I am often asked what we mean by a "data-driven, cross-sector and systemic strategy" for preventing childhood trauma and maltreatment. In our book Anna, Age Eight we provide the following definitions to guide our vital work with families and communities:
Data-driven: Instead of the common government method – decisions based on hunches, what’s been done before, or the whim of the director, we base all our work on data. We’re swimming in excellent data and research that provides all the information we need to start solving challenges today. And data are far from only quantitative (intimidating numbers). Data are also qualitative and come from the stories and inspiring life experiences of our friends and neighbors.
Cross-sector: Instead of doing our work in isolation or a silo, we reach across the key sectors of the multi-disciplinary public sector to coordinate work. We’ve identified (later on in the book) ten vital services in ten distinct social sectors that make up a resilient family-friendly community. This means child welfare and public health work in synch with education, youth development, behavioral health care, and job training. We communicate across our agencies to assess challenges, plan with research, implement action and measure progress.
Systemic: Instead of looking at only one particular part of the challenge facing families, we approach our work by looking at the health of an entire community system. The magnitude of the problem requires that we take into thoughtful consideration all the interrelationships and interdependencies among the parts of the whole, whether it be our own organization or the communities we focus on. Technology makes systemic work, internally and externally, transparent. For meaningful change, systemic thinking is required.
We applaud all the inspiring work being done in the arena of ACEs prevention and treatment and wish to strengthen it with the tools to achieve measurable and meaningful results.
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