Project Title 

The Prevention and Thrive Team (PATT) 

Objective  

Establish a community-level initiative to prevent violence in Franklin County by identifying the risk and protective factors that impact the perpetration of sexual and domestic violence.  

What Will We Do  

PATT was established in 2018 through Injury-Free NC as a collaborative effort between Safe Space, Inc., Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start, and the Franklin County Health Department. The team was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic but reconvened in 2022 to continue its efforts. Many people face challenges and dangers they can’t control – like unsafe neighborhoods, discrimination, or trouble affording the things they need, which can have a negative impact on health and safety throughout life. The PATT team wants to focus its efforts on addressing the root causes that have contributed to health disparities in Franklin County and have negatively affected the health and well-being of people in Franklin County. The following statistics show a need for change in addressing those social determinants of health: 

In Franklin County,  

• 44.9% of children are living in poor or low-income homes (2020).  

• 18.5% of children are in households that are food insecure (2019).  

• A rate of 35.9 per 1,000 children were assessed for abuse or neglect in 2020. 

The purpose of this team is to bring together a task force of community members that will help plan and carry out activities that prevent violence among youth, address the social determinants of health that influence people’s quality of life, and fill the gaps and needs of our citizens that impact their ability to thrive and be safe. 

Who Is Involved  

Franklin County Health Department  

Safe Space, Inc.  

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start 

The United Way of Franklin County  

WellCare 

Franklin County Department of Social Services  

Franklin County Emergency Management  

Franklin County Schools  

NC Cooperative Extension, Franklin County Center 

Coaching Boys into Men Program – Franklinton Parks & Recreation  

When This Takes Place 

This is an ongoing initiative. The PATT team meets every month to create action steps and discuss progress made.  

How We Will Do It  

The PATT Team will work in a multilevel approach:  

• Bring together key community partners and stakeholders in Franklin County  

• Identify the risk factors that are affecting our community and the protective factors that are currently present in Franklin County  

• Build upon the prevention programs and resources in Franklin County that are already available  

• Identify the gaps in our social support system and what resources are needed to fill those gaps 

  

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  At the first PATT team meeting, the group identified specific risk factors and protective factors that are affecting our community. Those factors are outlined below:  

  Risk Factors	Protective Factors
  Only 28.5% of 3rd-grade students scored proficient in reading	Triple P Parenting Program
  36 out of 1,000 students accessed for Child/Abuse/Neglect	LoveLevelUp.Org healthy relationship website
  COVID-19 Natural Disaster	Little Libraries in various parts of the community.
  44.9% Live in poor or low-income homes	Evidenced-based curriculums administered to Boys and Girls Club (Art Heals/Coaching Boys to Men/STEAM Mobile Innovations)
  18% Food Insecure	Franklin County Public Library Bookmobile
  Mental Health/Substance Abuse Access	FCPSS PK-12th 16 schools and 3 Charter Schools with 81% of students graduate high school

   

From these factors, the group determined areas that were a priority. The priority areas that the team will focus on are:  

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Training  
• Academic support inside and outside of school  
• Social, Emotional, and Behavioral skills 

The goal of this team is to use a community-centered approach and create social support systems that will connect youth and families to evidence-based, culturally appropriate resources. The team will model their efforts based on the work that has been done in Harlem, NY with the Harlem Children’s Zone program and in Wilmington, NC with the Voyage Wilmington program. These model programs offer a variety of services like mentoring, tutoring, leadership and summer employment programs, career support, physical and emotional support programs, family nights, and so much more. The ultimate goal is to create a similar program in Franklin County that will provide a variety of support services to create long-term, sustainable prevention solutions that address ACEs and social determinants of health.  

The PATT team applied to complete the Strengthening Systems for North Carolina Children (SYNC) project as one of our first main initiatives. The goal of SYNC is to support North Carolina communities disproportionately affected by ACEs in furthering their understanding of how community systems and structures influence ACEs. This project will help the PATT identify ways to strengthen systems and build community resilience to prevent ACEs. The SYNC project consists of completing workshops and ongoing technical assistance in creating, testing, and refining a causal loop diagram for the various systems and structure that influence ACEs in Franklin County. The project started on January 23rd, 2023 and a total of three workshops will take place from February to April with a year of ongoing technical assistance after the workshops. To learn more about the SYNC project, read the informational packet here. 

Sources 

https://ncchild.org/publications/2020-data-cards/