Take Care Delaware for Law Enforcement

1. Determine Whether Children Are Present:

• Name
• Age
• Relationship to parties
• School
• Demeanor
• Present during incident?
• Physically harmed

2. Health & Safety Checks on Children:

• Visual Observation
• Asking the Child
• Determine if Treatment is Necessary
• Mandated Reporting to DFS

3. Talking With Children About the Incident – as appropriate to the law enforcement investigation

4. Avoid Interviewing Witnesses in the Presence of Children

5. Follow-up Interviews

6. Documentation – Child’s name, age and school should be documented by the responding officer

7. Avoid, if possible, Subduing or Arresting Someone in the Presence of Children

8. Separating Children from the Care Giving Parent/Guardian- should be done with care

9. Resources; Provide parent/guardian information:

Victim Resources – 1-800-VICTIM1
https://www.delawarevictimservices.org/

10. Quarterly Take Care Delaware Core Team Meeting:

At least quarterly, key stakeholders will review and evaluate TCD and make recommendations for improvement as necessary.

• Law Enforcement
• School
• Advocates
• Counselors
• Case workers
• Community partners
• Parents
• Others

The Team will assess the following to determine the effectiveness of TCD: academic achievements; truancies; and disciplinary reports. The meeting will not focus on specific cases.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Domestic Violence Resources:
Domestic Violence Coordinating Council:
https://dvcc.delaware.gov/victim-service-resources/

Delaware Victims’ Rights Task Force:
https://www.delawarevictimservices.org/

Domestic Violence Hotlines:
New Castle County – 762-6110
Northern Kent County – 678-3886
Kent and Sussex – 422-8058
Abriendo Puertas (Bilingual) – Sussex County – 745-9874

Sexual Violence Resources:
24-Hour Rape Crisis Hotlines:
ContactLifeline- Kent/Sussex Counties
1-800-262-9800
https://www.contactlifeline.org

YWCA (SARC) Sexual Assault Response Center- New Castle/Sussex Counties
1-800-773-8570
https://www.ywcade.org/sarc

Handle With Care - Roll Call Video from Handle With Care on Vimeo.

Reference: West Virginia Model Protocol: Law Enforcement On Scene Response to Domestic Violence When Children Are Present