Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Share with Youth: Advice to Young Adults from Young Adults: Helpful Hints for Policy Change in the Mental Health System
This resource (PDF, 8 pages) can guide youth- and young adult-led organizations that want to make policy changes in the mental health system. Developed bythe Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures and Portland State University, it contains recommendations and quotes from a series of interviews with young adult leaders from advocacy groups that focus on mental health challenges or living in foster care.
Resource: Understanding Neurobiology of Psychological Trauma: Tips for Working with Transition-Age Youth
This resource (PDF, 8 pages), developed by Pathways Research and Training Center, introduces service providers to scientifically-informed findings about brain development and trauma specific to young adults, and describes the implications for trauma-informed interventions and trauma-informed engagement of young people in services.
Share with Youth: Changing the Rules: A Guide for Youth and Young Adults with Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Change Policy
This policy guide, developed by Pathways RTC (Research and Training Center), is written for youth- and young adult-led groups and organizations that want to make changes in policies related to mental health and other human services that affect them and other transition-age youth. The guide is intended for use by youth and young adults working together within a group or organization to make specific change, usually in partnership with other agencies, groups, or organizations.
Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2015
This report presents the most recent data on school crime and student safety. Topics covered include victimization at school, teacher injury, bullying and cyberbullying, school conditions, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and a special spotlight section on juveniles in residential placement facilities.
Report: Co-Offending Among Adolescents in Violence Victimizations, 2004-13
This report presents estimates of nonfatal violence victimizations committed by adolescents during 2004-13 and compares the characteristics of victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone and with other young people. The data show adolescent offenders committed 22% of all violent victimizations during this period, and more violent victimizations were committed by adolescents who acted alone than those who acted with co-offenders.
Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016
This annual report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. Topics addressed include victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.
Young Workers
This resource from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration provides teens, educators, parents, and employers with information on young worker issues. Details about workers' rights and links to training and other educational tools, including state youth employment laws, may also be found on this site.
Report: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness: 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
This annual report (PDF, 96 pages) provides a snapshot of homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered, on a single night in late January in the U.S., including estimates for particular populations such as youth. The data show 35,686 unaccompanied homeless youth were counted. Eighty nine percent were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 11% were under the age of 18. There were 9,800 parenting young adults between 18 and 24 years of age, and 92 parents under the age of 18.
Share with Youth: FAFSA: Determining Your Dependency Status
Before students are ready to complete the FAFSA, they need to determine whether they will be under an independent or dependent status. This video describes how dependent applicants may need to include parental financial information.
Share with Youth: StudentLoans.gov/Repay
This website helps student find the loan repayment option that is best for them. By answering no more than five questions, the site helps borrowers identify repayment options, the materials needed, and the steps to register.
Report: E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General
This report is the first to be issued by a federal agency that comprehensively reviews the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on young people. Using evidence gathered from studies that included young adolescents, adolescents, and young adults, this report confirms there is no acceptable level of nicotine when it comes to these populations and the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless. The report website also offers tools for parents and a public service announcement.
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids
This report provides the latest data on the prevalence of substance use, opioid misuse, opioid use disorders, opioid overdoses, and related harms. It also addresses prevention, treatment, and management of opioid use disorders and the progress to address the opioid epidemic.
A Circle of Healing for Native Children Endangered by Drugs
“A Circle of Healing for Native Children Endangered by Drugs” is a seven-part video series that highlights best practices for meeting the needs of drug-endangered youth in tribal communities. Produced in collaboration with tribal and federal partners, the videos feature testimonials and examples of cultural practices that tribal communities can use to help traumatized children who are healing from drug endangerment.
Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice: Potential Pitfalls and Dangers
This document examines concerns practitioners of restorative justice must keep in mind when working with people from different cultures.
Office of Victims of Crime
The Office of Victims of Crime is committed to enhancing the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.
Office of Victims of Crime Initiatives
The Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, provides legal assistance for victims of human trafficking and funds the Wrap-Around Victims Legal Assistance Network Demonstration Project and the Services for Trafficking Victims Grant Program to sustain services in communities.
Responding to Transgender Victims of Sexual Assault
This online guide from DOJ's Office for Victims of Crime offers victim service providers, first responders, and health care providers tools to promote the understanding of, support for, and responses to transgender victims of sexual assault.
Training and Technical Assistance Center - Victims of Crime
This resource provides technical assistance to victim service providers and allied professionals.
Victims, Judges, and Juvenile Court Reform Through Restorative Justice
This Bulletin discusses the expansion of the role of victims in juvenile courts through the increased use of Restorative Justice.
SART Toolkit: Resources for Sexual Assault Response Teams
SARTs, or sexual assault response teams, can help victims of sexual assault through the maze of governmental and community agencies they interact with to receive assistance. The SART Toolkit can help communities considering developing a SART program or communities that have an established coordinated response but want to improve it.
Online Training: Building Resiliency in Child Abuse Organizations
This one-day online training identifies the five core elements of resiliency and explores how the organizational resiliency model can be implemented in victim service agencies through policies, supervisory techniques, and trainings. Continuing education unit (CEU) is offered for this training.
Fiscal Years 2013-2014 Status Report for the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States
OVC released “Fiscal Years 2013-2014 Status Report for the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States” (PDF, 64 pages), a report that documents the progress that federal agencies made during 2013-2014 on each of the 250 action items in the plan related to human trafficking victim service improvements.
Online Training: Five New Modules for Victim Assistance Training (VAT)
VAT Online now offers five new online modules on the following topics: assault, campus/university victims of sexual assault, child abuse, ethics, and human trafficking.
Archived Webinar Series: Human Trafficking
Two webinar series can help professionals better serve survivors of human trafficking:
- Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault: Strategies to Strengthen Community Collaboration to Respond to Survivors' Needs: This five-part webinar series offers strategies, practical tips, case studies, and resources to help domestic violence and sexual assault service providers improve outcomes for human trafficking survivors.
- Capacity Building Webinars for Human Trafficking Service Providers: This series provides information on key strategies for working with survivors of human trafficking. It covers legal issues, confidentiality, communicating with survivors, and helping survivors access employment and housing.
Toolkit: Helping Victims of Mass Violence & Terrorism
This toolkit aims to help communities prepare for and respond to victims of mass violence and terrorism in the most timely, effective, and compassionate manner possible. Professionals who are responsible for planning and responding to incidents of mass violence and terrorism can use this toolkit to develop a victim assistance plan, bring key partners together to develop or continue the use of a plan, and establish and implement victim assistance protocols.