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Cdi

Media Release
Date Published: Friday, June 15, 2012
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Child Development Institute’s SNAP® Under 12 Outreach Program (ORP) has just been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justices’ Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and added to their Crime Solutions effort as an Effective Program. As part of a process to identify and review quality programs and practices in the fields of criminal and juvenile justice and criminal victimization the Office of Justice Programs reviewed a large number of programs and SNAP® was selected with the top rating of “Effective”. This is SNAP®’s seventh endorsement of its effectiveness by various rating bodies in Canada and the United States.

Child Development Institute (CDI) is a community-agency in Toronto with a 100-year history of service to children and families providing programs for children’s mental health, early learning, and services for children who have suffered family violence and sexual abuse.  CDI’s focus on social innovation has led to the development of several programs designed to meet social needs that lead to greater engagement within our communities and strengthen civil society.

Developed at Child Development Institute in Toronto and scientifically tested, independently evaluated and meticulously refined over the past 27 years, the SNAP® program addresses destructive behaviours in children under 12 by giving them and their families the behaviour management tools needed to deal effectively with self control and problem solving issues by learning how to stop and think about solutions that would make problems smaller, not bigger.

The SNAP® Outreach Project (ORP), offered since 1985, focuses on boys who were referred to SNAP® ORP for conduct disorder or other mental health issues. These boys are identified as being at high risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, early school dropout or requiring mental health services. Currently, through our national partners these licensed programs are broadly disseminated in four provinces and the Yukon Territory.

One study has shown that 92% of at-risk boys and 95% of at-risk girls who completed the SNAP®  Program had no history of criminal offences by age 15 with approximately 68% projected to not have a criminal record by age 19.  With the cost to society of a juvenile offender being approximately $110,000 a year, the savings realized through this program are enormous.

Dr.  Leena K. Augimeri, CDI’s Director, Scientific and Program Development and co-creator of the SNAP® model says that, “this latest designation continues to validate the tremendous benefits being proven effective in reducing aggressive, anti-social, bullying and criminal behaviour including gang involvement in young people across Canada, the United States, in Australia and Europe.  We are very pleased to have the U.S Department of Justice confirm the value of this program.”

In 2005, CDI was awarded the first-ever national award for outstanding research and evaluation in child welfare by the Child Welfare League of Canada. SNAP® was also given the highest effectiveness designation in 2006 by the U.S. White House program, “Helping America’s Youth” and recognized for its highest rating in evidence-based programs in 2007 by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  In 2008, the National Crime Prevention Centre designated SNAP® as a “model” crime prevention program and in 2011 the Public Health Agency of Canada selected SNAP® as a Canadian Violence Prevention Best Practice.