On a late-summer evening, a trio sets out from the Manchester police station, armed with case folders, bulletproof vests - and colorful toys.
This is ACERT, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team, and there's nothing quite like it in the nation.
A partnership among Manchester police, YWCA New Hampshire and the Manchester Community Health Center, ACERT responds after incidents in which children have been exposed to traumatic events such as drug overdoses, domestic violence and other crimes. A few days later, a team visits the family to explain that services are available, including support groups, counseling, even art and equine therapy - most of them free of charge.
[For more on this story by SHAWNE K. WICKHAM, go to http://www.unionleader.com/bey...me-trauma---20180902]
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