Article Summary
Hyde, M., Lamb, Y., Arteaga, S., and Chavis, D. Winter 2008.
National Evaluation of the Safe Start Demonstration Project: Implications for mental health practice. Best Practices in Mental Health 4(1):108–122. http://lyceumbooks.com/MentalHJournal.htm.
The authors report on the findings of a national study of the Safe Start Demonstration Project, in which local mental health practitioners and systems played an essential role in protecting young children from the effects of being exposed to violence. The authors look at 11 communities that received grants from OJJDP to start their own Safe Start project: Baltimore; Bridgeport, Conn.; Chatham, N.C.; Chicago; Pinellas, Fla.; Rochester, N.Y.; San Francisco; Spokane; and Washington, Maine; as well as the Sitka tribe of Alaska and the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico. The authors pay particular attention to the communities that showed the greatest positive results: Bridgeport, Chicago, Pinellas, and Spokane. The study found that the best strategy for mental health systems and practitioners is a sustained and multidimensional approach, assessing and providing for the multiple needs of the children and their families. The article also touches on the importance of cooperation among multiple agencies, noting that urban areas are more likely to have varied resources than rural and tribal areas. The authors conclude with a call for greater awareness and action in the area of children exposed to violence.
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