Handle with Care
Helping Protect Vulnerable Children
Handle With Care is an initiative aimed at helping children succeed in school by alerting school staff with a simple notice when a student experiences a traumatic event involving law enforcement or Child Protection Services (CPS).
Officers at the scene of the event are trained to identify the children present, find out what school they attend and send the school a confidential email that simply says, “Handle [child’s name] with Care.” The memo will not provide any other details in order to protect the family’s privacy.
Handle with Care notices are provided to school principals, nurses, guidance counselors/social workers, School Resource Officers (SROs) and teachers on a need-to-know basis. Often children involved in trauma may act out because they don’t know how to handle the ordeal. This can range from not participating in class, to exhibiting anger or even physical pain like a headache or stomachache. Many of these children are considered drug-endangered and have been exposed to criminal behavior, violence, loss of parents to arrest and incarceration, abuse and neglect as well as other trauma from all they have experienced.
Regardless of the source of trauma, the common thread is the school. Research shows that trauma can undermine a child’s ability to learn, form relationships and function appropriately in the classroom. It often leads to school failure, truancy, suspension or expulsion, dropping out completely or involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Through the DEC Taskforce, huge strides have been made to assist children exposed to violence by improving communication and collaboration between law enforcement, schools, CPS and mental health providers. Handle With Care – Florida is coordinated by Drug Free Manatee. For information: www.handlewithcarefl.org
DRUG FREE MANATEE
SUPPORTING HEALTHY, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH PREVENTION