Abstract: OVC FY2022 invited to apply - reducing child fatalities and recurring serious injuries caused by crime victimization alliance for strong families and communities the implementation study…

The Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime awarded a $116,925 cooperative agreement to Social Current Inc. under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582) to conduct an implementation study and evaluation. The study will summarize work by five demonstration sites using a public health approach to reduce childhood fatalities from neglect. It will seek to understand how the demonstration sites' collaborative strategies and national technical assistance can inform a 21st century system for child and family well-being. The evaluation will focus on priority outcomes selected with the sites to assess progress within the one-year award period. Preliminary findings will be presented mid-project and a final report will communicate lessons learned to the Office for Victims of Crime and funding alliance at award conclusion in September 2023.

Abstract: OVC FY2022 invited to apply - reducing child fatalities and recurring serious injuries caused by crime victimization alliance for strong families and communities the implementation study will summarize work done by five demonstration sites to reduce childhood fatalities due to neglect using a public health, collaborative approach and better understand how the components of that approach can inform a 21ST century child and family well-being system. This evaluation will not attempt to tell the story of each demonstration site. Rather, IT is designed as an initiative level evaluation seeking to generate insights across all five demonstration sites using various groupings of context and strategy to better ground the learning. Given the overall purpose and context of the evaluation, one of the major goals of the design is to carefully balance the burden of data collection on the demonstration sites with the learning objectives of the alliance and OVC. Evaluation questions this evaluation will seek to inform the following evaluation questions: how and to what extent are community-based collaboratives successfully advancing strategies to reduce childhood injuries and fatalities due to maltreatment while given a public health pandemic and contributing to the knowledge base around the core components of models to influence systems that keep children safe and resilient? To what extent are demonstration sites positioned to continue influencing child safety and wellbeing in their communities including the strength of their partnerships and the capacity to implement a public health approach? How and to what extent did national technical assistance and learning influence the actions of the demonstration sites and their impact on childhood fatalities due to maltreatment? Priority outcomes in order to focus the evaluation, implementation plans and theories of change will be reviewed in the first few months to select with the sites and technical assistance team a proposed set of priority outcomes to focus on for the implementation study. Selection of outcomes will look at the likelihood of being achieved within the award time frame, their alignment with project priorities, and an understanding of what IT takes to build sustainable models. Deliverables preliminary findings will be presented to the demonstration sites and technical assistance team prior to the end of the funding award, and a final written report will be produced for the alliance and OVC at the end of the demonstration project or, if preferred, a presentation or series of written briefs.