Handle with care Breaking the Silos for Children in Washtenaw County - PowerPoint Presentation

Handle with care Breaking the Silos for Children in Washtenaw County Shannon Novara and Deputy Alyshia Dyer June 8, 2017

Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Quick Review ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) – Stressful or traumatic events, including abuse and neglect. They may also include household dysfunction such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with family members who have substance use disorders. A landmark study conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in the late 1990s found that ACEs are strongly related to the development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan.**SAMHSA

ACEs: A quick review ACEs include*: Physical abuse Sexual abuseEmotional abusePhysical neglectEmotional neglectMother treated violently Substance misuse within household Household mental illness Parental separation or divorce Incarcerated household member*SAMHSA

Aces: a quick review When children are exposed to chronic stressful events , their neurodevelopment can be disrupted. As a result, the child’s cognitive functioning or ability to cope with negative or disruptive emotions may be impaired. Over time , and often during adolescence, the child may adopt negative coping mechanisms , such as substance use or self-harm. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can contribute to disease, disability, and social problems, as well as premature mortality . *Handle with Care

Aces: a quick review As the number of ACEs increases so does the risk for the following*: Alcoholism and alcohol abuseChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseDepressionFetal deathHealth-related quality of lifeIllicit drug useIschemic heart diseaseLiver diseasePoor work performanceFinancial stressRisk for intimate partner violence Multiple sexual partners Sexually transmitted diseases SmokingSuicide attemptsUnintended pregnanciesEarly initiation of smokingEarly initiation of sexual activity Adolescent pregnancy Risk for sexual violence Poor academic achievement *CDC

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Michigan and Washtenaw County Adults 2013 Michigan BRFS *Adreanne Waller, Washtenaw County Public Health

What Do We see in our community? ̶ Deputy alyshia dyer Traumatic incidents involving the police if a parent is experiencing mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, domestic violence, a parent incarcerated etc… (Example of youth that was angry and crying, finally confided to me that she missed her brother) Police search warrants MSP vehicle chase with student from an Ypsilanti elementaryFollowing the calls for service for families with high traumatic experiences Early police contacts: runaway-substance abuse-property crimes-juvenile detention Youth in our juvenile justice system have experienced trauma, live in poverty and have diagnosis of mental health disorders (such as ODD, ADHD, etc.) Partnerships are important for follow up to make sure the children are safe, resilient & healthy. This helps deter further problems at school which can lead to behavioral issues due to lack of sleep, toxic stress etc.

Handle with Care: for children who have experienced crime, violence or abuse A program started in Charleston, West Virginia and aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to violence receive appropriate interventions so they can succeed in school to the best of their ability. Implemented in Jackson County, MI since February 1, 2017 Handle with Care Overview 7 Minute Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbDZRNJFb38

Handle with care: how does it work? Traumatized Youth Tend T o: Skip/quit schoolUse drugsBecome violentCommit crimesEnd up meeting a police officer Handle with Care Intervention Steps: Law enforcement identifies children at the scene and asks for the name of their school The school is notified before school starts the next day We all handle the child with care and respond in a trauma sensitive way

Washtenaw County Police Departments Washtenaw County Schools HANDLE WITH CARE NOTICE

Handle with Care Notice SimpleProvides law enforcement with the ability to alert the school that the child was involved in a police incident the previous night and may have academic or behavioral problems today. No details are given Just 3 simple words— Handle with Care

Who gets a Handle with Care notice?A child exposed to crime, violence, abuse, or other traumatic events How will this look to Police? Domestic violence Traffic accident Drug overdose Drug raid Suicide/attempted suicide Natural deaths Violent/hate crimes Shooting Arrest of a loved one Child abuse Robbery/burglary of their home Home invasion Fire Someone taken away by ambulance Mental health breakdown of household member Not limited to this list !

How does the notice get to the school? Law enforcement agencies send the notice to the school via a specific email address. In Jackson County this is HWC@schooltag.com 2-8 designated people receive this emailIt needs to be at the school before the start of the school dayChief Deputy Wade Shambaugh of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office 2 Minute Video: https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sygYyctwjwk “Handle With Care is a great opportunity to work together to help Jackson County children be safe and achieve success in school at their highest levels despite any traumatic circumstances they may be experiencing,” said Elmer Hitt, Interim Director of Police and Fire Services for the City of Jackson

Importance of the school’s role Schools are significant communities for children Teachers are often their primary role models Teachers must be given the support/training they need to address trauma’s impact on learning Resiliency can be created by giving children:Climate: welcoming, safe environment, connectedness, engagement, comfortCulture: positive attitude, relationships, norms, emotional safety, values, beliefs, rituals, day to day process, all that influences how we functionSchool might be the only place for intervention “Our children experience traumatic events in their lives and then have to report to school the next day and perform as though nothing happened,” said Kevin Oxley, Superintendent of the Jackson County Intermediate School District . “The Handle With Care program supports the child and schools in protecting our students and helping them be successful in the midst of the everyday chaos and trauma that so many of us experience.”

What if school interventions are not enough? Referral to Mental Health Protocol: On-site therapy Timely response and services Accommodate the child/familyParental consent for communicationCommunication between mental health provider, school, parent, and student

Lessons from Jackson County Piloting in only a couple districts or with a couple of law enforcement agencies was problematic because so many children don’t attend local schools. Recommend involving all school districts, charter and private schools and law enforcement agencies. Approx. 10% referral rate for Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral TherapyStill feel not all officers are aware Month HWC Notices Children Referrals for Therapy February 25 28 2 March 35 43 3 April 32 35 0

Lessons from Jackson County Held full-day summit (~140 people) for educators and administrators with trauma speakers Presentation at police chiefs’ meeting and superintendents’ meeting Jackson County shared implementation plan with us Jackson held 3 big community presentations and invited everyone (160 people attended in total)

Lessons from Jackson County Jackson is working to create a Michigan Handle with Care website based on West Virginia’s Did not include preschools and Head Start/GSRP, but plan to add these sites in 2018 Plan to add EMTs (for overdose responses) Plan to add Parole/Probation Officers (for arrests of parents witnessed by children)

Handle with Care in summary Identifies the kids most at risk Provides teachers with a heads up Connects children with accessible mental health services if needed Strengthens and improves relationships in the community

Changing the perspective Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” ask, “What happened to you?” “Thinking of a child as behaving badly disposes you to think of punishment. Thinking of a child as struggling to handle something difficult encourages you to help them through their distress.” ~Unknown

Next Steps “Bring Handle with Care to Your Community” presentations in Jackson: June 8 from 1:00-4:00 pm OR June 20 from 1:00-4:00 pm Email Shannon Novara if interested snovara@washtenawisd.orgMore information: http://www.handlewithcarewv.org/hwc/