Bring ACERT to Your Community
Program Critera
ACERT is a prevention and intervention program focused on mitigating the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences through law enforcement and first responder initiation. It is recognized that not all communities are the same and implementation practices that work for one community will not work for another. Consider the following guidelines in determining whether your community is networked to incorporate an ACERT:
Core Components
CORE TEAM
Develop a community response team with the local police department (and other first responders as appropriate) and at least one (preferably two) community partners to provide team staff.
CHILD-ORIENTED PROVIDERS
Have a network of child-oriented providers who will offer trauma-informed behavioral health services. Partners must be willing to participate in trainings on how to be trauma-informed providers.
PREVENTION & MITIGATION
Have a shared focus on prevention and mitigation of negative adult health and behavioral outcomes
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Have a connection with community partners who have a shared vision of addressing ACEs.
TRAUMA INFORMED TRAINING
Provide trauma-informed training for police, other first responders, ACERT staff, and provider network.
REFERRAL MECHANISM
Have a system for identifying the needs of the child and family and a referral mechanism for connecting them to the appropriate community providers. Develop clear and consistent relationships and protocols to include MOUs, standard release, and well-defined processes of communication.
DATA COLLECTION
Have a process for data collection. Must include:
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Types of Victimization/Crime
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Ages of Children
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Number of Children Contacted
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Number of Children Referred (release signed)
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Number of Team Deployments
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Other Demographic Information (as appropriate/feasible)
VALID NEED FOR ACERT
Ability to provide police department generated data for 6-12 months re: children exposed to traumatic incidents (at a minimum domestic calls), in order to validate the need for ACERT.
ONGOING DATA COLLECTION
Agree to ongoing data collection of key indicators (Listed in "Core Components") during pilot period.
COMMITMENT TO TRAINING
Commitment to offering trauma-informed training, by a qualified instructor, for all police officers (And other first responders if applicable), ACERT members, and provider network.
REGULAR MEETINGS
Establishment of regular meetings (monthly during planning and initial implementation phases; bimonthly or quarterly after 3-6 months of implementation) of ACERT planning and review committee for quality assurance purposes.
ACERT 101 INTRO PRESENTATION
Participate in an ACERT 101 Introduction Presentation by the ACERT Technical Advisory Center. Participants must schedule an appointment. To ger in touch with a member of our team please submit an inquiry below.
Community Readiness Indicators
Next Steps
If the ACERT model seems like a good fit for your community, please review the ACERT Readiness Checklist and ACERT Community Expansion documents. If you have a general question or would like to schedule an ACERT 101 Introduction Presentation, please submit an inquiry below and a member of our team will reach out to you with guidance on next steps.