Federal Resources

Developed by COPS and the National Center for Victims of Crime, this resource is hands-on implementation guide for the Teen Action Partnership (TAP) for Teen Victims (PDF, 150 pages) program, which harnesses youth as leaders, in partnership with adults, to transform their communities’ response to teenage victims of crime. The toolkit guides educators, law enforcement personnel, outreach workers, victim service providers, youth workers, and teens through the four phases of TAP for Teen Victims, and includes ideas for activities and reflections.

The site features the latest announcements, press releases, speeches and information regarding Department of Justice initiatives in tribal communities. It also provides comprehensive resources available through the Office of Tribal Justice and the Department's grant-making divisions: the Office of Justice Programs, Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office on Violence Against Women. Access to the Department's Combined Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) is also available on the Web site.

The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics' report, “Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011,” examines crimes occurring in school and presents data on school safety.

This report examines student criminal victimization and the characteristics of crime victims and nonvictims. It also provides findings on student reports of the presence of gangs and weapons, and the availability of drugs and alcohol at school, student reports of bullying, and fear and avoidance behaviors of crime victims and nonvictims at school. 

Girlshealth.gov is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, and is the "daughter" program of the National Women's Health Information Center (www.womenshealth.gov). Girlshealth.gov provides valuable information about ways girls can achieve a healthy lifestyle helping them to understand their body, mind, and spirit as they grow into adults.

Healthy People provides science-based, ten year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease.

This on-demand webinar features presenters discussing the “double edge sword” that refugee youth may experience after they flee their home country only to be resettled in urban neighborhoods in the United States that have high rates of community violence. Viewers are required to establish a free account with NCTSN to access the presentation. 

This resource (PDF, 58 pages) defines sexual abuse, describes steps parent can take if their child discloses sexual abuse, dispels myths about sexual abuse, and details the impact of sexual abuse on children. This compilation of handouts, fact sheets, and questions & answers developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network can help parents and caregivers understand how to protect their children from — and how to help children who have experienced — sexual abuse. 

This guide (PDF, 3 pages) describes the role of an educator in responding to disclosures from students about sexual abuse in the school setting. Developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, this guide can help educators understand the responsibility to report abuse and support students, the consequences of inappropriate responses, how to support other students, and how to respond to the media. 

These resources, developed by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, provide information for teens and their parents about sexual assault:

1. Teen Sexual Assault: Information for Teens (PDF, 6 pages)

Explains the difference between consent and coercion, addresses common questions and misconceptions about sexual assault; describes how drugs, alcohol, and the internet can interfere with safety; details how teens can protect themselves; and suggests steps teens can take if they are assaulted.

2. Teen Sexual Assault: Information for Parents (PDF, 6 pages)
   Explains the difference between consent and coercion; addresses common questions and misconceptions about sexual assault; describes how drugs, alcohol, and the internet can play a part in sexual assault; provides tips on how parents can help their teen stay safe; and explains what to do if their teen is assaulted.

This bulletin (PDF, 18 pages), developed by SAMHSA’s Disaster Technical Assistance Center, describes how mass violence affects the behavioral health of adult, adolescent, and child survivors or witnesses of a mass violence incident. It illustrates the phases of response experienced by survivors, provides information on immediate and long-term interventions, and addresses the effects of media exposure following a mass violence incident. Public health, behavioral health, and emergency management professionals can use this resource to improve disaster behavioral health preparedness plans. 

This fact sheet provides information on how to cope with grief after an incident of community violence, introduces common signs of grief and anger, and offers tips for helping children deal with grief.