A toolkit titled Helping Victims of Mass Violence and Terrorism: Planning, Response, Recovery, and Resources was prepared by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in cooperation with other federal agencies and is available online. This toolkit is intended for use in assisting communities in preparing for and responding to victims of mass violence and terrorism in a timely, effective, and compassionate manner. It provides guidance for victim services, medical services, emergency planners, law enforcement, and prosecutors. The toolkit consists of four objectives.

1. Develop a comprehensive victim assistance plan for responding to incidents of mass violence and terrorism, natural disasters, human-caused disasters, other crises, and high-profile criminal incidents.
2. Bring key partners together to review emergency plans and initiate or continue development of a victim assistance plan for the community.
3. Establish or improve victim assistance protocols for effective response and recovery.
4. Monitor and assess the implementation of the victim assistance protocols developed.

The kit also provides a partnership and planning checklist and a response and recovery checklist that can be tailored to the specific needs of the individual community.

The toolkit can be accessed at http://ovc.gov/pubs/mvt-toolkit/index.html, NCJ 248647.