Transcript Main Presentation title: Subtitle of Presentation

Welcome to the Status Offense Reform
Center’s Webinar
As you get settled, please use the polling function
(on the right side of your screen) to signal your
affiliation.
A. Schools
B. Juvenile Court
C.
Probation
D. Law Enforcement
E.
Family/Youth
F.
Advocate
If you’re having technical
issues, please contact our
colleague Hergit Stringa at
(917) 359-8323.
G. Community Service Provider
Slide 1 • July 18, 2015
Why Families Matter –
Engaging Families for
Better Outcomes
Moderator:
Ryan Shanahan, Senior Program Associate, Vera’s Family
Justice Program
April 7, 2014
July 18, Slide
2015 2
The Status Offense Reform Center
• Vera’s Status Offense Reform Center (SORC)
• Funded and supported by the MacArthur Foundation, as part
of the Resource Center Partnership
• www.statusoffensereform.org
• Mission
• To help policymakers and practitioners create effective,
community-based responses for keeping youth who commit
status offenses out of the juvenile justice system and safely in
their homes and communities.
• What does SORC provide?
• A range of tools, resources, and information to help guide
system transformation
Slide 3 • July 18, 2015
Featured Resource: A Toolkit for Status
Offense System Reform
• Step-by-step guide outlining how to undertake a
status offense reform effort
• Module 1: Structuring System Change
• Module 2: Using Local Information to Guide System
Change
• Module 3: Planning and Implementing System Change
(coming this month)
• Module 4: Monitoring and Sustaining System Change
(coming soon – late Spring)
Slide 4 • July 18, 2015
Our Presenters
GRACE BAUER
Justice for Families
JENNIFER GUNNELL,
L.C.S.W.
SCO Family of Services
LGBTQ Program
Slide 5 • July 18, 2015
Family Justice Program
Vera’s Family Justice Program provides extensive
training and strategic support to government and
community partners to help them effectively draw on the
resources of families and communities. These systemic
interventions are designed to benefit people at greatest
risk of cycling in and out of the justice system.
The Vera Institute of Justice is an independent nonprofit
that combines expertise in research, demonstration
projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in
government and civil society improve the systems
people rely on for justice and safety.
Slide 6 • July 18, 2015
Family Involvement in System Reform:
Recruitment
• Incentives
• Create a youth / family council wherein youth
recruit other youth / families recruit other
families
• Go through known and respected social service
programs
• Community colleges
• Local businesses
Slide 7 • July 18, 2015
Family Involvement in System Reform:
Participation
•
•
Set the stage:
•
Non-judgmental atmosphere
•
No hierarchy / rotating facilitation
•
Convenient locations
•
Confidentiality and transparency up front
Draw out creativity:
•
Be prepared—have an agenda with framing
questions and room for flexibility
•
Family Café modeled after the “World Café”
Slide 8 • July 18, 2015
Family Involvement in System Reform:
Follow-up
• Ensure continued participation:
• Social media page for feedback
• Keep in touch
• Thank you cards
Slide 9 • July 18, 2015
FAMILIES UNLOCKING FUTURES
SOLUTIONS TO THE CRISIS IN JUVENILE
JUSTICE
A REPORT BY FAMILIES
ABOUT FAMILIES
Slide 10 • July 18, 2015
Research Conducted
More than 1,000 families surveyed across
the country
24 focus groups conducted
Nearly 300 media articles from 11 metro
regions reviewed
Literature review conducted examining
alternatives to traditional school discipline
procedures, court processing and
adjudications
Slide 11 • July 18, 2015
Summary of Findings
91% believe courts should involve families more in
decisions about their child
18% of families report system professionals as
helpful or very helpful
32% of families included in release planning
8 out 10 families not included in decision making
for child
3 out of 4 families experience serious impediments
to visiting
Slide 12 • July 18, 2015
Family Involvement Matters: The Evidence
 Maximizes kids chance of success

Lower rates of recidivism

Improved working conditions

Safer facilities

Brings relevant/missing information to the table

Increased options and resources

Reduced use of more costly and restrictive services

Families more likely to participate in treatment and
follow-up care
Slide 13 • July 18, 2015
Barriers/Challenges
Lack of Trust
Lack of
Value
No Common
Vision
Lack of Authentic
Dialogue
Slide 14 • July 18, 2015
Overcoming Barriers
Individual
Recognize
Assumptions/Biases
Challenge
Practice
Active Listening
System
Create Space
Invite
Prepare Staff
Provide Accommodations
Enlist Experts
Value Perspectives
Slide 15 • July 18, 2015
NOT Family Friendly
It is our belief that the vast majority of parents care about their
children, and parent them to the best of their ability. It is also our
belief that some parents, due to their life experiences, current
circumstances, skill level, socioeconomic status, degree of social
support, special needs of their children, and other factors, could
benefit from receiving additional information about effective
parenting (e.g., child development and the changing role of
parents), skill building, resources, and social support from both
professionals and other parents.
It is also our belief that the vast majority of children and
adolescents want to please their parents, and are looking to
them for love, approval, guidance, limit- setting, and consistency.
When these needs are not sufficiently met, children may display
problematic behaviors in order to call attention to these unmet
needs.
Slide 16 • July 18, 2015
Assess
Orientation
Video
Navigator
Guide
Community
Resource
Guide
Family
&
Youth
Rights
Family
Family
Friendly
Friendly
Language
&
Language
Continuously
&
Accessible
Continuou
sly
Accessible
Slide 17 • July 18, 2015
Assess: Through the Family Lens
 Family/Youth Input
 Family/Youth Evaluation
 Professional Development for Staff
 Expectations of families/youth are clear
 Family voice heard/valued in child’s case
 Communication/Visitation,
Flexible/Frequent
 Family Barriers Addressed
 Peer-to-Peer Support
 Training Opportunities for Family
Slide 18 • July 18, 2015
Family Solutions-Prior to Court
•Give families timely notification of court dates
•Establish public defender meetings with families prior to
court hearings as a jurisdictional best practice
•Hold court appearances when it is easier for families to
attend hearings
•Allow families to discuss their child’s case with probation
staff, and to participate in discussions over what
treatment, incentives/sanctions, supervision, or service
plan will be recommended to the judge
•Provide families with a clear and detailed orientation to
the language and procedures of the court process
Slide 19 • July 18, 2015
Family Solutions-Court
•Provide families an opportunity to speak
•Provide families a limited time window to know when
their case will be heard
•Eliminate burdensome fees and fines that hurt working
families
•Allow families to say goodbye to their loved ones when
a youth is sent to a residential placement
•Create a ‘jury duty’-like public service provision
excusing families from work duties
Slide 20 • July 18, 2015
Family Solutions, Family Voice
Adopt Family Bill of Rights
Right to Notification
Families have a right to be notified anytime significant decisions are
being made about their loved ones or questions are being asked
that could result in their child's suspension, expulsion, arrest or
prosecution.
Right to Participation
Families have a right to participate and give input in these critical
hearings and decision-making points. Given this right school
disciplinary and juvenile justice processes shall be conducted using
language and terminology families can understand.
Right to Peer Support
Families have a right to the support of a peer who can support and
assist families as they navigate too often hostile and exclusionary
school disciplinary and juvenile justice systems. A peer is someone
who has been through school disciplinary or juvenile justice
processes with their own loved ones.
Slide 21 • July 18, 2015
Family Solutions, Family Voice
Adopt Family Bill of Rights
Right to Contact
Families have a right to see and otherwise be in contact
with their loved ones. Thus, youth facilities shall be within
90 miles of the home, phone call costs shall not be
exorbitant and provisions shall be made to support family
visitation. Families shall not face fees and fines that
further increase the cost of having a loved one in the
system.
Right to Influence--Juvenile Justice Policy
Families shall be consulted and listened to when
determining youth justice policy and practice. Local, state
and national governments shall work to incorporate
family’s meaningful participation in determining the
direction of policy and practice.
Slide 22 • July 18, 2015
Justice for Families Report:
Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the
Crisis in Juvenile Justice
http://www.justice4families.org/download-report/
Slide 23 • July 18, 2015
Family Therapy Intervention Pilot
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Slide 31
Check out the “Disproportionate Impact” blog series on
the Status Offense Reform Center website to learn
more about how status offense systems impact youth
of color, girls and LGBTQ youth:
http://www.statusoffensereform.org/tag/disproportionateimpact
Slide 32 • July 18, 2015
Contact Information
@SOreformcenter
• Ryan Shanahan, Vera Institute of Justice
[email protected]
• Grace Bauer, Justice for Families
[email protected]
• Jennifer Gunnell, SCO Family of Services LGBTQ Program
[email protected]
Slide 33 • July 18, 2015
Questions???
Slide 34 • July 18, 2015
Audience Poll
How helpful did you find this webinar?
A. Very Helpful
B. Somewhat Helpful
C.
Not Helpful
Slide 35 • July 18, 2015
To access the Toolkit for Status Offense System
Change and other resources, visit the Status
Offense Reform Center at:
www.statusoffensereform.org
Thank you!
Find us on twitter! @SOreformcenter
Slide 36 • July 18, 2015