Project Development and Deliverables
Although the project's scope has expanded since its inception, it is true to its original focus -- providing services and skills to juvenile justice professionals and professionals in related fields to guide their development. Discussion of the project's development and tasks follows.
Advisory Panel
To obtain guidance and input from field practitioners in the development of the project's products and services, APPA staff, in conjunction with CSAT and OJJDP project monitors, identified seven individuals experienced in juvenile substance abuse services, juvenile justice, training development and presentation, and youth advocacy. These experts were invited to APPA's offices in Lexington, KY, for two intensive weekend planning sessions to create and refine the following:
- A model for jurisdictions interested in developing a comprehensive plan for delivery of services to substance-involved youth in the juvenile justice system.
- A list of criteria necessary for the implementation of a successful juvenile justice/substance abuse program.
- An initial review process for the field-nominated innovative juvenile justice substance abuse programs.
- An outline for the three training seminars and their materials.
The committed participation of this multifaceted advisory panel contributed invaluably to the project's broad base of support and diverse and effective products.
Innovative Juvenile Justice/Substance Abuse Service Providers
The project's first task after the planning sessions was to send out nearly 1,000 nomination forms to representatives of the juvenile justice and substance abuse services communities requesting nominations of innovative juvenile justice programs serving substance-involved youth. The advisory panel received 93 program nominations ranging across the prevention-intervention-treatment spectrum. The programs ultimately chosen through collaboration among project staff, the OJJDP project officer, and the advisory panel -- The Bridge, Columbia, SC; In-Home Intensive Treatment and Supervision, Brooklyn, NY; Juvenile Assessment Center, Orlando, FL; Outdoor Intervention Program, Minden, NV; and Washakie County Youth Alternatives, Worland, WY -- also varied across this spectrum. Each program served a distinct population at a level appropriate to its needs and through a variety of means. Some were publicly operated; others were operated by private not-for-profit organizations or by public/private partnerships. The primary unifying characteristics across programs were that they served youth in the juvenile justice system and had surveyed and involved the community and related agencies in the development and implementation of their services. Their community and interagency involvement, combined with the delivery of quality services to the target populations, qualified these programs for consideration.
Training and Technical Assistance Materials
Project staff, with input from the advisory panel members, developed two manuals for participants in the Systems Development and Skills Development training seminars. They are:
- Developing a Collaborative and Comprehensive Plan To Provide Effective Substance Abuse Services for Juvenile Offenders (Systems Development).
- Working With Substance Abusing Youth: Knowledge and Skills for Juvenile Probation and Parole Professionals (Skills Development).
In addition, a trainer's guide was developed to accompany the Skills Development manual for use in the Train-the-Trainer program.
Training Seminars
The intent of each of the three training seminars developed under the auspices of this project is as follows:
- Developing a Collaborative and Comprehensive Plan To Provide Effective Substance Abuse Services for Juvenile Offenders (Systems Development). This seminar was designed to form a core planning group of juvenile justice and substance abuse providers from a single jurisdiction to develop a service delivery strategy for their unique population. The seminar advocated coalition development and community involvement in addressing the problem of providing services to substance-abusing youth in each jurisdiction.
- Working With Substance-Abusing Youth: Knowledge and Skills for Juvenile Probation and Parole Professionals (Skills Development). This seminar was designed for line-level practitioners who want to develop specific intervention skills to aid them in supervising at-risk or substance-abusing clients.
- Working With Substance-Abusing Youth: Knowledge and Skills for Juvenile Probation and Parole Professionals (Train-the-Trainer). This seminar was designed to provide professional trainers with the skills, methods, and materials necessary to replicate the skills development seminar.
Technical Assistance
Each core planning group participating in the systems development seminar was eligible to apply for followup technical assistance from APPA staff or outside consultants. Such assistance ranged from providing experienced practitioner consultants to help plan a juvenile drug court to facilitating stakeholder meetings to help a statewide planning group develop a collaborative approach to intervening with substance-abusing youth.
In addition to the systems development seminar, various jurisdictions at the county and State levels requested and were granted site-specific technical assistance, which primarily took the form of miniseminars on systems development modified to fit recipient needs.
Evaluation
To measure the behavioral and attitudinal effects of participating in the systems and skills development seminars, APPA distributed postseminar questionnaires to all participants. The results have been positive, reflecting an empowered and focused group of individuals applying the tenets they learned and practiced.
Many jurisdictions and practitioners representing substance abuse services, community corrections, and other interested parties and agencies have benefited from the direct involvement of APPA, CSAT, and OJJDP in presenting comprehensive solutions to the issue of substance-abusing youth involved in the juvenile justice system. As the training seminars are replicated, in part through participants in the train-the-trainer seminars, and project products are more widely distributed, it is expected that the number of participants will continue to grow.
| Previous | Contents | Next |