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Connecticut Juvenile Justice Strategic Plan Resource and Assessment Inventory Subcommittee

Connecticut Juvenile Justice Strategic Plan Resource and Assessment Inventory Subcommittee. June 16, 2005 Report to the Stakeholders Meeting of the Joint Juvenile Justice Strategic Planning Committee. Resource and Assessment Subcommittee Workgroups. Service and Programmatic Resources

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Connecticut Juvenile Justice Strategic Plan Resource and Assessment Inventory Subcommittee

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  1. Connecticut Juvenile Justice Strategic PlanResource and Assessment Inventory Subcommittee June 16, 2005 Report to the Stakeholders Meeting of the Joint Juvenile Justice Strategic Planning Committee

  2. Resource and Assessment Subcommittee Workgroups • Service and Programmatic Resources • Case Flow Process/Assessment Instruments • Current Initiatives • Community/Family/Youth Voices

  3. I. Service and Programmatic Resources Workgroup • Inventory of existing services available to juveniles in CT • Identification of initial findings based upon inventory • Preliminary recommendations for services enhancements

  4. Services Inventory“Resource Rich -- System Scarce” Initial Inventory: Impressive initial list of resources and services (350+) offered across the state (more to come from InfoLine) Needs: • more family-centered services during out-of-home placements • more step-down services resources • more truancy resources (prevention & services) Critical need: Continuum-of-care to serve the needs of more court-involved children

  5. Long waiting lists for services (e.g., MST, FT, S/A) Lack of accessible treatment for special populations (e.g., Spanish-speaking, sex offenders, gender-specific) Lack of funding for strengths-based, non-clinical programs (e.g., after school, weekends, life skills, mentors) Lack of meaningful workforce development (for children and staff) Initial Findings

  6. Preliminary Recommendations • Better access to continuum-of-care to serve more court-involved children • Emergency, short-term and other placement options for children with no home or other viable placement options (smaller residentials, group homes) • More bilingual/bicultural staff • More trauma-informed services • Earlier planning for transition from institutions to communities

  7. II. Case Flow Process/ Assessment Instruments Workgroup • Juvenile justice system flowcharts • Identification of system collaboration gaps and barriers • Proposed collaboration solutions • Inventory of screening and assessment instrumentation

  8. PROCESSING OF A FAMILY WITH SERVICE NEEDS CASE POLICE / SCHOOL ACTION DIVERT FROM COURT (no record) REFER TO COURT HANDLING DECISION NON JUDICIAL JUDICIAL DISMISS WITH WARNING SUPERVISION DCF FWSN Protocol PLEA HEARING SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL DENY DISCHARGE (auto erasure) PRETRIAL DCF FWSN Protocol SUSPENDED PROSECUTION SCHOOL VIOLENCE ADMIT NO AGREEMENT DISMISS (auto erasure) TRIAL SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL ADJUDICATED NOT ADJUDICATED (auto erasure) DISCHARGE (no record) PREDISPOSITIONAL STUDY & REPORT DISPOSITION HEARING REFER TO DCF VOLUNTARY SERVICES DISMISS WITH WARNING SUPERVISION COMMITMENT TO DCF 18 months (placement likely) DELINQUENCY

  9. Identified Gaps • Insufficient communication between and within agencies including CSSD, DCF & DOC • Unable to initiate new voluntary service cases for delinquent children • Information sharing impeded by actual and perceived statutory and policy restrictions • Inconsistent use of FWSN protocol among offices • Quality of legal counsel available for parents and children lacking

  10. System Barriers • Lack of seamless transition to the adult system for children who age out of the juvenile system • Roles between DCF, Probation and Court lack clarity • DCF becomes less involved once family enters the court process • DCF perceives its input as neither valued nor welcomed by the court • Unrealistic expectations of DCF by Probation and Court

  11. Suggested Solutions • Periodically review and update DCF & CSSD programs and policies • Implement regular cross-training to include judges • Clarify and, if necessary, change existing information- sharing statutes and policies to permit collaboration • Establish a notice/information-sharing protocol for when a probationer or committed person is arrested or appears in the adult court • Statutory changes needed to permit continued court supervision of FWSN and delinquent committed kids • Develop a protocol similar to FWSN for use in delinquency cases

  12. CSSD Screening/Assessment Instruments

  13. III. Current Initiatives Workgroup • Inventory of existing program and funding initiatives for juveniles in CT • Identification of jointly supported initiatives (DCF, CSSD, Advocates) • Recommendations for attention to priority populations in need

  14. Current Initiatives Inventory • Age of Jurisdiction (1) • Balanced and Restorative Justice (3) • Community Reintegration (2) • Deinstitutionalization (1) • Disproportionate Minority Contact (3) • Diverting Status Offenders (4) • Prevention (4) • Evidence-based Practice (4)

  15. Inventory (cont.) • Gender Specific Programming (Girls) (5) • Medical and Mental Health (4) • Substance Use/Abuse (9) • Prevention (5) • Research (5) • Trauma (1) • Youth Employment (2)

  16. Common Threads • Evidence-Based Practices • Gender Specific Programming (Girls) • Medical and Mental Health Issues • Prevention • Research Projects • Trauma Responsivity

  17. Special Populations in Need • Court-involved & at-risk girls • Status offenders (FWSN) • Minority youth (disparities) • Adolescents with mental health issues • High-risk adolescents, including youth who sexually offend

  18. IV. Community/Family/Youth Voices Workgroup • Series of community-based ‘listening sessions’ • Identification of community, family and youth issues • Recommendations for attention to locally identified needs

  19. Overarching Themes • Families need to be better informed • Need greater emphasis on ‘front-end’ services (prevention, early intervention) • Focus on job training, readiness and lifeskills • Schools, DCF & police need to coordinate to divert youth and identify mental health and other needs • Need culturally competent approach, and integration of traditional and non-traditional services

  20. Systemic Issues • Schools: develop greater flexibility, creativity, graduated sanctions and staff training • Judges: increase awareness of available alternative interventions • Police: increase parental involvement and coordinate better with DCF

  21. More Systemic Issues • Parents/Communities: community needs to band together; families need to be better informed • Mental Health: major need for services from prevention, early intervention to treatment from birth-to-three through adolescence • Reallocation of funds: reduce out-of-state placements to fund community services, mentoring, after-school, prevention

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