Dually Involved Youth Family Engagement

1. Dually Involved Youth Family Engagement Jennifer Wilds, CME System of Care Coordinator, Georgia Wraparound Trainer and Coach, Newton/Rockdale Suicide Prevention Coalition Laura Garnette, Chief Probation Officer, County of Santa Clara Elorie Stevens, Western Regional Intensive Placement Coordinator, Department of Children and Families Kristen Solaras, Family Support Specialist, Parent Professional Advocate League

2. Why? • “It is critical to engage the family, through the use of strength-based approaches, on behalf of dual status youth. This effort, undertaken at multiple levels of involvement, is foundational to effective multi-system reform. Also foundational is the principle and belief that families have strengths that can be tapped to successfully create change” • (Herz, D., Lee, P., Lutz, L., Stewart, M., Tuell, J., & Wiig, J. (2012)

3. The Work that We have Done: Utilizing a Framework for Analysis & Practice Improvements 1. Develop Leadership and Establish Governance & Management Structure 2. Study & Analysis a. Data b. Mapping c. Legal & Policy Analysis d. Resource & Assessment Inventories 3. Culture Change 4. Prevention 5. Family & Community Engagement 6. Policies, Procedures, & Practices a. Information & Resource Sharing b. Court c. Joint Assessment & Case Planning d. Case Management & Supervision e. Permanency & PYD To Impact: Identification Screening and Assessment Case Assignment Case Flow Management Case Planning and Supervision Interagency Collaboration Source: NCJJ/OJJDP, When Systems Collide: Improving Court Practices and Programs in Dual Jurisdiction Cases, Special Projects Bulletin, June 2004. 3

4. Development of Leadership and Management Structure • Commitment to the process • Value of the work • Value of working collaboratively to serve families and youth • Identification of collective outcomes • Healthy and productive youth and families: Our common denominator • Serving the collective community as well as our own agencies

5. Study and Analysis • Data – identification of target population, capacity, resource availability and gaps, court process, etc. • Mapping – where would families like to be able to share their voice in decision making? How well are our systems working together? • Legal and policy analysis – protection of rights • Resource and assessment – coordinated access to funding and resources

6. Culture Change Across Systems • Comprehensive system training including information sharing with parents • Embedding of effective Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process • Coordinated and integrated structure • Part of a continuum of community support • Following System of Care Principles • Diversion, diversion, diversion

7. Prevent Youth from Crossing Over • Thoughtful and comprehensive examination of policies and current practices • Engagement of law enforcement, school officials, foster and group home personnel • Exchange of information to enhance decision making

8. Hampden County Dually Involved Youth Process • April 2012, Hampden County received a technical assistance grant from the MacArthur Foundation and the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corp. • Through this grant, Hampden County implemented a multi-disciplinary team practice to address the needs of dual status youth. • The goals of this practice was to reduce the number of Dual Status Youth penetrating the Juvenile Justice System, reduce recidivism, and engage families in ways that empowers them and increases their participation in the process.

9. Dually Involved Youth Process Cont’d • Target population • A youth already involved with the Department of Children and Families; current investigation, Child Requiring Assistance, Voluntary Application, or Care and Protection and is arraigned on a delinquent offense.

10. Dually Involved Youth Process Cont’d • Dually involved youth identification process • Dually involved case conference • Who facilitates • Who is invited • How long is each conference • Plan/Recommendations • Who is responsible for doing what and by when • Dedicated docket session • One Judge • Who attends • What is reviewed

11. Family Engagement • Parent Brochure • English, Spanish and Russian • Process explanation • Contact Information • Parent Professional Advocate League (PPAL) • Case Managers Position (BHN) • Facilitation/Coordination and Follow-up

12. Family Engagement • Kristen Solaras, Family Support Specialist with the Parent Professional Advocacy League shares her story and her work with families with similar stories…

13. Dually Involved Youth Family Attendance From March 26, 2013 to March 31, 2015 we completed 278 case conferences with steadily increased in family participation.

14. Santa Clara County, CA Dually Involved Youth Initiative Laura Garnette, Chief Probation Officer RFK Practice Network Member

15. Initial Goals • To treat Juvenile Justice youth based on level of criminality, not system status • To improve outcomes for youth with dual system involvement

16. WHY focus on DIY??? • What is the impetus? • What are the “real” reasons? • What is the commitment? • What are possible unintended consequences and how do you mitigate them?

17. Mitigating Unintended Consequences • As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. Amy Poehler

18. HOW Are Good Decisions Made? • Good Collaboration: • Stakeholders from primary agencies meet and align interests; • Create political support; • Gather client input; • Gather community input; • Rely on existing policies and resources; • Final decisions are made by a few.

19. HOW Are Great Decisions Made? • Great Collaboration: • Stakeholders from primary agencies meet and align interests; • Create political support; • Clients, families and communities are at the center of decision making – including informing policy, practice and allocation of resources; • The focus is on educating and understanding one another; • Final decisions made by all = True Shared Decision Making!

20. Who is at The Table? • Departmental Directors • Judges • Attorneys from all relevant agencies • Youth and Parents • Director of African BH org’n • Compadres Network • Leader of over 200 community based agencies • Juvenile Justice Commission • Others

21. What’s the Magic??? • Shared decision making • Shared risks • Shared success • Trust clients to make decisions that impact their lives • Meet people where they are – peers, community and clients

22. Santa Clara County MDT Example

23. Current Data • Of ALL youth referred to Probation: Sixty-six percent (n= 245) of target youth have a child welfare history. In total, the 164 unique youth received 845 child welfare referrals • Youth treated in the DIY unit had: • Increased school attendance and improved school behavior • Reduction in the number and severity of new criminal offenses • Disclosure about CSAC and substance abuse increased • 434 staff trained on DIY and policies and procedures

24. Takeaways • Youth, families and community have to be the hub of any successful strategy • Shared risks and shared successes • DIY work is complicated…. • DIY work is challenging…. • DIY are resilient and amazing • DIY are worthy of and deserving of our best efforts

25. Sources of Information • Tuell, J. A., & Wiig, J. K. (2012). Dually Involved – Crossover Youth: Implementing Reform to Improve Outcomes [PowerPoint slides]. • Herz, D., Lee, P., Lutz, L., Stewart, M., Tuell, J., & Wiig, J. (2012) Addressing the needs of multi-system youth: Strengthening the connection between child welfare and juvenile justice. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, and Boston: RFK Children’s Action Corps.