Chelsea Police Department 2012 Annual Report | Page 35

PACT Police Action Counseling Team

The Police Action Counseling Team (PACT) is a team of mental health clinicians who collaborate with Chelsea Police officers. Officers identify children at the scenes of police calls. Once physical safety is established, MGH clinicians provide urgent, intervention to these children who are victims of or witnesses to violence or other trauma. The goal of PACT interventions is to lessen the impact of traumatic experiences on children’s health and mental health. Immediate interventions aim to facilitate children’s active participation in their own well-being and to increase parental knowledge of the symptoms and longer effects of trauma on children. Chelsea police officers collaborated with PACT clinicians on 80 cases in FY2012 regarding children exposed to violence in the community. Among the PACT cases, 81 percent of reports of suspected abuse or neglect (51-A’s) were filed by police (a 44% increase since 2008). PACT clinicians spoke directly with 60 families (75 percent of cases) either on the phone or in person and provided 102 referrals to 63 percent of these families. PACT provided face-to-face interventions to 38 families.85% of these cases involved a child exposed to violence. PACT discussed safety planning with 68% of these families. Emergency restraining orders were issued to 42% of domestic violence cases. Anna Maria College - Provided training to over 120 social workers, police officers, health care and education professionals on the theory and practice of interdisciplinary, community response to promote healthy development in children affected by violence. Vera Institute- Met with representatives of Vera Institute regarding police and mental health collaboration around the Newcomer Program for immigrants and refugees.

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