Anyone know the protocol in a situation like this? Is there daily counseling, counseling for relatives so they can best help Jayme during this time? Would LE ask that the relatives not share info that could assist with them building their case? Or does she just go home and everyone hopes that all do the right thing?
This honestly depends on the family and social workers initially involved.
Typically, a victim is assigned a victims advocate and/or social worker who becomes integral in advising services (counseling / therapy / family meetings, etc). I’ll be honest, there are some really good social workers that become part of the family, there are some families that reject them which can cause delays and quality of service issues and there are some that just aren’t good at their jobs.
I would hope that Jayme was assigned the best of the best.
Initially though, they would give Jayme recovery time that is mostly steered by her. Once she starts expressing interest in returning to school, or doing more every day activities etc. is when they’ll start being a little more insistent on speaking with trauma counselors. Also, if an amount of time passes (2-4 weeks is my experience ) and she’s NOT talking about those things or seems withdrawn or disinterested they would also intervene.
LE will likely start looking for her to talk to them within 7-10 days max if she hasn’t already. This will likely be done by a special officer trained in dealing with traumatized children. Likely in her home on her terms as much as possible and in small doses. This part is often tricky bc police need information but pressuring can be re-traumatizing.
The one thing that concerned me was the school saying they are ready for her return. They are not. They can’t possibly be. And in my opinion it was * absurd* to put that out there only days after her recovery. I hope Jayme doesn’t see it or feel pressured to return quickly if she’s not ready.
