Westminster, CA
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The Strategic Home Intervention and Early Leadership Development program was designed so the Police Department and community resources could work together in sharing information about minors who have been identified as having significant risk factors in their lives. These risk factors include being a victim of a crime or witnessing a crime in the home. In order to help children cope with these risk factors, the police and community resources work together to provide services tailored to fit their individual needs. The ultimate goal is to prevent the cycle of violence from recurring in the future of these children.
Program Overview
The SHIELD program is designed to utilize the contacts police officers make in the normal course of their duties to identify youth who are exposed to criminal behavior at an early age. Through collaboration with schools and community-based service providers, police strive to provide intervention for these youth minimizing the negative impact of their home environment.
Program Goals
The SHIELD youth referral program is designed to accomplish two goals. First, it is designed to utilize the contacts police officers make in the course of their normal duties to identify youth who are most likely to engage in delinquent behavior. These youth are identified as those whose are exposed to family risk factors including domestic violence and other criminal activities in the home. Second, through collaboration with community schools and service agencies, the SHIELD program is designed to provide different types of intervention for youth that are tailored to meet their individual needs.
Multidisciplinary Team
Once a case is identified as "possible at risk" by the officer in charge of the SHIELD program, the case will then be shared with the multidisciplinary team. The team will meet to discuss and plan a strategy for the family. The team will provide centralized expertise from several different community and school based services. The team is an integral part of the identification process as they evaluate children who have risk factors stemming from various types of abuse, violence, and traumatic experiences in their families. The team will coordinate efficient intervention strategies to be delivered in a systematic manner. The intervention services are voluntary and families are not required to accept any of the services.