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Products -- SFTS April-May-June 2008 Quarterly Newsletter
SFTS NEWS
The DVD “First Impressions” which was previewed at our April 21st Safe from the Start Conference is now
available for distribution. Designed for parents, this easy-to-understand video illustrates the dangers of chronic exposure to violence on
a child’s developing brain. Criminal justice professionals, social workers, domestic violence advocates, public health and medical practioners,
court advocates, and others interested in learning more about the impact of violence on a child will find the First Impressions DVD a useful
tool. Click on www.safefromthestart.org for more information on how to order First Impressions.
All attendees of the April 21st Conference will soon be receiving a copy of First Impressions in the mail.
Our Safe from the Start April 21st “Transferring Brain Science into Community Action” conference was attended by over 340 people. Our morning
speaker, Dr. Bruce Perry, began with a brief background on the effects of violence on a child’s developing brain and then followed with a
discussion on how to transfer the knowledge into action. The afternoon speaker, Lt. Mark Wynn, talked about law enforcement’s role in
intervening with children in domestic violence situations, bringing his own personal experiences into the talk. Additionally, a multi-disciplinary
panel spoke on how each of their local programs has made an impact on children where domestic violence has been involved. The entire conference
received excellent reviews.
The California Children's Justice Act (CJA) Task Force held a series of 6 regional Transfer of Knowledge workshops to discuss the needs of
local criminal justice, child protective services, domestic violence advocates and others interested in developing a local protocol focused
on the needs of children who have been exposed to violence. The needs assessment will be compiled by the Office of Emergency Services for
an upcoming RFP. For further information on the release of the forthcoming RFP, go to www.oes.ca.gov,
and click on Law Enforcement and Victim Services Applications and Proposals.
Congratulations to Patty O’Ran, former Assistant Director of the Crime and Violence Prevention Center. Patty was appointed Deputy Director
of the Center in May and will assume a more direct role in assisting Director Nancy Matson in the administrative and program operation of the
Center. Patty will also continue to oversee the Safe from the Start Program.
SCHOOL READINESS INFORMATION
The School/Law Enforcement Partnership (S/LEP) is a partnership between the California Department of Education and the Office of the
Attorney General. Through this program, school districts and county offices of education can apply for grants for up to $500,000 for a five-year
period to address school safety violence concerns in K-12 schools. The regulations that govern the School/Community Violence Prevention (SCVP)
Program require the S/LEP to consult with school safety practitioners to identify the highest priority school safety needs. A needs assessment
survey has been developed to gather your input on prioritizing school safety and violence issues in California. To access the survey, go to
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm= MUjHqWdi8%2fwJ4JQP2ki1QA%3d%3d
or contact contact Deborah Cramer at the Office of the Attorney General at (916) 322-2799.
RELATED RESEARCH
Child maltreatment is associated with reductions in quality of life even decades later, according to a new University of Georgia study that
finds that, on average, victims lose at least two years of quality of life. For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsChildMaltreatment/.
Despite the efforts of the child protection system, child maltreatment fatalities remain a serious problem. Although the untimely deaths of
children due to illness and accidents have been closely monitored, deaths that result from physical assault or severe neglect can be more
difficult to track because the perpetrators, usually parents, are less likely to be forthcoming about the circumstances. Intervention
strategies targeted at solving this problem face complex challenges. Click on http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.cfm.
RELATED RESOURCES
A recent book published by the National Fatherhood Initiative called Father Facts presents various topics that
concern trends in father absence, father time and family-work conflict, and the consequences of father absence in children as well as
several interesting sections on positive effects of father presence, et. al. Check it out at http://www.fatherhood.org/fatherfacts/index.asp.
In February 2008, the Crime and Violence Prevention Center released “A Guide to Addressing Teen Dating and Sexual Violence in a School
Setting” which is now available for distribution. The Guide assists schools in developing a local protocol when teen dating and sexual
violence issues need to be addressed. To order, go to http://www.safestate.org/documents/TDV_A_Guide_to_Addressing_Teen_Dating_Violence_ADAoe.pdf.
This publication is intended to assist agencies that want to enhance the safety and well-being of women and children by working more
deliberately with abusive fathers who use the centers to visit their children. Although fathers are not always the visiting parents and,
in fact, in some centers mothers make up almost half of the visiting caseload, this document was designed to target in particular visiting
fathers who have been violent with their intimate partners.
This Guide is for mothers who have experienced abuse and whose children are in supervised visitation programs. It provides basic information
about how supervised visitation programs work and how mothers can prepare themselves and their children for the experience. For more
information on both documents, go to http://endabuse.org/programs/children/.
Click on http://www.ncpc.org/about/crime-prevention-month for suggested events,
available brochures, and the Crime Prevention Month Kit.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
$2.4 million dollars in funding over the next two years has been set aside for nonprofit organizations and public agencies in Sierra Health
Foundation’s 26-county funding region. Of the $1.2 million available this year, 30% will be available exclusively to projects serving rural
areas. Grants, up to $40,000 each, will support projects in expanding health insurance, improving health care access and promoting health.
For more information, click on www.sierrahealth.org.
The American Savings Foundation supports organizations and programs that improve the quality of life for residents of the communities served
by the Foundation, with a special emphasis on the needs of children, youth and families. For information on these program grants, go to
www.americansavingsfoundation.org/content.cfm?page=program_grants_overview.
Also, please check out other grant opportunities at www.safestate.org and click on the Funding link.
UPCOMING TRAINING AND CONFERENCES
September 12-17, 2008
Location: San Diego - Town & Country Resort and Convention Center
Information: www.IVATcenters.org
October 1, 2008
Location: Bakersfield - Holiday Inn Select
Keynote: Nan Henderson, President of Resiliency in Action
Contact: Nada Yorke at (661) 549-0089
For more information on reducing children’s exposure to violence,
go to www.safefromthestart.org or call the Attorney General’s Crime and Violence Prevention Center at (916) 324-7863.
The California Attorney General’s Safe from the Start initiative
is funded, in part, by
First 5 California.
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