Support for Connecticut Shooting Victims

Helping Newtown Heal

We at OVC convey our deepest sympathies to the victims of the Newtown shootings, their families and friends, and the people of Connecticut. Through the following programs and materials, including OVC and OVC-funded resources, victims and their families, and the victim service providers that are assisting them, can receive information about victim compensation, victim assistance, and crisis intervention.

Resources for Victims

• The Connecticut Victim Compensation Program, funded through the OVC-administered Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), helps victims offset the financial burden of funeral, mental health, medical, and other expenses related to the shootings. Following is contact information for this program:
  
  Office of Victim Services (OVS)
  Connecticut Judicial Branch
  225 Spring St., Fourth Floor
  Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109
  888-286-7347 or 860-263-2761
  OVS@jud.ct.gov
• The Online Directory of Crime Victim Services is an online, searchable directory designed to help service providers and individuals locate crime victim services in the United States and other countries. Access the Directory to locate information about services in your area.
• The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a non-profit self-help support organization which offers friendship and understanding to bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. TCF offers the resources for families grieving for a loved one, including—
  • To the Newly Bereaved
  • Understanding Grief When your Child Dies
  • When a Brother or Sister Dies
  • The Grief of Grandparents
• The Disaster Distress Helpline, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), is a national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or man-made disasters.
• The Dougy Center focuses on grief support groups for children and teens ages 3-18 years old and their families grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or friend. Their Web site provides access to a database of centers throughout the country that provide grief support and services. The Center also provides educational materials about children and grief.
• The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) is a national self-help organization for survivors. POMC provides the ongoing emotional support needed to help parents and other survivors facilitate the reconstruction of a "new life" and to promote healthy grief resolution.
• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was established to improve access to care, treatment, and services for traumatized children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. The following materials related to catastrophic mass violence incidents are available from NCTSN—
  • Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
  • Information on Traumatic Grief
  • Psychological Impact of the Recent Shooting
  • Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting
  • Resources for School Personnel
  • Talking to Children about the Shooting
  • Tips for Parents on Media Coverage
  • Tip Sheet for Youth Talking to Journalists about the Shooting
• The following publications may also be of assistance in the aftermath of this crime—

  Dealing with Death for Small Children
  http://www.alleghenycounty.us/uploadedFiles/DHS/About_DHS/Publications/Resource_Guides/
  ParentPagesVol2Iss3DealingwithDeath.pdf
  This one page fact sheet focuses on how a death can effect a small child and provides suggestions for specific language that can be used when discussing the death of a loved one with a child.

  Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children’s Exposure to Violence - A Guide for Families
  http://www.safestartcenter.org/pdf/Healing%20Inv%20Wounds_English_aug09.pdf
  This resource from the Safe Start Center provides guidance for loved ones and service providers on how to identify and respond to the needs of children who have been exposed to violence.

  Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Parents Can Do
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-parents/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-parents-can-do.pdf
  This booklet that describes what parents can do to help children and adolescents cope with violence and disasters.

  Helping Children and Adults Cope with Events Like the Newtown School Shootings
  http://www.cga.ct.gov/coc/newtown.htm
  The Connecticut Commission on Children has created this resource to provide expert advice and information that can help children and adults. This page provides extensive resources for parents and educators along with a list of books on how adults and children can cope with trauma and loss.

  Hope for Recovery: Understanding PTSD School Crisis Response Initiative
  http://www.ptsdalliance.org/images/hope_for_recovery.pdf
  This booklet was developed to help the reader understand the nature and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The booklet discusses its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and how family and friends can help a loved one in recovery from PTSD.

  OVC Handbook for Coping After Terrorism: A Guide to Healing and Recovery
  http://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/cat_hndbk/welcome.html
  This handbook provides victims of terrorism with information based on the expertise of mental health, crisis counseling, and victim assistance professionals. The handbook is intended to help these victims understand their reactions to an act of terrorism or mass violence.

  OVC Help Series for Crime Victims: Homicide
  http://www.ovc.gov/pubs/helpseries/pdfs/HelpBrochure_Homicide.pdf
  The OVC HELP Series of brochures provides a resource for victims of crime and the victim service providers that work with them every day. Each brochure defines a type of victimization; discusses what to do if you are the victim of this crime; and provides national resources for more information and assistance on where to go for help.

  Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting: Tips for Parents and Professionals
  http://www.cstsonline.org/wp-content/resources/CSTS_restoring_sense_of_safety_aftermath_shooting.pdf
  This fact sheet provides information on how to effectively communicate with children, answers frequently asked questions, and provides additional information and referrals.

  Talking to Children about Death
  http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/childeath.pdf
  This publication covers issues such as children’s awareness of death; barriers to communication; children’s developmental stages; individual experiences; religion and death; children’s reactions to death; and when to approach a child with this discussion.

  Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers
  http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA12-4732/SMA12-4732.pdf
  This fact sheet is designed to help parents and teachers recognize common reactions children of different age groups (preschool and early childhood to adolescence) experience after a disaster or traumatic event. This resource offers tips for how to respond in a helpful way and when to seek support.

  What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime
  http://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/whatyoucando_2010/welcome.html
  This brochure highlights victims’ rights and compensation and assistance programs, and lists national organizations that help victims to find information or obtain referrals.

Resources for Victim Service Providers

• The Connecticut Victim Assistance Program, supported through the Crime Victims Fund, links victims to direct service providers and victim advocates to help them cope in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy. Following is contact information for this program:
  
  Office of Victim Services (OVS)
  Connecticut Judicial Branch
  225 Spring St., Fourth Floor
  Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109
  888-822-8428 or 860-263-2760
  OVS@jud.ct.gov
• The following publications may be of assistance to service providers in the aftermath of this crime—

  Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program
  http://www.ovc.gov/pdftxt/AEAP_Brochure.pdf
  This brochure describes OVC’s Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program, which provides federal funds to support crisis response, consequence management, criminal justice support, crime victim compensation, and training and technical assistance during crisis aftermath.

  Building Resilience in Children and Youth Dealing with Trauma
  http://www.samhsa.gov/children/trauma_resilience.asp
  This resource provides information about the effects of trauma on children along with information on what can teachers, caregivers, and other adults do to help a child who has experienced trauma.

  Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
  http://www.nctsnet.org/resources/audiences/school-personnel/trauma-toolkit
  This toolkit was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to provide school administrators, teachers, staff, and concerned parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in the school system.

  Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters
  http://store.samhsa.gov/product/Field-Manual-for-Mental-Health-and-Human-Service-Workers-in-Major-Disasters/ADM90-0537
  This Field Manual is intended for mental health workers and other human service providers who assist survivors following a disaster. This pocket reference provides the basics of disaster mental health, with numerous specific and practical suggestions for workers. Essential information about disaster survivors’ reactions and needs is included. "Helping" skills are described with guidance for when to refer for professional assistance. Strategies for worker stress prevention and management are presented in the last section.

  Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Community Members Can Do
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-community-members/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-community-members-can-do.pdf
  This booklet that describes what community members can do to help children and adolescents cope with violence and disasters.

  Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Rescue Workers Can Do
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-rescue-workers/index.shtml
  This booklet that describes what rescue workers can do to help children and adolescents cope with violence and disasters.

  Helping Children and Adolescents Deal With Grief
  http://www.usd.edu/arts-and-sciences/psychology/disaster-mental-health-institute/upload/HelpingChildrenAdolescentsDealWithGrief.pdf
  This article provides guidance on how children grieve, including emotions children commonly experience; information on how to help children grieve; and a bibliography of children’s books on dealing with the death of a loved one.

  Helping Survivors in the Wake of Disaster
  http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/helping-survivors-after-disaster.asp
  This fact sheet provides concise information for volunteers, mental health clinicians, chaplains, and medical personnel on the effects of traumatic stress and recommendations for helping survivors of disasters.

  Mental Health Reactions After Disaster: A Fact Sheet for Providers
  http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/handouts-pdf/Reactions.pdf
  This fact sheet provides overview of common reactions and severe stress responses to disaster, including PTSD.

  Mental Health Response to Mass Violence and Terrorism: A Field Guide
  http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA05-4025/SMA05-4025.pdf
  This guide is intended for service providers and professionals in the mental health field providing the basics in responding to and assisting victims and families during the aftermath of mass violence and terrorism.

  National Association of School Psychologists
  http://www.nasponline.org/
  The National Association of School Psychologists provides School Safety and Crisis Resources to help children and youth to cope with traumatic events including—

  • Helping Children Cope with Crisis: Care for Caregivers
  • Dealing with a Death in School
  • Culturally Competent Crisis Response
  • Coping with Crisis—Helping Children with Special Needs

  Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide
  http://www.nctsnet.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/psychological-first-aid
  Developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD, Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed approach for assisting survivors of disaster and terrorism.

  Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes: Coordination and Collaboration Between American Red Cross Workers and Crime Victim Service Providers
  http://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/redcross/ncj209681.pdf
  This booklet, jointly published by OVC and the American Red Cross (ARC), provides information on how ARC staff and volunteers can better assist victims of terrorism and mass violence crimes. It focuses on victims’ rights and needs, OVC resources, victim compensation and assistance, and key differences between the needs of victims of crime and victims of natural disasters.

  School Crisis Guide: Help and Healing in a Time of Crisis
  http://crisisguide.neahin.org/crisisguide/
  Based on the educator experiences throughout the nation, this guide spells out advice for schools to: (1) prepare for emergencies, (2) respond effectively as a crisis unfolds, and (3) help students and staff recover after a crisis.

  School Crisis Response Initiative
  http://www.ovc.gov/publications/bulletins/schoolcrisis/ncj197832.pdf
  This OVC bulletin describes an innovative model for preparing for fast and effective responses to the needs of students after violent or traumatic crises.

  Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
  http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/talkingviolence.pdf
  This fact sheet provides information on how to help children establish a sense of normality and security by talking with them about their fears.

  Terrorist Attacks and Children
  http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/terrorist_attacks_and_children.asp
  This article provides information on how children respond to terrorism and steps that professionals and parents can take to help children cope.

For more information about OVC and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Office for Victim Assistance responses to mass violence, read the July 2011 issue of OVC News & Program Updates.

Additional resources are available from the following OVC topical pages—

• Child & Youth Victimization
• Grief & Bereavement
• Gun Violence
• Homicide Survivors/Co-victims
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Vicarious Trauma