National Center for Children Exposed to Violence

The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV) was established at the Yale Child Study Center in 1999 by the White House and the U. S. Department of Justice. The NCCEV was based on the success of the Child Development-Community Policing Program (CDCP) as a model for collaborative responses to children, families and communities exposed to violence. The mission of the NCCEV is to increase the capacity of individuals and communities to reduce the traumatic impact of violence on children and families; to train and support the professionals who provide intervention and treatment to children and families affected by violence; and, to increase the professional and public awareness of the effects of violence on children, families, communities and society.

The NCCEV is active in a wide variety of local and national initiatives that address the impact of violence on children, families and communities. In New Haven, the CDCP Program provides immediate and follow-up intervention for thousands of children affected by violence and other potentially traumatic events each year (see below). Nationally, the NCCEV provides consultation and training to professionals and communities, including:

• Development of Guidelines for parents and professionals about helping children and families affected by catastrophic events such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
• Consultation with colleagues in New Orleans and other sites around the country about behavioral health aspects of providing shelter and care for hurricane evacuees
• Consultation to colleagues at Virginia Tech and the University of Delaware and other institutions about community response to fatal school shootings
• Work with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro on developing strategies for providing behavioral health care for families of U. S. Military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Consultation to public officials at the local, state and national levels on a variety of policy issues regarding children’s experience of violence and trauma
• Participation, as an original member, in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), a network of 70 treatment and research centers from across the U.S., funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
• Training and consultation for other communities around the country that are developing collaborative programs based on the CDCP Program model
• Presentation at national meetings and conferences for mental health, law enforcement and other professionals on the effects of an, and collaborative intervention strategies for children, families and communities affected by violence and disasters