1 / 27

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton. Supporting Girls Through the Justice System: a 25 year Retrospective. Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton. Theory of Change Draft 08302013 1 of 4. Impact Statement

selena
Download Presentation

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton Supporting Girls Through the Justice System: a 25 year Retrospective

  2. Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton. Theory of Change Draft 08302013 1 of 4 Impact Statement Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton provides trauma-informed and gender responsive resources, supports and programs to reduce the marginalization of women and girls.  Through innovation, collaboration and advocacy, we serve women and girls who are at-risk or are in-conflict with the law which reduces involvement with the criminal justice system. Context

  3. Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton. Theory of Change Draft 09052013 2 of 4 Strategies Outcomes Programs

  4. Highlighted Programs

  5. Marjorie Amos Residence • Marjorie Amos Residence is an open detention/custody facility located in the Peel community of Southern Ontario • Providing services to young women in conflict with the law between the ages of 12-18 years of age • Young women are sentenced or remanded to the residence by the Courts • Point of Entry- placement for all females in Central Region remanded in detention. • Marjorie Amos Residence has been providing residential and re-integrative services to young women for 25+ years

  6. Marjorie Amos Residence Mission Statement We believe it is necessary to provide a holistic and healthy environment for young female persons. The residence provides a therapeutic setting, which enables young women to develop the self-efficacy and life skills needed to address the issues which have brought them into conflict with the law, and to begin positive integration into the community.

  7. What services does the program provide? • A home environment where young women can explore life patterns, learn new skills and develop positive attitudes with respect to themselves and others in their community. • Provides the framework for young women to develop self-confidence, self-esteem and the interpersonal skills necessary for a balanced and successful life. • Includes the provision of food (open kitchen), shelter, educational upgrading, supervision and guidance, as well as, the promotion of physical, emotional, and social well-being. • Marjorie Amos is a level free system that is individualized, and based on the unique and diverse needs of each young woman. • The program seeks to build resiliency (positive adaptation in the face of adversity) in young women by strengthening protective factors and mitigating risk factors.

  8. Services Offered Education • Section 23 program is offered within the residence, which is based on independent learning- youth work at their own pace to acquire credits and certificates • Section 23 teacher is provided by the Peel Board of Education Therapy • Qualified family therapist from Family Guidance International-Shepell works with the youth and their families during their stay at the residence. • Mental health supports through collaboration. Health • Dedicated house Doctor • Health nurse available • Dedicated Recreation Worker In-House Programming • Numerous gender responsive programs available. Family • Connections to families, children and supports.

  9. Female Youth Reintegration Programs Our Vision To provide a holistic approach towards meeting the reintegration and outreach needs of girls. We work side by side with the youth as they respond to their life challenges. Through strong mentorship and support, we encourage safe and healthy decision making, nurture independence and life skills development, connect with community resources, advocate and work with families.

  10. A Closer Look …. • Our Individualized Plan • Provides: • Assistance with housing • Mentorship/Counselling • Employment • Education/School Advocacy • Pregnancy/Health Support • Parenting/Positive Role • Modeling • Budgeting • Safety Planning • Living Independently • Building Self Esteem • Navigating systems (community • resources, Ontario Works) • Building healthy relationships • Improving Decision Making • Family and Relationship Support • And More….

  11. Program Goals • Girls are able to successfully navigate life challenges. • Supportive and protective factors are strengthened for girls. • Girls have a strong sense of self-efficacy and optimism for the future. • Girls are more resilient- better able to cope with stress in effective ways and respond constructively to future adversity.

  12. Program Success Success!!

  13. What is an Attendance Centre? • The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton operates 2 Female Attendance Centres. One centre is located in Brampton and the other is located in Oakville/Milton and is a shared site with the John Howard Society, who provides services to male clients on alternate days. Male and female client populations are not present on the same days. • The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton’s Female Attendance Centres are the only gender-specific Attendance Centres in the Province of Ontario.

  14. Female Attendance Centre Overview • A non-residential community alternative for young persons in conflict with the law. • Girls participate in structured programming that addresses their identified risk/need . • An interactive, safe and non-stigmatizing environment for female youth, where they can effectively interact not only with staff, but with other youth. • Providing a comprehensive set of cognitive and evidence based behavioural programs and individualized support services to female youth. • Support and direction to develop pro-social attitudes, values, and social skills that will increase their ability to cope, self-manage, problem solve, and resolve conflict. • over 40 gender responsive programs, addressing the criminogenic factors and needs of young women.

  15. Other Programs of Interest • Empowering Against Exploitation • Building Resiliency in Girls • Girls In The Know • Youth Now • Court Support Services for Youth

  16. Gender Responsive Treatment needs of girls differ from those of boys. Programming must reflect an understanding of the realities of girls’ lives and be responsive to their needs and strengths (Covington, 2001). The service environment must be conducive to processes of therapeutic change, and be founded upon an understanding of girls’ psychological and social development, and trauma treatment.

  17. Female Pathways into Crime Girls Pathways into the Justice System: • Childhood sexual abuse • Domestic Violence • Conflicted family relationships • Family substance abuse • School failure • Poverty • Early teen pregnancy (A report by the American Bar and National Bar Associations, Justice by Gender: The Lack of Appropriate Prevention, Diversion, and Treatment for Girls in the Justice System)

  18. Gender Responsive Services for Girls Gender-responsive services for girls include the following essential components: • A theoretical perspective that incorporates girls’ pathways into the youth justice system; • Safe, supportive, and nurturing female-centred environment that encourages trust, bonding, and connection; • Programmatic approaches based on theories that fit the physiological, psychological, and social needs of girls; • A strength or asset based approach to treatment and skill building; • Staff that reflect the client population in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, the needed competencies to foster gender-sensitive environments; • Utilization of gender-responsive assessment tools and individualized treatment plans that match appropriate treatment with the identified needs/assets of each client; • Positive, gender-responsive workplace; • Therapeutic modalities and approaches (based upon relational theories) that address issues such as healing from physical, sexual and emotional abuse, family relationships, substance abuse, eating disorders, co-occurring disorders, assertiveness skills, and learning how to structure leisure time; • Opportunities to develop skills in a range of educational and vocational areas; • Female role models and mentors that reflect the racial/ethnic backgrounds of clients; • An emphasis on activities that focus on empowerment, self-respect, and self-efficacy; • Education and counselling related to health (pregnancy, nutrition, stress management, • HIV/AIDS, STDs), mental health (PTSD, depression); • Emphasis on parenting education, child development. (Based upon Bloom and Covington, 1998)

  19. Key Components of Gender Responsive Programming

  20. Gender Responsive in Practice All programs and services offered to females at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton are gender responsive as are our assessment tools.

  21. Structured Decision-Making Model™ for Girls in the Youth Justice System • The SDM™ is a gender-specific Risk/Need/Strength Assessment tool developed in collaboration with the National Council on crime and Delinquency, Children’s Research Center and licensed to the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peel-Halton. • The SDM™ is used to evaluate the presenting strengths and problems of each girl and her family and to systematically identify critical problems in order to plan effective interventions. • Previous experience shows that the SDM™ system can be effective at identifying girls by risk levels; targeting resources in accordance with the girl’s risk and need levels; and enabling administrators to monitor and revise practices, procedures, and programmatic approaches to ensure increased levels of community safety and efficient use of community resources. • The SDM™ was adapted to cross both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. (Guidebook for Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare System coordination and Integration, 2008.)

  22. What Works With Girls.. Trauma-informed services: • Take the trauma into account. • Avoid triggering trauma reactions and/or traumatizing the individual. • Adjust the behavior of counselors, other staff and the organization to support the individual’s coping capacity. • Allow survivors to manage their trauma symptoms successfully so that they are able to access, retain and benefit from the services. (Harris & Fallot)

  23. What Works With Girls… • Environment based on safety, respect, and dignity; • Policies, practices and programs that are relational and promote healthy connections to children, family, significant others, and the community; • Improve young women’s economic/social conditions by developing their capacity to be self-sufficient; • Address the risks and needs of young women through comprehensive, integrated, and culturally relevant services that are grounded in theory and evidence-based practices (research) that are multi-disciplinary; • Community supervision and reintegration with comprehensive, collaborative services. • Strong relationships between youth and staff are associated with better treatment outcomes (Horvath & Symonds, 1991; Stiles et al., 1998). The gender-responsive literature emphasizes that a focus on relationships is especially important for girls. • Healthy and supportive relationships among female youth in justice settings are best accomplished by single-gender programming. This helps to minimize competition among the girls for attention from male peers and enables an environment that is more amenable to personal disclosures and building of trust. • Program should be sensitive to the needs of female youth to process and/or have private time to cope with emotionally distressing events, such as court appearances, family visits, and phone calls. • Program policy and practices that facilitate the maintenance of important relationships. • Match girls with staff who can effectively respond to their needs and personalities. • Provide a mix of individual and group activities and programs. • Provide opportunities for girls to be connected with mentors. • Engage female staff members who are aware of their impact as a role model for girls, in terms of what it means to be a female, how to develop and live in healthy relationships. • Address relational aggression among girls within the program through policy and programming. ( Female Responsive Programming: A Report to Youth Justice Services- Dr. Jill Rettinger 2010)

  24. Guidelines for Building a Gender-Responsive Youth Justice System GUIDELINE 1 : ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK • Create a culture where gender issues are integrated into the organizational structure. GUIDELINE 2 : PROGRAM/FACILITY ENVIRONMENT • Create an environment that is physically safe; emotionally safe; and values being female. GUIDELINE 3 : PROGRAM DESIGN, PLANNING AND DELIVERY • Program models and service delivery must be holistic and have a gender-responsive program design • Use evidence-based intervention and appropriate assessment and intake • Provide a sense of control and plan services from intake through to the reintegration • Quality assurance and feedback. GUIDELINE 4 : MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Ongoing data collection- relevant individual and organizational outcome measurement. GUIDELINE 5 : PROGRAM AREAS OF FOCUS • Provide family counselling and intervention services • Academic, vocational, social and life skills programming • Address anti-social attitudes, self-respect and pro-social leisure time. GUIDELINE 6: ADDRESS HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL and EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING • Programs must address: physical and sexual health needs and issues; victimization and trauma; emotional and mental health issues; substance abuse; nutritional needs of girl; spiritual health and celebrations ( Female Responsive Programming: A Report to Youth Justice Services- Dr. Jill Rettinger 2010)

  25. Struggles • High turn over and short stays in residence • Lower numbers of girls means less funding and service cuts • Lower levels of violence- less of a risk to community= lower resources devoted • Lack of ‘buy in’ to gender responsive model • Advocacy and giving girls a voice

  26. What we have learned is important… • Gender responsive programs and services • Continuity of care • Lower numbers of girls means more in-depth and individualized care • Relationship and rapport building • Feedback from client informs practice • Strengthening of protective factors and mitigating risk factors • Program mobility • Increased access to services- especially mental health, childcare, housing and culturally appropriate supports • ‘Hand holding ‘and advocacy • Appropriate female role models and mentors • Trauma-informed • Increased self-esteem and resiliency • Guidance and problem solving • Providing learning opportunities • Individualized support necessary to assist in developing self-efficacy needed to be self-reliant • Collaboration within institutions and community • Giving girls a voice!!

  27. Contact Information • Deborah Riddle, Executive Director driddle@efrypeelhalton.ca • Lisa Zanon, Manager of Youth Residential and Reintegration Services lisaz@efrypeelhalton.ca • Jody Horzelenberg, Director of Youth Services and Program Development jodyh@efrypeelhalton.ca

More Related