CD-CP Acute Response and Consultation Service

As community-based police officers become more active and visible within their neighborhoods, they establish more frequent contact with at-risk children and families. Officers who walk the beat understand the rhythms and underlying dynamics of the communities they serve. However, this day-to-day contact can also bring additional personal burdens, including the risk of being overwhelmed by the problems they confront. Round-the-clock consultation services provided through CD-CP give officers a resource for information, guidance and the assurance of an immediate clinical response when a child is in distress. Staffed 24 hours a day by a team of experienced clinicians, the Acute Response and Consultation Service provides police officers with immediate assistance in the aftermath of a child's traumatic experiences.

Often joining police officers at the scene, CD-CP clinicians work directly with children and families who have been exposed to violent or potentially traumatic events to initiate psychological stabilization and provide education about the psychological impact of trauma on children. Police officers play a central role in these efforts: capitalizing on their role as representatives of control, authority and security, officers broker clinical services and work to enhance both physical and psychological safety in the wake of events that can leave children and their families feeling overwhelmed and helpless. In CD-CP best practice, officers and clinicians discuss pertinent aspects of a case and decide together on the most appropriate intervention. For instance, the timing of a clinical response may depend on issues of safety that require leaving the crime scene and relocating the children to another home or a police substation. In other instances, the involvement of child protective services is prerequisite to any clinical intervention, as children whose safety cannot be assured will not benefit from a therapeutic encounter. Attention to these matters advances the initial clinical goal of restoring a sense of safety and predictability and enhances the potential therapeutic effects of the police-mental health collaboration.

Following an acute consultation, the CD-CP team develops a plan for follow-up and arranges for implementation of this plan. Officers may arrange visits to the child’s home, neighborhood or school, and/or plan to engage the child in police-mentoring activities. Clinicians provide treatment recommendations, and may offer a range of outpatient clinical services, including individual, parent and family therapy, psychological assessment, and psychopharmacologic consultation, as appropriate. The CD-CP team may also coordinate:

Assistance with court orders of protection
Advocacy with prosecutors for increased bond, specific conditions of release, addition of charges, etc.
Coordination of information flow among police, prosecutor, probation, advocates and victims
Supportive contact with victims to assist in developing a greater sense of security and autonomy
Advocacy with other institutions to secure social services

The Acute Response and Consultation Service of the New Haven CD-CP is funded in part by the Connecticut Judicial Branch Office of Victims’ Services.

For additional information, call the NCCEV at 203-785-7047 or email nccev@info.med.yale.edu