At the recent Resilient Tennessee Collaborative Statewide Summit, Evangeline Watanabe, the statewide Handle With Care coordinator, highlighted the program's remarkable growth and impact on child welfare in Tennessee. Since taking over the initiative in March 2022, Watanabe has overseen an expansion from 16 to over 75 counties, demonstrating the program's increasing reach and effectiveness.

Handle With Care, originally launched in West Virginia in 2013, serves as a vital notification system that connects first responders with school districts when a child has been involved in a service call. This ensures that children receive trauma-informed support and resources, preventing them from falling through the cracks in the system. Watanabe emphasized the importance of a consistent statewide approach, which was established under her leadership.

In just one year, the program trained over 3,500 individuals in trauma-informed responses and the use of the notification system. The number of notifications skyrocketed from around 800 to over 2,500, excluding Metro Nashville, showcasing the community's commitment to the initiative. Watanabe credited local stakeholders for their dedication, stating, "The significant increase in notifications is almost entirely because of the work of the people in the local communities."

As Handle With Care continues to grow, Watanabe's leadership positions her as a national expert in the field, paving the way for further advancements in child welfare across Tennessee. The program's success underscores the critical need for trauma-informed care and the collaborative efforts of communities to support vulnerable children.