Slide 1 September 23, 2015 Welcome to the Status Offense Reform Center’s Webinar As you get...

Slide 1 • April 19, 2023

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

G.Community Service Provider

If you’re having technical issues, please contact our colleague Hergit Stringa at

(917) 359-8323.

Slide 2

Why Families Matter – Engaging Families for

Better Outcomes

Moderator: Ryan Shanahan, Senior Program Associate, Vera’s Family

Justice Program

April 19, 2023

April 7, 2014


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


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)


Our Presenters

GRACE BAUER

Justice for Families

JENNIFER GUNNELL, L.C.S.W.

SCO Family of Services LGBTQ Program


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.


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


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”


Family Involvement in System Reform: Follow-up

• Ensure continued participation:

• Social media page for feedback

• Keep in touch

• Thank you cards


FAMILIES UNLOCKING FUTURES

SOLUTIONS TO THE CRISIS IN JUVENILE

JUSTICE

A REPORT BY FAMILIES

ABOUT FAMILIES


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


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


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


Barriers/Challenges

Lack of Value

Lack of Authentic Dialogue

No Common Vision

Lack of Trust


Overcoming Barriers

Individual

Recognize

Assumptions/Biases

Challenge

Practice

Active Listening

SystemCreate SpaceInvitePrepare StaffProvide AccommodationsEnlist ExpertsValue Perspectives


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.


Assess

Family Friendly

Language &

Continuously

Accessible

Family Friendly

Language &

Continuously Accessible


Assess: Through the Family Lens

Family/Youth InputFamily/Youth EvaluationProfessional Development for StaffExpectations of families/youth are clearFamily voice heard/valued in child’s caseCommunication/Visitation, Flexible/FrequentFamily Barriers AddressedPeer-to-Peer SupportTraining Opportunities for Family


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


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


Family Solutions, Family VoiceAdopt 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.


Family Solutions, Family Voice

Adopt Family Bill of Rights

Right to ContactFamilies 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 PolicyFamilies 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.


Justice for Families Report:

Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice

http://www.justice4families.org/download-report/

Slide 24Family Therapy Intervention Pilot

Slide 25

Slide 26

Slide 27

Slide 28

Slide 29

Slide 30

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/disproportionate-impact


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]


Questions???


Audience Poll

How helpful did you find this webinar?

A.Very Helpful

B.Somewhat Helpful

C. Not Helpful


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

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Slide 1 September 23, 2015 Welcome to the Status Offense Reform Center’s Webinar As you get...

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