Goshen Township

The SHIELD (Strategic Home Intervention and Early Leadership Development) Program is a referral program designed to get youth the essential resources they need during difficult times in a timely and confidential manner. The goal of the S.H.E.I.L.D. program is to create a "One Stop Shop" way for youth to get the help they need in a comfortable and timely manner.

Although any student wishing to speak with Student Resource Officer James Taylor or another concerned adult is

welcome to use the program, the referral system is targeted specifically to those dealing with concerns such as:

Students may submit a concern as it relates to themselves, or someone they are concerned about. Anonymous submissions are accepted, but remember; in order to help we must have a way to contact the person in need.

The referrals are sent directly and exclusively to Officer Taylor (Program Coordinator) for review. If the situation calls for more than police and school based intervention, then it is forwarded to the S.H.E.I.L.D. Youth and Family Resource Team. The situation will be reviewed by the team, and the appropriate community and county agencies will then be contacted.

Confidential information Advisement: Members of the SHIELD Youth and Family Resource Team may disclose and exchange information to and with one another when engaged in the prevention, identification, and treatment of a youth in need. Any information received by an individual in the form of a referral shall be received in confidence for the limited purpose for which it was provided and shall not be further disseminated other than for the prevention and treatment of the youth referred.

There are several programs nationwide that follow a similar outline and action program as Goshen's SHIELD program. Our program is closely related to a Referral Process currently used in Westminister, California. The program was started by police in 1996. Police there are required to file a referral when they learn of family violence of any type, neglect or abandonment, gang activity, drug sales or usage, arrests made with associated alcohol abuse, or any other call for service where the welfare of a youth is at risk due to the behavior of anybody living in or frequenting a home.

Those reports are forwarded through departmental channels to the SHIELD Resource Officer (SRO). The S.R.O. then sends the student referral report to the Youth and Family Resource Team, a multidisciplinary unit including administrators from the local school district, nurses, drugs abuse prevention specialists, social workers, counselors from a community service provider, a recreation supervisor, the SRO, and a second officer with D.A.R.E. experience.

Experience has illustrated that this sharing of information leads to more appropriate treatment recommendations than any single agency could provide alone.