The Children's Cabinet Family Counseling Expansion Program

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 funding from this award, the Children’s Cabinet, Inc., will expand its existing family counseling program for the parents of children from birth to age 6 to meet the needs of families that have been impacted by the opioid crisis in Washoe County, Nevada by: (1) conducting a comprehensive intake assessment, developing individualized care and coordination plans for the delivery of services to the families; (2) helping families access other programs and resources available through the Children’s Cabinet, Inc.; (3) providing information and referrals to families as needed to aid them in their recovery; (4) disseminating awareness materials in order to educate members of the community about the needs of this population of crime victims; and (5) collaborating with key community stakeholders to develop and deliver training on the needs of young, drug-endangered children to professionals in the local school districts, hospitals, daycare centers, and other institutions and agencies that serve the target population.

CA/NCF