The Ross-Pike Educational Service Center is aiming to implement the "Handle With Care" program in Ross County. Its Children's Alliance Committee explained that they address the mental health needs in schools by connecting area agencies in Ross and Pike counties. At their last meeting, they heard from Hopewell Health about the program "Handle With Care" as it relates to dealing with children who have experienced a traumatic event.
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According to the West Virginia Center for Children's Justice website, "Handle with Care" provides the school or child care agency with a “heads up” when a child has been identified at the scene of a traumatic event. For example, a meth lab explosion, a domestic violence situation, a shooting in the neighborhood, witnessing a malicious wounding, or a drug raid at the home. Police are trained to identify children at the scene, find out where they go to school or daycare and send the school/agency a confidential email or fax that simply says,“Handle Johnny with care.”
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In addition to providing notice, officers also build positive relationships with students by interacting on a regular basis. They visit classrooms, stop by for lunch, and chat with students to help promote positive relationships and perceptions of officers.
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Hopewell Health has agreed to provide the initial training for school districts, agencies, first responders, and law enforcement in the area.
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The training, open to all Ross and Pike county school districts, agencies, first responders, and law enforcement, will be on Wednesday, October 30th, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ross Service Center, 475 Western Avenue, Organizers said it will take an hour and 15 minutes and then the rest of the time will be used to make plans for implementation.
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Read more about "Handle With Care" at http://www.handlewithcarewv.org/handle-with-care.php.
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For more information, contact Tom Kitchen, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development in the Ross-Pike Educational Service District, at tkitchen@rpesd.org.