Handle With Care Virginia
Department of Criminal Justice Services - Virginia logo

Program Requirements

 

KEY STAKEHOLDERS:

  • Minimum key stakeholder representation: School, Child Care Agency, Law Enforcement, Mental Health Provider. Teams are encouraged to include other key stakeholders i.e., child protective services workers, victim advocacy programs, community programs, parent organizations, etc.
  • Commitments from local leaders (county school superintendent, principal, chief, sheriff, mental health provider)
  • Team Leaders: school, law enforcement and mental health provider must designate a person who will serve as the Team Leader for their discipline. The Team Leader will act as a liaison between key disciplines.

TRAINING:

  • Law enforcement supervisors, teachers and staff, and mental health partners must jointly attend a one-hour presentation providing an overview of the impact of trauma on children, the impact of trauma on learning, key elements of HWC, and strategies for successful implementation.
  • School or child care agencymust conduct a book study or other strategic planning session to identify and assess issues impacting their students and specific individual, classroom and school wide interventions.
  • Law enforcement supervisors must provide training to patrols on department policy to identify, document and report children encountered on the scene of calls. Officers must be familiar with appropriate on-scene response when children are present to ensure the impact of trauma is minimized.
  • Mental health providers are preferred to be trained and certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

FORMS

  • Key stakeholders must develop protocols and MOUs utilizing examples of existing agreements and protocols developed by the West Virginia Children Exposed to Violence Initiative
  • Schools and child care agencies must utilize required forms (HWC form, parental permission to treat, student handbook notification, brochures, etc.)

ON-SITE COUNSELING

  • School commitment to provide space at school for counseling.

COLLABORATION

  • Team Leaders must routinely meet to assess gaps/barriers in the program and needed improvements.
  • Law enforcement will develop and improve positive relationships with students by routinely visiting, eating lunch and interacting with students in a non-crisis situation.