Announcements

This document (PDF, 11 pages) provides an overview of the concepts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and childhood trauma, highlights the gaps that remain in our understanding of the impact of childhood trauma and adversity on mental and physical health, and describes how these terms (childhood trauma vs. adversity) differ. The guide also offers providers, family advocates, and policymakers recommendations for ways in which ACEs and other childhood trauma-related concepts and resources can be combined to advance care for children and families who have experienced trauma. Learn more.  

To commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, new translations of the Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials are now available for use with young survivors of human trafficking. In addition to the existing English version, these materials are now available in the following five languages: 

• African French 

• Brazilian Portuguese 

• Chinese (simplified) 

• Spanish 

• Vietnamese 

This Guide for Parents and Users provides information on how to use the materials. Learn more. 

This letter (PDF, 2 pages) provides recommendations regarding the practice of title IV-E agencies securing an assignment of the rights to child support for a child receiving title IV-E foster care maintenance payments. Learn more. 

This document (PDF, 2 pages) provides an overview of tools and resources available through SchoolSafety.gov to support K-12 schools and districts in their safety and security planning efforts. Learn more (PDF, 2 pages). 

This resource provides data on how teachers’ salaries compare to their similarly educated peers, when accounting for age and sex. Although teachers are among the nation’s most educated workers, they earn far less on average than most other highly educated workers and their earnings have declined since 2010. Learn more. 

This webpage emphasizes the importance of addressing all people inclusively and respectfully in the field of public health communications. These principles are intended to help public health professionals, particularly health communicators, ensure their communication products and strategies adapt to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus. The page provides principles, resources, and specific suggestions on a variety of topics to help inform an inclusive approach to public health communications. Learn more. 

The recently enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (PDF, 10 pages) includes key new provisions that support efforts to improve safety and security in schools. The new law provides additional dedicated funding to school safety grant programs, officially codifies SchoolSafety.gov, and expands access to mental health support services for schools and communities. Learn more (PDF, 10 pages). 

This page provides data and resources on the increasing racial disparities related to overdose death among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, as compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Findings reveal that Black people 15–24 years old experienced the largest rate increase (86 percent) compared with changes seen in other age/race groups during 2019–2020. Learn more. 

These latest round of findings from the School Pulse Panel (SPP) examine student behavior in school, student and teacher absenteeism, the state of learning modes offered by schools, and student and staff quarantine prevalence, as reported by school leaders in U.S. public schools. Learn more.  

OJJDP has launched a new Youth and Family Partnership Working Group. This internal working group will solicit input from justice-involved youth and their families to develop recommendations for OJJDP, establish best practices, and assess programs and performance measures for meeting the needs of youth. The working group will update policy guidance on youth and family engagement and develop a strategic plan that will inform how OJJDP elevates the voices of youth and families. Learn more.  

This resource (PDF, 2 pages) examines the education and certification qualifications of public school mathematics/computer science teachers by selected school characteristics during school year 2017-18. Data are reported separately for teachers of high school and middle school grades. Learn more.  

This report (PDF, 88 pages) presents findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety’s (SSOCS) 2019-20 data collection on crime and violence in U.S. public schools. The report discusses findings both on crime and violence in U.S. public schools and on the practices and programs schools have used to promote school safety. Learn more.  

This fact sheet (PDF, 4 pages) accompanies the corresponding report (PDF, 106 pages) and “Lessons from the Field” webinar. The fact sheet outlines state laws, policies, and employment provisions prohibiting aiding and abetting of sexual misconduct in schools. Learn more (PDF, 4 pages).  

This webinar introduced the Rise CORE Program, which equips Parent Advocates with knowledge, tools, and resources to support parents with: 

• navigating the system to reunify more quickly 

• navigating the trauma and emotions of their case 

• strengthening self-advocacy skills 

• building a support network and connections to resources—so that, once families are reconnected, they do not re-enter the system  

Learn more.  

This fact sheet (PDF, 1 page) outlines funding, training, and technical assistance opportunities to increase the competency of prosecutors involved in child welfare and juvenile delinquency cases. The training curriculum discussed helps prosecutors make thoughtful, research-informed decisions to protect the public and offer delinquent youth opportunities for rehabilitation. Learn more. 

This fact sheet (PDF, 1 page) describes programs, training, and technical assistance for juvenile public defenders. Research shows that barriers to juveniles’ receipt of proper counsel include juvenile defenders’ excessive caseloads, inadequate compensation for public defenders, and a lack of juvenile-specific training for lawyers. Learn more. 

This webinar discussed leveraging the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for older youth, especially youth who are not connected to the workforce or school. Watch to hear concrete examples of accessing ARPA for older youth, opportunity youth, and young people who are systems-involved. Learn more. 

This brief (PDF, 2 pages) explores findings on interventions and treatment programs that seek to prevent crime and reduce recidivism among youth. The following five statements are based on practices and programs rated by CrimeSolutions: 

1. Juvenile awareness programs may be ineffective and potentially harmful. 

2. Cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce aggression in children and adolescents. 

3. Multisystemic therapy reduces recidivism, rearrests, and the number of days youth spend in detention. 

4. Intensive supervision of youth on probation does not reduce recidivism. 

5. Incarceration-based therapeutic communities for youth with substance use disorders have not been found to reduce recidivism after release. 

Learn more. 

This community-based, trauma-informed, gender-responsive advocacy intervention is designed for girls 11 to 17 years old who are at risk for or already involved in the juvenile justice system. The program is rated Promising in the Crime Solutions database. Intervention group girls were less likely to engage in physical fights and minor status offending behavior (i.e., missing fewer days of school), compared with control group girls. These differences were statistically significant. Learn more. 

This webpage contains a collection of webinar recordings related to supporting the physical and mental health of Native Youth. Recorded sessions include “Concerning Posts on Social Media Workshop,” “Sustain and Grow Your Program,” “Stand Up to STI/HIV Stigma,” and more. Learn more.