At least 60% of American children have been exposed to violent crime or abuse and 40% were direct victims of two or more violent acts. Exposure to such have effects that can follow children throughout their life and may manifest as issues related to their health, social skills, and cognitive processes. Handle With Care (HWC) is a program that aims to support children and youth who’ve been exposed to traumatic events at home by ensuring schools are aware should they need counseling, extra guidance, or even just time to rest.

This session’s presenters are:

• Todd Wagner, Managing Director of Anonymous Reporting at Navigate360
• Chad Sullivan, Industry Specialist at Navigate360
• Jennifer DeLett-Snyder, Former Executive Director of Join Together Northern Nevada, a substance abuse prevention coalition

This webinar’s discussion is about:

• An overview of Navigate360 and the solutions they provide.
• The Handle With Care Program
  • How officers responding to cases of violence at home where children are present alert schools so the schools may provide accommodations that the involved child may need.
  • The manual HWC notification which tends to be time-consuming and not as efficient.
  • The digitized solution developed to send real-time alerts to the involved school officials.
  • What the alert contains and who are receiving the alerts.
• Rock County, Wisconsin’s walkthrough of their HWC program.
  • The previous HWC process used and shifting into the HWC via the P3 care alerts.
  • The straightforward process of the digitized HWC which didn’t require much training.
  • The length of time it required to fully transition into the digitized process.
  • The funding source for the program and the feedback of those involved.
  • The outcomes of the program in terms of fewer arrests, fewer children getting into the system, and raising awareness on trauma and its impact on children.
• Washoe County, Nevada’s HWC program implementation.
  • Discovering HWC as part of their efforts in substance abuse prevention and addressing drug-endangered children.
  • Searching for a product to facilitate the notifications and creating the HWC notification process.
  • Drafting a bill to mandate the use of HWC and implementing the program soon as the bill was passed.
  • Feedback from the program’s users.
  • Guidelines on how to champion the program in your community.
• Reviewing the audience’s current HWC notification system, the number of HWC alerts processes, and the length of time required to submit an alert.
• Outlining the key stakeholders that must be involved in HWC programs.
• The critical role of the program champion in finding partners, highlighting the importance of the initiative, conducting training, and securing buy-in from involved entities.
• Options to fund the program.

Points raised during the Q&A are about:

• The scope of the HWC program.
• Inclusion of private and parochial schools.
• Who gets to receive the alerts.
• How the program works in remote/virtual learning settings.
• The need for parental permission.
• The pricing structure for the digitized HWC solution.
• Including fire and EMS in the alerting system.
• Implementing the program on a larger scale.
• Accessing the reporting platform.
• The state mandate for the use of HWC in Nevada.
• Confidentiality and privacy considerations.
• Tracking outcomes of the HWC program.

Audience Comments

• “I learned about the program itself, as I was not aware it even existed.” — Stacy
• “Good to know such a great program exists. Nice job. Thank you.” — Susan
• “I thought the presenters were very knowledgeable about the subject matter.” — Marlene
• “How the Handle with Care program work…all the ins and outs! It was exactly what I was looking for. I work for a CAC and hear from schools that they would like this.” — Kris
• “All of the speakers shared great enthusiasm for HWC. The information on positive outcomes for students and teachers, SRO’s and everyone was quite awesome. It definitely sounds like this is an outstanding program.” — Marilyn