Defending Childhood Task Force Report: HHS Tentative Priorities 

April 12, 2013

HHS Tentative Priorities 

HHS convened ACYF, CDC, CMS, HRSA, and SAMHSA to prioritize recommendations in the Defending Childhood Task Force Report

10 Priorities focus on 3 areas: (1)Prevention; (2)Screening, Assessment, and Evidence-based approaches; and (3) Policy advancement 

| Prevention Activities |                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.1                   | Charge leaders at the highest levels of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government with the coordination and implementation of the recommendations in this report. |
| 1.4                   | Ensure universal public awareness of the crisis of children exposed to violence and change social norms to protect children from violence and its harmful effects.                       |
| 1.5                   | Incorporate evidence-based trauma-informed principles in all applicable federal agency grant requirements.                                                                               |
| 1.7                   | Continue to support and sustain the national data collection infrastructure for the monitoring of trends in children exposed to violence.                                                |
| 4.1                   | Expand access to home visiting services for families with children who are exposed to violence, focusing on safety and referral to services.                                             |

| Appropriate Screening, Assessment, and Use of Evidence-Based Approaches Where Appropriate |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2.2                                                                                       | Ensure that all children exposed to violence are identified, screened, and assessed.                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 3.5                                                                                       | Provide trauma-specific treatments in all agencies and organizations serving children and families exposed to violence and psychological trauma that are suitable to their clinicians’ and staff members’ professional and paraprofessional roles and responsibilities.     |
| 6.1                                                                                       | Make trauma-informed screening, assessment, and care the standard in juvenile justice services.                                                                                                                                                                             |
| 6.3                                                                                       | Provide juvenile justice services appropriate to children’s ethnocultural background that are based on an assessment of each violence-exposed child’s individual needs.                                                                                                     |

| Advancing Policy |                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.9              | Develop and implement public policy initiatives in state, tribal, and local governments to reduce and address the impact of childhood exposure to violence.* Bold Print= specific to the site |

| Defending Childhood Initiative Demonstration Sites |                                          |                            |                                                                 |
|----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                    | ACYF                                     | CDC                        | SAMHSA                                                          |
| Boston, MA                                         | Discretionary Funding, Title IV-E Waiver | STRYVE, UNITY City Network | SATED, Drug Free Communities                                    |
| Portland, ME                                       |                                          |                            | NCTSI, Teen Court, System of Care, SATED, Drug Free Communities |
| Box Elder, MT                                      |                                          |                            | SATED, Drug Free Communities                                    |
| Grant Forks, ND                                    |                                          |                            | Statewide Family Network,                                       |
| Cleveland, OH                                      |                                          | UNITY City Network         | NCTSI, Statewide Family Network, Drug Free Communities          |
| Portland, OR                                       |                                          | STRYVE, UNITY City Network | NCTSI, Drug Free Communities                                    |
| Rosebud, SD                                        |                                          |                            | NCTSI                                                           |
| Memphis, TN                                        | Discretionary Funding                    |                            | NCTSI, Systems of Care                                          |

| National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Sites |                                          |                                                                                                 |                                          |
|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
|                                                   | ACYF                                     | CDC                                                                                             | SAMHSA                                   |
| Boston, MA                                        | Discretionary Funding, Title IV-E Waiver | STRYVE, UNITY City Network                                                                      | SATED, DFC                               |
| Camden, NJ                                        |                                          | UNITY City Network                                                                              | NCTSI                                    |
| Chicago, IL                                       | Discretionary Funding, Title IV-E Waiver | Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention, Dating Matters, UNITY City Network | Teen Court, NCTSI, SATED                 |
| Detroit, MI                                       | Discretionary Funding, Title IV-E Waiver | Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention, UNITY City Network                 | Teen Court, NCTSI, Project LAUNCH        |
| Memphis, TN                                       | Discretionary Funding                    |                                                                                                 | NCTSI, Systems of Care                   |
| Minneapolis, MN,                                  |                                          | UNITY City Network                                                                              | NCTSI, DFC                               |
| New Orleans, LA                                   | Discretionary Funding                    | UNITY City Network                                                                              | NCTSI, SATED                             |
| Philadelphia, PA                                  | Discretionary Funding, Title IV-E Waiver |                                                                                                 | NCTSI, Drug Free Communities             |
| Salinas, CA                                       | Discretionary Funding                    | STRYVE, Dating Matters, UNITY City Network                                                      | Teen Court, NCTSI, Drug Free Communities |
| San Jose, CA                                      | Discretionary Funding                    | STRYVE, Dating Matters                                                                          | Teen Court, NCTSI, Drug Free Communities |