Handle With Care (HWC) Initiative promotes safe and supportive homes, schools and communities that protect children, and help traumatized children heal and thrive. HWC promotes school-community partnerships aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to trauma in their home, school or community receive appropriate interventions to help them achieve academically at their highest levels despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have endured. The ultimate goal of HWC is to help students to succeed in school. 

HWC programs support children exposed to trauma and violence through improved communication and collaboration between law enforcement, schools and mental health providers, and connects families, schools and communities to mental health services when needed.

The Handle With Care initiative allows police to notify schools if they encounter a school-aged child at a traumatic scene.  Notifications are made through a web-link as part of the Safe2Say Something platform.  No information is shared in regards to the details of the trauma the child may have been exposed to as this program is designed to treat all children with universal precautions as evidence demonstrates that everyone responds differently to trauma and all should be Handled With Care despite the perceived nature of the traumatic event. HWC has been launched county-wide as of October 1, 2021.

Luzerne County is committed to becoming a trauma-informed county and the HWC Initiative is an example of educating more partners on trauma, how it impacts individuals, especially when those impacted by trauma are children, along with putting practices in place to either prevent or improve the way we serve those impacted by trauma.

For more information on Handle With Care, please contact:

Joe Kloss, System of Care Project Director, 

(570)408-1332  

joseph.kloss@luzernecounty.org 

For information more specific to School District Employees, click link below:
Handle With Care for School Personnel - Video