Child Safety Forward
Final Evaluation Briefs

In October 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime launched Child Safety Forward (CSF), a three-year demonstration initiative to develop multidisciplinary strategies and responses to address serious or near-death injuries resulting from child abuse or neglect and to reduce the number of child fatalities.1 The efforts were intended to produce models and practices that are responsive to a 21st-Century Child Welfare System as envisioned by the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.

Five demonstration sites participated in CSF, with technical assistance led by Social Current. The five participation sites in this initiative are:

• St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut
• Cook County Health in Illinois
• Indiana Department of Health
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• California’s Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento County

As part of the final implementation study, each site identified a practice or policy change advanced through their work with CSF for a dialogue on how to impact systems change. The dialogue was facilitated by a team of two to three external evaluators with approximately five to seven local partners involved in the implementation of the policy or practice. These briefs delve into the design of the site’s policy or practice and suggests recommendations for similar initiatives based on the site’s experiences and lessons learned.

Disclaimer: This product was supported by cooperative agreement number 2019-V3-GX-K005, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.