WHOEVER SAVES A SINGLE LIFE…
Posted on 06/11/2021 @ 08:00 AM
WHOEVER SAVES A SINGLE LIFE…
...is considered by scripture to have saved a whole world.
(Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a)
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash
CAJE is always on the lookout for how to help our schools and their families. So what you read below, we hope, will one day save a life!
About two years ago, tragedy struck in one of our Federation-funded schools. A child that had been allegedly expelled from school and while home for a couple of months, he took his own life.
Upon hearing this news and upon further discussion with the principal of the school in question, Audrey Maman, Associate Director for School Markets, decided to put together a Family Resource Protocol, with the goal of averting another tragedy in the future.
As part of the Family Resource Protocol, she invited JAFCO’s Clinical Supervisor, Jessica Califf, and Clinical Team Leader, Shea Pucci, to give the day schools one-hour presentations titled Trauma-Informed Care for Educators.
The presentation covers the various types of trauma, abuse, and neglect as well as the symptoms and signs to look out for, the potential effects, and the different approaches an educator can take when faced with this type of situation.
CAJE has also started convening a new network of 17 school counselors/psychologists from Miami funded schools. The goal of this new network is to give the school counselors/ psychologists the opportunity to safely and confidentially share situations happening in their respective schools and get advice and suggestions from their peers.
Shea Pucci from JAFCO sits in on these meetings and offers recommendations for resources:
“These meetings offer a tremendous opportunity for all of us to support one another and find ways to better support our children and families with the various resources we each have in our repertoires. I look forward to continued time with this group and feel confident we will make a positive impact on a multi-systemic level as a team.“
More often than not, CAJE’s work with day schools is usually expressed through the medium of professional development.
But that’s not all CAJE does.
CAJE also convenes and networks education leaders, and implements programs and initiatives that only a “central agency” can do on behalf of the entire school community.
The Family Resource Protocol fits in the latter category.
Once we realized there was no other organization or entity to help families after a child is expelled from a school, CAJE jumped in to craft a solution.
We began by stating that trauma, abuse, neglect, depression—all of them are a part of Jewish community life, even though they are not as widely seen or known at times.
CAJE is taking the necessary steps to shed light on some of these more taboo topics in the hopes of saving another child’s life and proactively helping families find the resources they need to stay healthy.
One small step by CAJE will hopefully become a giant leap forward for the entire Miami Jewish community!
