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About Safe From the Start
The Safe From the Start (SFS) program provides developmentally and culturally appropriate direct services to children, ages 0 – 5, who have witnessed or been exposed to violence and their families. SFS focuses on serving young children who are victims of abuse, neglect, or maltreatment, and/or witnesses to domestic violence, sexual assault, or other violent crimes.
Safe From the Start began as a national initiative to reduce the impact of early childhood exposure to violence. The program was implemented in 2001 to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive, coordinated, community-based models to identify, assess, and serve children, ages 0 to 5, who have been exposed to violence in their homes and/or communities.
Core Components
Coalition-Building and Collaboration
Coalition building, collaboration, and coordination are central components of the SFS program model. SFS coalitions build relationships with community partners that can both make referrals into the program and link program participants with other resources. Additionally, SFS coalitions focus on broader program implementation, organizational change, information sharing enhancements, protocol creation, and other tasks related to service collaboration and coordination.
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Direct Services
SFS primarily serves young children from birth to 5 years of age who have been exposed to violence in the home or community and their families or caregivers. Children older than five years may be served if the primary client is aged 0 to 5. _Exposure to violence_ occurs with being victimized or witnessing abuse, neglect, or maltreatment or a witness to domestic, physical, or sexual violence, or other violent crime.
Public Awareness
The SFS program model’s third component is public awareness. Essential efforts include community member involvement, increased public awareness, community-informed planning, education about the scope and impact of childhood exposure to violence, and promoting healing services. Public awareness activities range from community presentations and events to professional trainings and media campaigns.
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Childhood Exposure to Violence and Trauma
Childhood exposure to violence (CEV) is pervasive and negatively impacts communities. CEV includes experiencing or witnessing physical abuse, sexual assault, maltreatment/neglect, domestic violence, and other violent crimes. In its third National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that almost 58% of children and youth between 0 and 17 years old had been exposed to at least one type of violence; 48% had experienced more than one type of victimization within the previous year.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2020 Child Maltreatment report series revealed 618,000 children in the United States were victims of child abuse and neglect; 29% of them were under age two.