Improving Outcomes for Minnesota Youth that Crossover between Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice

• Identify Key Early Activities for SuccessIdentify Key Early Activities for Success

• Provide an in-depth overview of Phase One of Provide an in-depth overview of Phase One of the Crossover Youth Practice Modelthe Crossover Youth Practice Model

• Provide an Interactive Discussion Provide an Interactive Discussion Opportunity for Participating MN CountiesOpportunity for Participating MN Counties

• Identify Immediate Next Steps and a Plan for Identify Immediate Next Steps and a Plan for ActionAction

Meeting Goals & Objectives

• Organizational Change / System Collaboration

• Infrastructure

• Leadership

• Data

Considerations When Implementing

The Crossover Youth Practice Model

The initiative must have a clear management structure to support the reform/change process through all of its phases.

The management structure should:

• establish the governance and decision-making processes• identify goals, objectives & desired outcomes• determine staffing and funding• designate working teams or committees, and• establish timelines

Initiating the Process

Who & what agencies/entities do we need as stakeholders?

• Youth/Parents

• Judiciary (e.g. judges, masters, court administrator)

• Juvenile justice (e.g. intake, probation, corrections)

• Child welfare (e.g. investigation, intake, case managers, permanency)

• EducationRepresentatives from the local school district (depending on the size of the area) and/or school district w/highly concentrated number of the target youth

• Mental health and substance abuse treatment providers

• Law enforcement (local police and school resource officers)

• Attorneys Prosecutors and attorneys representing the state in dependency proceedingsDefense attorneys and counsel representing children in dependency proceedingsYouth attorneys

• CASA and Guardian ad litem

Key Practical Initiation Issues

• Routine meeting schedule

• Identify a specific manager /coordinator

• Establish team goals and objectives that are mutually agreed upon by all parties on the team(e.g., MOU, MOA, Charter)

• Understand that struggle is part of the refining process

Formalizing the Function

Critical Role of Data Collection

• Establishes Method for Routine Capacity to ID Youth

• Establishes Prevalence • Supports ID of Target Population Characteristics

• Builds Capacity for Ongoing Prevalence & Performance Measurement

Crossover Youth – Definitions

1. Youth has an Open Child Welfare Case

Youth is Arrested

Enter the Juvenile Justice System

2.Youth has an open child welfare case

Child welfare case is closed

Youth is arrested

Youth enters the juvenile justice

system

3. Youth is victim of maltreatment but it is undetected by CW system

Youth is Arrested

Youth Referred to the Child Welfare

System

4.Youth is arrested and put in a correctional facility

Youth is released from the facility but family abandons

him/her

Youth referred to the child welfare

system

Pathways to Becoming a Crossover Youth

Early Considerations / Opportunities: • Where does crossover occur most likely?

(i.e. particular child welfare placement or case type)

• What supports that can be put in place when at-risk for

delinquency behaviors are identified?

• Are there particular providers that have a higher incidents of police calls and/or arrest?

Prevention / Early Intervention

1. In order to help families understand what is happening to them, the CW social worker-JJ case worker team is expected to meet with the family together and describe in detail how the two systems will seek to work as partners.

2. In addition, the team is encouraged to have some form of written documentation (i.e. brochure, family guide) that describes the way that the two systems will work together to serve their youth and their family.

Definitions of terms used in each system Description of the system’s process and accompanying

timeframes Descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of the social

worker and the probation officer Supports that the family and youth can expect from each

system Expectations of the family and youth

CYPM Practices

3. Throughout the Practice Model there are times when family meetings or multi-disciplinary teams are used to support the various decision-making processes outlined below:

• During the diversion process (Phase I, Practice Area 1); • Prior to the court hearing (Phase II, Practice Area 1-4); • During assessment and case planning (Phase II, Practice

Area 2-3); • During the ongoing assessment of progress (case plan

review) process (Phase III, Practice Area 4); and • During all permanency and transition planning (Phase III,

Practice Area 5).

CYPM Practices

4. Disproportionality- focus on this issue by:

Developing cultural awareness and to scrutinize our own feelings and beliefs about ethnic and racial groups other than our own;

Understanding that what is important is recognizing and acknowledging these stereotypes and biases. Lack of understanding of how these biases are impacting your practice can create barriers to service deliver and each barrier could represent a lost opportunity to help;

Respecting the client’s perspective; Avoiding judgment from bias, stereotypes, or cultural myths

and; Asking the family to explain the significance culture has for

them, especially regarding family traditions, youth rearing and discipline practices, spiritual beliefs and traditions.

CYPM Practices

5. Create protocols that specify how client information databases can be searched to identify crossover youth.

6. Create a memorandum of agreement that describes the ability of child welfare and juvenile justice staff to share information about youth and families involved in both systems. These agreements may also include sharing of educational and behavioral health information.

7. Utilize validated screening and cross system assessment tools that can be used while the youth is in detention.

Phase I, Practice Area 1: Arrest, Identification and Detention

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8. Conduct diversion meetings and pursue strategies to reduce youth crossing over into the juvenile justice system.

9. Partner on identifying and funding prevention services to ensure that crossover youth have access to services funded by both systems.

Phase 1, Practice Area 2: Decision Making Regarding Charges

* Gap Analysis* Phase I Implementation Plan