Drug Endangered Children's Initiative/Handle with Care
-
DEC Initiative Training for Marshfield educators- January 2024
Early release day = valuable training for school faculty. Our office joined the Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative to host drug endangered children and childhood trauma training so that Marshfield educators can spot the signs and assist in helping students thrive.
-
Plymouth Family Resource Center Free Family Market- December 2022
Raising awareness of Domestic Violence and Drug Endangered Children.
Our office is at the Plymouth Family Resource Center Free Family Market today with resources and giveaways.
-
Trauma Informed Training with Tonier Cain- Day 2- August 2022- Stonehill College
Day 2 of events with Tonier Cain.
Proud to help sponsor tonight’s gospel concert with the United Way of Greater Plymouth County and our community partners.
Thank you Pastor Michael Gilbert and wife Eva for helping to bring Tonier and her inspirational message to Plymouth County.
Got the chance to meet William Allen tonight.
Making a difference in his community.
Our office supported, and Governor Baker commuted his sentence. #MLKthetimeisalwaysrighttodowhatisright
-
Trauma Informed Training with Tonier Cain- Day 1- August 2022- Stonehill College
At Stonehill College for the first of several weekend events on trauma informed training with Tonier Cain.
Our office sponsored these informative discussions with United Way of Greater Plymouth County, New Life Temple of Holiness, The Umbrella Project, PACC, and Choices4Teens.
-
Plymouth County DEC Alliance Meeting- June 2022
Good news to share today at the Plymouth County DEC Alliance meeting.
We received a 4.48 million dollar COSSAP community grant to continue the work of our drug endangered children initiative.
Our office is also sponsoring a trauma-informed event with Tonier Cain at Massasoit this August.
Our work continues.
-
Wellness Fair- Old Colony YMCA- Middleboro- May 2022
|Beautiful day at Camp Yomechas in Middleboro for the Wellness Fair.
Great to see so many of our community partners:
Old Colony YMCA
Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department
Plymouth County HUB
Balance Workshop
Plymouth Family Resource Center
Middleboro Library
Middleboro Schools
Middleboro Matters -
Plymouth County DEC Alliance Meeting- May 2022
|Plymouth County DEC Alliance meeting virtually this morning.
Thank you to Jennifer Cantwell for facilitating and thank you to Emilee Pihl for updating the DEC Alliance on human trafficking.
Drug endangered children are at higher risk of being trafficked, and awareness is an important part of prevention.
Working together to make a difference.
-
Parent Night- “Not My Kid”- Furnace Brook Middle School- Marshfield- May 2022
|Thank you Marshfield FACTS and Marshfield Public Schools for having Officer Nancy Leedberg, Brockton PD and Detective Chip Yeaton, Canton PD present the parent substance use prevention program, “Not My Kid.”
Officer Leedberg a School Resource Officer, is well respected in her field and carries a wealth of experience working in both in the Brockton schools and the Brockton community. Officer Leedberg brought new comfort dog Bonnie along. Bonnie, a member of the Brockton Police Department, is one of our Plymouth County Comfort Dogs.
Detective Yeaton is a Special Advisor to the Massachusetts Task Force Report on School Safety and Security.
It was a pleasure to speak to the parents who came out to learn how to keep their kids safe.
-
National Drug Endangered Children’s (DEC) Awareness Day
Kicked off 1 of 3 Drug Endangered Children training sessions scheduled for today to mark National DEC Awareness Day.Thank you to our CAC Director Lisa Robinson and PCO’s Vicky Butler for facilitating this training and to all the community partners who came out to learn more.
-
Handle with Care- Training for Faith Leaders- Childhood Trauma Inititiative- 4.22.22
Our office along with Joel Ristuccia from Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) trained faith leaders on understanding the impact of trauma on a child’s behavior and ability to learn.
Next step solution – addressing these with examples of trauma sensitive supports for all students and children.
-
Plymouth County DEC Alliance April 2022 Meeting
A meeting of the Plymouth County Drug Endangered Children’s Alliance to discuss our work with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Old Colony YMCA to offer free memberships to elders.
We recognize the responsibility they have selflessly taken on and want to connect them with resources.
-
Childhood Trauma Initiative-Handle with Care meeting with Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and First Lady Laura Baker
In 2002 we began our childhood trauma initiative.
Over the years, we have expanded the scope of our programming to include those with Adverse Childhood Experiences and drug endangered children.
Rebranded as Handle with Care, we are working on expanding this program statewide.
Today, District Attorney Joe Early and I briefed Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, and First Lady Laura Baker on our groundbreaking work in this area.
This meeting brought us one step closer to creating our state-wide DEC Alliance.
-
Opry turns one!
Furry fun canine cake celebration today for comfort dog Opry, who turned 1! She stopped by our Children’s Advocacy Center today with her handler Hingham Police SRO Tom Ford.
We look forward to using Opry’s services at our CAC to comfort child victims. Happy birthday Opry!🎂🐾
-
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Collaboration
Proud to partner with Old Colony YMCA President/CEO Vincent Marturano and the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Director Colleen Pritoni on this important effort for all to strengthen their minds, bodies and spirits.
Recognizing all of the challenges that come with kinship caregiving, we are proud to offer one-year family memberships to grandparents raising grandchildren at the Old Colony YMCA.
-
DEC Alliance Meeting- March 2022
Plymouth County Drug Endangered Children Alliance meeting.
We remain focused on preventing gun violence, human trafficking and substance misuse, all issues tied together by trauma.
In the next weeks, our office will present trauma awareness trainings for first responders of Plymouth County.
-
Meet Opry our Hingham PD Comfort Dog
Please paws to meet Opry!
This comfort canine will be used to promote wellness and healing in the Hingham community.
Opry will also console child victims of abuse at our Children’s Advocacy Center.
Thanks you HinghamPolice for training and sharing this special pup with us. 🐾
-
United Way of Greater Plymouth County Legislative Breakfast
Great morning sharing the great news at the United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s Legislative Breakfast that we earned a $1.18 million dollar federal grant to continue the work of our Drug Endangered Children Initiative.
We are grateful to our community partners, Dennis Carman and the UWGPC’s Family Center in aiding our efforts.
-
Norfolk Sheriff’s Department Youth Substance Use & Mental Health Task Force
Members of our Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force were invited to present to the Norfolk Sheriff Department’s Youth Substance Use & Mental Health Task Force.
Topics of discussion included the progress we have made here in Plymouth County with our Childhood Trauma Initiative. We talked about our Drug Endangered Children’s Initiative and the importance of our Handle with Care Program. Looking forward to partnering with Norfolk County on our State DEC Alliance.
-
DEC Alliance Meeting- January 2022
Sharing great news with our Plymouth County Drug Endangered Children’s Alliance group today.
We have secured a $1.18 million grant to bolster our efforts in enhancing the capacity of the county to respond to the trauma and ACEs that children are witnessing.
-
DEC Academy Training Kick-off
Kicking off our statewide training for more than 80 professionals from 11 counties in Massachusetts to address the needs of drug endangered children.
We are all working together to change the lives of children and stop cycles of substance use abuse.
Thank you National DEC for helping Massachusetts lead the way.
-
Childhood Trauma Initiative- Trauma Sensitive Training- Brockton Fire Dept.
District Attorney Tim Cruz presented a training to the Brockton Fire Department on childhood trauma.
First responders will now be able to recognize and respond to childhood trauma on-scene and will promote resiliency for children and families in the City of Brockton.
-
Handle with Care: National DECI- Planning meeting for DEC Academy
We are expanding our Handle with Care efforts and reach with the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. Through the Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force, our office is teaming up with Plymouth County Sheriff Joe McDonald, Worcester DA Joe Early, Bridgewater State University President Fred Clark and United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s Dennis Carman.
Committed partnerships drive success!
-
Handle With Care Program- Virtual Launch Plymouth Public Schools
Please join District Attorney Tim Cruz, Chief Mike Botieri, Dr. Chris Campbell, Melinda Kneeland and Ed Jacoubs as they announce the virtual launch of the Handle With Care Program in the Plymouth Public Schools.
-
MOVA- Trauma Informed Respose to aid drug endangered children during COVID
Sharing our work on Adverse Childhood Experiences and our office’s response during COVID-19.
We continue to adapt our methods so that our efforts will survive beyond the era of social distancing.
Thank you to Massachusetts MOVA for hosting this Zoom webinar.
-
Relaunch of the Handle with Care Program in Plymouth County
On February 25, 2021- District Attorney Tim Cruz kicked off the relaunch of the Handle with Care Program across Plymouth County.
District Attorney Cruz and the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) first implemented the “Helping Traumatized Children Learn” model as a pilot program in the Brockton Public Schools in 2008.
The goal was two-fold:
- To treat the child victims and witnesses of violence by treating their exposure to adverse childhood experiences.
- To prevent the next generation of abusers.
District Attorney Cruz and members of his staff trained the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice on the “Helping Traumatized Children Learn” model. In turn, the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice used the training to develop the “Handle with Care” communication protocol to help schools better identify students with ACEs.
West Virginia first implemented “Handle with Care” at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School in Charleston, WV in 2013.
Prior to this relaunch, the Handle with Care Program has been utilized in a several of our school districts across Plymouth County, under various titles. This relaunch now brings a cohesive county-wide approach to this program.
The way the Handle with Care program works:
If a law enforcement officer encounters a child during a call, that child’s information is forwarded to the school before the school bell rings the next day. The school implements individual, class and whole school trauma-sensitive curricula so that traumatized children are “Handled With Care”. If a child needs more intervention, on-site trauma-focused mental healthcare is available at the school.
-
Handle with Care Training- Brockton- February 1, 2021
Traditional support systems for children typically in place in a school setting look different this year.
Zoom training at West Middle School in Brockton today so that educators are armed with the latest tools to help kids succeed.
Thank you Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative.