Supporting Child Victims Through Trauma-Informed Family Treatment

OVC’s mission is to enhance the Nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. OVC achieves this mission, in part, by administering discretionary award programs supported by the federal Crime Victims Fund to develop innovative training and technical assistance, and to provide direct services to improve the overall quality of victim assistance. The purpose of the FY 2018 Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis: Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims is to address an urgent gap in crime victim services related to the opioid epidemic and to expand upon existing or establish new programs to provide services to children and youth who are victimized as a result of the opioid crisis. The overarching goal of this program is to support children and youth who are crime victims as a result of the opioid crisis by providing direct services and support to these young victims at a community or jurisdictional level.

With this award, Safe Care will work with local community and governmental agencies to identify children, aged 5–18, who have been affected by the opioid crisis. It will use outreach services to educate community partners about the effects of parental and caregiver opioid abuse on children and to aid them in understanding what trauma can look like for kids. Through referrals from local Children’s Division, Juvenile Offices, courts, medical providers, schools, law enforcement, foster parents and child advocates; the project will identify and enroll children and families in a comprehensive program that addresses trauma in children, parental opioid abuse, and encourages the whole family to build stronger safer sober families. A Substance Abuse Assessment Counselor will provide comprehensive substance abuse assessments for parents of children in the program, generate individualized treatment plans, and provide post and follow-up assessments to guide treatment. A Case Worker will coordinate needed services determined by treatment plans, support children and families’ participation in the program, provide in-home family aide, and conduct visitation, and provide instruction when required.

CA/NCF