Park City municipalities join hands for Handle with Care
Handle with Care provides rapid social support at school to children who have experienced a domestic violence incident at home. After a successful pilot, Handle with Care is being rolled out widely in South Limburg, with the support of the Province of Limburg. Parkstad is leading the way. On July 6, 15 administrators will sign the cooperation covenant Handle with Care Parkstad.
Signal at school
Studies show that an estimated 90,000 to 127,000 children in the Netherlands are victims of child abuse. In Parkstad, 164 and 166 Handle with Care signals were issued in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Often the outside world knows nothing. Handle with Care offers teachers a signal if a child's home has experienced a domestic violence incident where the police came to the door. This allows the teacher to offer additional support to the student the next day. The goal of this collaboration is to reduce the short-term and long-term effects of stress.
How does it work?
When the police have come to the door after a report of domestic violence, school teachers often know nothing about it. Therefore, when an incident of domestic violence occurs, a signal is sent to the school as soon as possible so that the teacher can support the child in a simple way. Even small gestures can make a big difference to a troubled child, agrees Jordy Clemens, Alderman municipality of Heerlen and ambassador of Movement Limburg against Child Abuse: "Sometimes a little extra attention from a teacher can mean the world to a child who has been through something intense. For me, Handle With Care is above all about the arm around the shoulder, the much-needed hug or a small but important conversation. In this way, too, we stand together for safe growing up.''
Park City municipalities join forces
The Movement Limburg against Child Abuse started two pilots Handle with Care in Heerlen (2017) and Maastricht (2019) several years ago. The conclusion based on these pilots was to secure Handle with Care in the municipalities of Heerlen and Maastricht and to roll it out across the other South Limburg municipalities that want to join in. All parties in Parkstad have indicated their willingness to participate. Separate cooperation covenants will be drawn up for the three sub-regions in South Limburg. Parkstad is leading the way in this. On July 6, 15 administrators of the municipalities of Beekdaelen, Brunssum, Heerlen, Kerkrade, Landgraaf, Simpelveld, Voerendaal, GGD Zuid-Limburg and educational organizations will sign the cooperation covenant Handle with Care Parkstad.
More information about Handle with Care can be found at Handle with Care (augeo.nl)