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Child (under 12)

Through Our Eyes: The Child Advocacy Center Model

April 2014
Series
Through Our Eyes: Children, Violence, and Trauma

This video discusses the Child Advocacy Center Model, which brings together representatives from many disciplines, including law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy, and child advocacy, to provide comprehensive services to child victims of abuse, neglect, and trauma. Child Advocacy Center multidisciplinary teams also work collaboratively to make decisions about the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child abuse cases; and to support children and their families through the criminal justice process. 

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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by OVC Director Jessica E. Hart During a Webinar Hosted by the Ohio Attorney General's Office

Good morning! Thank you, Attorney General Yost, and all the staff in your office who worked hard to make today's webinar happen. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about the Office for Victims of Crime.

As previously mentioned, I was appointed the Director of OVC, a component of the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice, in...

Through Our Eyes: Introduction

April 2014
Series
Through Our Eyes: Children, Violence, and Trauma

This video discusses how violence and trauma affect children, including the serious and long-lasting consequences for their physical and mental health; signs that a child may be exposed to violence or trauma; and the staggering cost of child maltreatment to families, communities, and the Nation. Victims lend their voices to this video to provide first-hand accounts of how their exposure to violence as children affected them. 

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Funding Opportunity: OVC FY 2020 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking

Apply for the OVC FY 2020 Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking solicitation.

OVC is seeking applications for states or Tribes to develop, enhance, and coordinate programs and activities geared toward improving outcomes for child and youth victims of sex and labor trafficking. The overall goal of the program is to improve responses for child and youth victims of trafficking with...

Register for National Listening Sessions on Child Exploitation During COVID-19


Every April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. During this month, communities are encouraged to raise awareness and promote strategies that address the risk factors surrounding child abuse.

As part of our commemoration of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, OVC and the Office on Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are hosting four virtual listening sessions about child trafficking...

Human Trafficking

View available OVC resources, awareness materials, and services for victims of labor and sex trafficking and victim service providers.

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) was developed on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people—known as vicarious trauma—is an inevitable occupational challenge for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement, and other allied professionals; however, organizations can mitigate the potentially negative effects of trauma exposure by becoming vicarious trauma-informed.

Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth

Learn about a project to coordinate trauma-informed prevention and intervention services, and build communities' capacity to meet victims' immediate and ongoing needs over their life span.

Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth Project (link is external)

This demonstration project was designed to reach underserved children, youth, and families in Illinois, Montana, Ohio, and Virginia who are victims of crime. The four demonstration sites worked in their states to meet the needs of children and youth (and their caregivers) who had been exposed to violence. A Coordinator Toolkit(link is external) provides guidance and tools for jurisdictions interested in replicating this project.