Developing a sustainable child and family service system after a community tragedy: Lessons from Sandy Hook

This article describes a systematic approach to assessing community services post‐Sandy Hook shooting. An evaluation team was invited to develop a sustainability plan for community services in Newtown. Service organizations, providers, and families were interviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the range of services; respondent perspectives were coded using content analysis. We found that Newtown has a broad array of community services, but respondent groups varied in their perceptions of service adequacy. Consensus existed about core components of an ideal service system, including centralizing access; coordinating care, personalizing and tailoring services for families, and providing evidence‐based care. The strategic community assessment approach developed here may inform how communities examine their service capacity and develop sustainability plans post‐disaster.