All schools and cities have children who experience childhood trauma. Whether it’s physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, domestic violence, witnessing a crime, food insecurity or racism—the resulting stress can have negative, lasting effects on a child’s emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

Handle With Care is a school-community partnership program that enables local police to notify school districts when they encounter a child at a traumatic scene, so the school staff and mental healthcare providers can provide urgent support for the student.

60% of American children have been exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in their homes, schools, or communities and 40% have been direct victims of two or more violent acts. - Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, 2009

Our Goals

The goal of the program is to promote safe and supportive homes, schools and communities that protect children, and help traumatized children heal and thrive. It helps ensure that children who are exposed to trauma in their home, school or community receive appropriate interventions to help them achieve academically at their highest levels despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have endured.

• Objective #1: Prevent children’s exposure to trauma and violence, mitigate negative effects experienced by children’s exposure to trauma, and increase knowledge and awareness of this issue.

• Objective #2: HWC programs support children exposed to trauma and violence through improved communication and collaboration between law enforcement, schools and mental health providers, and connects families, schools and communities to mental health services.

How We Implement the Program

Working with Law Enforcement: 

"Handle with Care" provides the school with a “heads up” when a child has been identified at the scene of a traumatic event. It could be a domestic violence situation, a shooting in the neighborhood, witnessing violence, a drug raid at the home, a motor vehicle accident, etc. Police are trained to identify children at the scene, find out where they go to school and send the school a confidential email or fax that simply says . . . “Handle _NAME OF CHILD_ With Care”. That’s it. No other details.

In addition to providing notice, many School Resource Officers (SRO’s) also build positive relationships with students by interacting on a regular basis. They visit classrooms, stop by for lunch, and simply chat with students to help promote positive relationships and perceptions of officers.

Working with Schools:

Teachers, many of whom have been trained on the impact of trauma on learning and are incorporating many interventions to mitigate the negative impact of trauma for identified students, including: sending students to the nurse/clinic to rest (when a HWC has been received and the child is having trouble staying awake or focusing); re-teaching lessons; postponing testing; small group counseling by school counselors; and referrals to counseling, social service or advocacy programs. As we move forward, the schools may also implement school or district-wide interventions to help create a trauma sensitive school (Greeters; pairing students with an adult mentor in the school; utilization of a therapy dog; “thumbs up/thumbs down” to indicate if a student is having a good day or a bad day; and “Chill” Passes). 

Working with Counselors:

When identified students exhibit continued behavioral or emotional problems in the classroom, the counselor or principal refers the parent to a counseling agency which provides treatment and potentially trauma-focused therapy. Once the counseling agency has received a referral and parental consent, students may then receive on-site counseling. The option of sending referrals to other local clinicians or utilizing telehealth services may also be available.

The counseling is provided to children and families at times which are least disruptive for the student. The mental health therapists may also participate in meetings deemed necessary by school personnel, and as authorized by the child’s parent or guardian. Counselors and mental health therapists may provide assessments of the child’s need, psychological testing, treatment recommendations, accommodation recommendations, and status updates to key school personnel as authorized by the child’s parent or guardian.