In 2000, Chatham County, NC was selected as one of 11 sites to implement
the Safe Start grant sponsored by the US Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Safe Start is designed to reduce
the negative impact of violence on young children. Over the past
five years, staff at the Chatham County Partnership for Children
and community partners have worked together to help realize the
following vision:
Whenever and wherever a Chatham County child
is a victim or witness of a violent event, a coordinated community
system responds to the needs of that child, so that every child
has the opportunity to grow healthy and strong.
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| As the OJJDP demonstration phase concludes in
June 2006, the SAFE START program will continue to focus on this
vision by implementing the following three main strategies:
- Supporting children exposed to violence
by identifying children exposed to violence at any entry point
in the countys continuum of care. We will also continue
to coordinate existing therapeutic and family support services
for eligible children and their families in Chatham County. We
may provide limited direct services as funding allows.
- Strengthening neighborhoods by reducing
tolerance to violence. Our community outreach efforts involve
encouraging residents, such as parents, neighbors, faith leaders,
child care providers, and business leaders, to prevent childrens
exposure to violence.
- Enhancing our local system for protecting children
by improving service quality through collaboration and
integration of community based programs. We will work with human
service agencies and justice system partners to implement best
practices, reduce duplication, and improve effectiveness of efforts
to assure that no child falls through the cracks.
In 2006, Chatham County Safe Start received $150,000 of federal
funding secured by U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge. This funding
allows us to continue service coordination and systems change efforts
on behalf of children exposed to violence. In particular, it allows
us to add to funds granted by the Child Well-being Collaborative
to provide therapeutic services to Safe Start clients who dont
have private insurance or Medicaid. Consequently, we have contracted
with 6 direct service providers to offer family support, counseling,
and psychological assessments to Chatham children, age 0-8, who
have been exposed to violence.
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