Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey
David Finkelhor, Heather Turner, Richard Ormrod, University of New Hampshire, Sherry Hamby University of North Carolina and Kristen Kracke Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

This Bulletin discusses the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the most comprehensive nationwide survey of the incidence and prevalence of children's exposure to violence to date, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Conducted between January and May 2008, it measured the past-year and lifetime exposure to violence for children age 17 and younger across several major categories: conventional crime, child maltreatment, victimization by peers and siblings, sexual victimization, witnessing and indirect victimization (including exposure to community violence and family violence), school violence and threats, and Internet victimization.
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Safe Start Fact Sheet
The Safe Start Center is a national resource center designed to support the Safe Start Initiative on a national level. The goals of the Center are to broaden the scope of knowledge and resources on hand for responding to the needs of children exposed to violence and their families, to provide and disseminate information about the Safe Start Initiative and emerging practices and research concerning children exposed to violence, and to raise national awareness about issues concerning children exposed to violence.
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Findings From Phase I of the Safe Start Initiative
The Safe Start Initiative is a collaboration funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) involving national, State, and local public and private agencies working together to prevent and reduce the consequences of childhood exposure to violence. Safe Start defines exposure to violence as direct or indirect exposure to violence in the home or in the community. The initiative is being implemented in four phases; each phase builds and disseminates knowledge about policy and practice innovations for addressing the needs of children exposed to violence.
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Safe Start: Promising Approaches Communities: Working Together to Help Children Exposed to Violence
In 2000, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and its Federal partners in the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services launched the Safe Start initiative to address the needs of children exposed to violence. The initiative seeks to prevent and reduce the negative consequences of children's exposure to violence, as well as to create conditions that enhance the well-being of all children and adolescents through preventive interventions.
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Realizing the Promise of Home Visitation: Addressing Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment
This issue brief will help policy makers and advocates build a strong national policy framework to maximize the effectiveness and reach of early childhood home visiting programs. More specifically, it is intended to ensure that federal home visiting policies directly address: the needs of mothers and children who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing domestic violence, the link between domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, and the impact of domestic violence on the health and well-being of children and families.
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Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence - A Guide for Families
Do you suspect a child you know has witnessed or experienced violence? Maybe you think a child you know has witnessed or been hurt by violence. Or maybe you think something's wrong with the child, but you don't know what. It can be hard to tell what's wrong. There may not be clear physical signs such as bruises and cuts. Children often suffer from "invisible wounds" that affect them emotionally and psychologically.
Available in Spanish
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Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence - Quick Reference Card
This quick reference card is designed to accompany the Guide for Families. It provides an overview of common signs and symptoms of exposure to violence at different stages of children's development, as well as strategies for parents or caregivers to help children heal. Side two of the card provides a list of hot lines and information resources for parents and caregivers.
Available in Spanish
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Moving From Evidence to Action: Safe Start Center Series on Children Exposed to Violence
Issue Brief #1: Understanding Children's Exposure to Violence
This issue brief assists practitioners in understanding the impact of exposure to violence in the development of children as well as the environmental and family factors that may provide a buffer and prevent or reduce the impact of exposure to violence. It also describes key elements that help managers and practitioners design and implement comprehensive programs that enhance resilience, decrease risks, and provide specialized treatments to children exposed to violence and their families.
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Moving From Evidence to Action: Safe Start Center Series on Children Exposed to Violence
Issue Brief #2: Pediatric Care Settings
Pediatric care settings are perhaps the only places where children are seen at multiple points during their childhood and adolescence. These settings provide an excellent opportunity to screen families for health and social risks (including exposure to violence), educate parents, and refer children and families to services to prevent or treat emotional or behavioral problems that may result from exposure to violence.
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Moving From Evidence to Action: Safe Start Center Series on Children Exposed to Violence
Issue Brief #3: Schools
Schools play a critical role in helping prevent and reduce the impact of exposure to violence on children. This issue brief offers teachers, principals, counselors, and other school personnel tips on ways to identify and talk to students and parents who have been exposed to violence. It describes evidence-based practices that school staff members can use to accommodate and respond to students and support their academic achievement.
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Moving From Evidence to Action: Safe Start Center Series on Children Exposed to Violence
Issue Brief #6: Homeless Shelters, Permanent/Supportive Housing, and Transitional Housing
Children who are homeless are much more likely than other children to be exposed to community violence, domestic violence, and child abuse. This issue brief offers homelessness services providers trauma-focused interventions that can be used to build the resilience and ensure the well-being of children and families exposed to violence.
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