Supporting The Frontline

ARCvi Example CVI Participant Safety Assessment Template

Example Template

This safety assessment template was developed for programming based on the READI Chicago model and has been used in replications such as Pushing Progress Philly (P3) in Philadelphia. Outreach staff complete the form before a participant begins traveling to a new job-training site. It is designed to identify potential safety concerns, such as conflicts, unsafe travel routes, or risks associated with the site, and determine whether additional planning or supports are needed before programming begins.

National Network for Safe Communities’ Safety Planning for Community Violence Clients

This white paper from the National Network for Safe Communities explains how safety-planning practices developed in the intimate partner violence field can be adapted for people at high risk of community violence. It argues that safety planning should be a distinct, collaborative service—alongside case management and goal-setting—that helps participants identify immediate and longer-term risks, change routines, avoid retaliation, access temporary relocation or other supports, and safely pursue goals such as employment, education, and counseling.

CDC Foundation’s WEAVE: Weaving a Violence Prevention Ecosystem Toolkit

Developed by the CDC Foundation and Health Resources in Action, the WEAVE Toolkit offers practical guidance for building community power within community violence intervention efforts. It is designed for community-based organizations and public health institutions seeking to engage residents more meaningfully, center people with lived experience, and strengthen collaboration across the local violence-prevention ecosystem. The toolkit includes a community capacity assessment and strategies tailored to communities at emerging, established, and advanced stages, organized around five steps: partnering, listening to community members and reviewing data, setting priorities and planning, taking action, and sustaining collaboration.

Equitable Community Engagement Toolkit

The City of Philadelphia’s Equitable Community Engagement Toolkit offers practical guidance for building stronger, more equitable relationships with communities. For CVI programs, the toolkit may be especially useful when planning community meetings, collecting and responding to community input, working with trusted messengers, sharing decision-making power, reducing barriers to participation, and evaluating whether engagement practices are equitable. It is not intended as a rigid set of instructions; rather, it serves as a flexible resource that programs can adapt to the needs, history, and strengths of the communities they serve.

Mentoring Practice Reviews, National Mentoring Resource Center

The National Mentoring Resource Center hosts webpages that review specific mentoring practices (separately from programs) that are used to deliver mentoring effectively. These reviews examine the research behind particular tasks or strategies that can be used across different program models and settings. For each practice, the Center provides an overview of the approach, summarizes the strength of the evidence, and links to resources that can help programs implement or adapt it. Practices are rated as “effective,” “promising,” “no effects,” or “insufficient research.”