An introductory section traces the development of American juvenile justice practices from incarceration in adult jails through treatment efforts in a separate justice system for delinquent youth. The more recent approach of diverting from the courts youths who have been charged with status offenses or with minor law violations is discussed with special emphasis on the role of the court intake officer. Model statutes adopted from the Model Children's Code are presented, focusing on investigation by the children's court counselor, informal adjustment, and informal conferences. The statutes provide a set of written standards to guide tribal decisionmakers. Suggestions for building a viable community-based treatment program are offered, and particular attention is given to the planning stage. The elements of the project worksheet (a simple approach to planning), are described. These include a statement of need, identification of goals and objectives, lists of activities and resouces, and an evaluation design. In a detailed discussion of the evaluation of juvenile programs, five levels of evaluation are considered, including monitoring, process description, outcome description, measurement of effectiveness, and systems impact. A final section describes a number of diversion programs operating in various parts of the country. The names and adresses of contact persons and funding information are provided, and a 13-item bibliography is included.