Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State
project

Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative

Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative

The Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative (SHCI) is a cooperative project between the CMSN and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) with the goal of developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention strategy. SHCI consists of three evidence-based components: a community-based intervention, a school-based intervention, and a parent-focused intervention (see above). The components were rolled out in five counties over three years using a staggered implementation approach. We hypothesize that by targeting different segments of the population (i.e., adults in the community, children, and at-risk parents), the prevention of CSA is attainable. Impact of this approach is measured by administrative data (e.g., reports and substantiations of CSA), measurement of knowledge and skills learned among those who participate in the three interventions, and community level awareness via a statewide web panel survey.

Research Team

Profile photo for Kate Guastaferro, PhD, MPH
Kate Guastaferro, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, NYU School of Global Public Health

Associate Director of the Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization