Community Violence: National Resources

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A starting place for pediatric medical home teams to begin addressing community violence, published by The Resilience Project, a program of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Includes sections on framing the question, actions to take, tools to educate, related AAP policy, and learning more.

Highlighted resource:

• ​Crime, Violence, and Your Child

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network's (NCTSN) sections on mass violence and terrorism lists catastrophic mass violence resources and is filterable by resource type and audience.

Highlighted resources: 

• Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After Mass Violence Attack (2017): Offers parents guidance on helping their children after a mass violence event. This fact sheet describes common reactions children may have, how parents can help them, and self-care tips after a violent event.
• Psychological Impact of Mass Violence (2017): Provides parents and providers with information about the psychological impact of a mass violence event. This fact sheet describes common reactions to events like this, posttraumatic stress reactions, grief reactions, depression, physical symptoms, trauma and loss reminders, traumatic grief, post-disaster adversities, and coping after catastrophic violence.
• Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Shooting: Tips for Parents and Professionals (2014): Offers parents, caregivers, and professionals guidance for restoring a sense of safety after a mass shooting. This tip sheet provides ways to communicate effectively with your children and answers common questions that occur after a mass violence event.
• Secondary Traumatic Stress and Provider Self Care in Disaster and Terrorism Settings (2012): Addresses the potential for secondary traumatic stress in disaster and terrorism settings and outline some recommended actions for preventing and reducing the potentially stressful impact of this work on disaster mental health providers.
• Talking to Children about Mass Violence (2014): Provides information about how to talk to children about mass violence. This tip sheet describes ways to talk to children about mass violence, including how to start the conversation, how to deal with incorrect information, limiting media exposure, common reactions, and when to seek help.

Resource from the National Association of School Psychologists: Intentional acts of violence that hurt innocent people are frightening and upsetting. Children and youth will look to adults for information and guidance on how to react. Families and school personnel can help children cope first and foremost by establishing a sense of safety and security. As information becomes available, adults can continue to help children work through their emotions and, perhaps, even use the process as a learning experience. Includes a 15-point list of guidelines for adults.

See also:

• Responding to School Violence: Tips for Administrators
• NASP: Other Resources and Publications

Published in 2009 by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Offers some statistics about gang-involved youth and their exposure to traumatic events. This tip sheet outlines some of the ways that youth may respond to trauma, common traumatic stress reactions, how gangs appeal to traumatized youth, and how caring adults can make a difference.