Gender-Specific and Culturally-Adapted Risk Screening and Assessment Tools for Crime Prevention: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go From Here?

Description of the Requirement: The Government of Canada is committed to reducing crime and strengthening the safety of our communities through effective crime prevention measures, police services and correctional services. In the case of prevention, Public Safety Canada (PSC) is responsible for the administration of the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS). The Strategy aims to reduce offending among at-risk groups of the population by funding evidence-based interventions and knowledge dissemination projects. Its current priorities are to address early risk factors among vulnerable children, youth, and young adults that are at risk of offending, respond to priority crime issues (e.g., youth gangs, drug-related crimes), prevent recidivism among high-risk groups, implement measures to support exiting prostitution, and foster prevention in Aboriginal communities. In this context, several divisions responsible for supporting the NCPS within Public Safety Canada (e.g., crime prevention research and evaluation, policy, and programs) work in close collaboration to provide national leadership on effective and cost-efficient ways to prevent and to reduce crime, via intervention on risk factors in the most vulnerable populations and in high-risk environments. In order to find effective ways to both prevent and reduce crime, crime prevention personnel continue to gather national and international evidence on ‘what works’, but also increasingly on “how programs are implemented and in which context(s) they are most effective” in order to guide program and policy decisions, and to contribute to acquiring scientific knowledge and experience in crime prevention. The objective of the work is to provide a review and analysis of the current state of the knowledge on risk screening and assessment tools for children and youth (aged 6-24) for use in crime prevention interventions in Canada and their applicability for various sub-populations (i.e., young women, Aboriginal youth, and ethnic minority youth groups) involved in crime prevention programming. By having an up-to-date examination of the most recent work in this area, the work will: (1) assist practitioners in becoming better equipped to make informed decisions when selecting from currently available risk screening and assessment tools with respect to their appropriateness for the subjects of their intervention; and (2) to contribute to the knowledge on ‘where to go from here’ in the development and implementation of gender-specific and culturally-adapted risk screening and assessment tools for community-based crime prevention interventions in Canada. Evaluation Process and Selection Methodology Basis of selection – Highest combined score of technical points (70%) and financial points (30%). Detailed in the RFP Proposed period of contract: The date of the contract is from the date of contract award to February 28, 2018.