating for those responsible for protecting children. To help ensure that juvenile justice professionals have the skills and information they need to address the myriad issues that surround these types of cases, OJJDP, through Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) of Appleton, WI, offers a comprehensive program of training and technical assistance for law enforcement, prosecutors, and health and family services professionals.

Training focuses on investigative techniques, interview strategies, comprehensive response planning, media relations, lead and case management, and other topics related to missing and exploited children cases. During FY 2000, FVTC provided training or technical assistance to more than 6,000 individuals. FVTC also provided specialized technical assistance to State and local practitioners and juvenile justice agencies on Internet crimes against children, information sharing, response planning, child protection legislation, and multidisciplinary team development.

FVTC offers five courses related to missing and exploited children: Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques; Team Investigative Process for Missing, Abused, and Exploited Children; Child Sexual Exploitation Investigations; Investigating Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect; and Responding to Missing and Abducted Children. FVTC also developed a new course to help law enforcement investigate child fatalities.