inter-agency collaboration: an innovative transition practice

Inter-agency Collaboration: An Innovative Transition Practice

Introductory Remarks Simon Gonsoulin, Director, NDTAC

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About NDTAC

Neglected-Delinquent TA Center (NDTAC)

Contract between U.S. Department of Education and the American Institutes for Research John McLaughlin,

Federal Program Manager, Title I, Part D Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk Program

NDTAC’s Mission: Develop a uniform evaluation model

Provide technical assistance

Serve as a facilitator between different organizations, agencies, and interest groups

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Webinar Agenda

I. Introduction (Leslie Brock, NDTAC) (10 minutes)

II. North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Transition Model (Jane D. Young, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, NC Department of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention) (20 minutes)

III. Transitions: Serving Adjudicated Youth in Public Education (Tim Canter, Community Transition Specialist, Springfield Public Schools, OR) (20 minutes)

IV. Open Q & A (20 minutes)

Introduction to Collaboration in TransitionLeslie Brock

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EDJJ Definition of Transition

“A coordinated set of activities for the youth, designed with an outcome-oriented process, which promotes successful movement from the community to a correctional program setting, and from a correctional program setting to post-incarceration activities”

---Heather Griller-Clark (2006)

7Characteristics of Effective Transition Systems

• Coordinated service offerings

• A transition coordinator or specialist

• Transition plans created at first contact

• High levels of youth and family involvement

• Culturally sensitive practices

• High levels of agency involvement

8Characteristics of Effective Transition Systems

• Strong court involvement

• Agencies and schools work together

• Knowledgeable and well-trained staff

• Sufficient funding

• Well-designed tracking and monitoring system

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Defining Collaboration

Stages to Collaboration

Coexistence Communication Cooperation Coordination Coalition Collaboration

— Organizations have limited awareness of others

— Knowledge development and decision-making is done independently

— Aware of organization

— Loosely defined roles

— Little communication

— All decisions are made independently

— Provide information to each other

— Somewhat defined roles

— Formal communica-tion

— All decisions are made independently

— Share information and resources

— Defined roles— Frequent

communica-tion

— Some shared decision-making

— Shared ideas— Shared

resources— Frequent

and prioritized communica-tion

— All members have a vote in decision-making

— Members belong to one system

— Frequent communication characterized by mutual trust

— Consensus is reached on all decisions

Adapted from:Frey, B. B., Lohmeier, J. H., Lee, S. W., & Tollefson, N. (2006). Measuring Collaboration Among Grant Partners. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(3), 383–392.Houge, T. (1993). Community‑based collaboration: Community wellness multiplied. Bend, OR: Chandler Center for Community Leadership. Retrieved on May 26, 2008, from http://crs.uvm.edu/nnco/collab/wellness.html

10Moving Towards Collaboration: Innovative Practices

• Involve all pertinent agencies in the transition process

• Use team-based transition planning

• Institute formal agreements

• Establish regular and consistent communication with the youth and family

• Build relationships with community, businesses, and professional organizations

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New Resource from NDTAC!

Transition Toolkit 2.0: Meeting the Educational

Needs of Youth Exposed to the Juvenile Justice

System

Innovative practices at each stage of transition:

entry, residence, exit, aftercare

Each stage also includes practices specific to records transfer and family involvement

Self-Study and Planning Tool

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Other Resources from NDTAC

• Transition Toolkit 1.0

• Transition library page

• Transition Toolkit 2.0

• Mentoring Toolkit

For these and other resources, please visit NDTAC’s website:

http://www.neglected-delinquent.org

Leslie Brock lbrock@air.org (650) 843-8107

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Presenters

Jane Young, Ph.D., Superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Tim Canter, Community Transition Specialist at Springfield Public Schools, Oregon

Facilitator: Leslie Brock, NDTAC Technical Assistance Liaison

North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Transition Model

Presented by:Jane D. Young, Ph.D.Superintendent of SchoolsNC Department of Juvenile Justice &

Delinquency Prevention

September, 2008NDTAC Webinar

Overview and Introduction

Three Stages of Supervision and Services for Juveniles Assessment Commitment Programming Post-Release Supervision

Efforts to have a seamless delivery system

Assessment and Treatment Planning

We can’t know where we’re goingWe can’t know where we’re going if we don’t know where we are!if we don’t know where we are!

Education Assessments Woodcock-Johnston III Hearing and vision screening Educational Screening and Records (requested by the court counselor)

Medical and Mental Health Assessments At the conclusion of all assessments, a planning conference

is held that involves the juvenile, family, court counselor, teachers, and social worker.

Community Connections

Role of the Court Counselor

Supervision

Continuity of Services

Communication

Specifics

Communicating/Inquiry/Counseling Planning and implementing the plan Assigning clear responsibilities Follow up

Tip: IntraTip: Intra-agency communication is as important -agency communication is as important

as as interinter-agency communication-agency communication

Written policy

Example from policy:When the Facility Director has approved the juvenile’s release,

the assigned Social Worker shall contact the Court Counselor to schedule a mutually agreeable date for the post release supervision planning conference and provide written notification to the court that ordered the commitment stating that release planning has been initiated.

Tip: Be clear in policy about expected steps.

Written policy

Each juvenile has a “Scholastic Development Plan” (Form YC 047) that provides a blueprint for the juvenile’s educational program and a basis for evaluation of juvenile progress.

Each juvenile should have an “Individualized Treatment Plan” (Form YC 028) that provides a blue print for the juvenile’s treatment programming and a basis for the evaluation of the juvenile’s progress.

Tip: Policy must be clear about what documentation is required.

Planning

Individually address the goals and needs of

juveniles and their families. We believe the latter is very important for

students who are minors. For example, transportation issues and supervision issues need to be addressed with the family.

Written policy

From policy: The transition plan must address, at a minimum:

1. Academic re-entry goals;

2. Career and employment goals; and

3. The recommended educational placement for the juvenile. Tip: Be specific. Do not assume that everyone is

knowledgeable about options for students.

A process, not a program

ExampleExampleCommunicating/inquiryCommunicating/inquiry: 16 year old student who last

finished eighth grade in public schoolPlanning and Implementing the PlanPlanning and Implementing the Plan: In what course

of study should the student enroll?….

PlanningPlanning: what happens after he earns a credential?Implementing the PlanImplementing the Plan: Who will do what?

Planning and Implementing

Planning:

If he/she earns a GED while in commitment status, what are the options for employment or further education upon re-entry?

Implementing

Who is responsible for this work? [Refer to policy if there are any questions.]

Tip: put it in writing!Tip: put it in writing!

Efforts to communicate

Quarterly parent newsletters written by educators

Leadership meetings among Education and Clinical staff in the agency

Attendance at “regular” education meetings at the state level

Resources in NC

Community college scholarship program School re-entry portfolio NCWise (online student information system) Juvenile Justice is an LEA

TipTip: communicate regularly and develop relationships with : communicate regularly and develop relationships with colleges and State Education Agencycolleges and State Education Agency

Web resources

ncdjjdp.org | The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Contains policy, forms, monthly teacher newsletter (“Teacher Talk”), and links to education websites

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Questions?

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Transitions:Serving Adjudicated Youth in

Public Education

Tim Canter, Community Transition Specialist,

Springfield Public Schools

Community Transition Specialist

Mentor

Teacher

Employment Specialist

Advocate

Attendance Tracker/Grade Tracker

Court Worker

How It Works

Employed by the School District

Funding through IDEA

Assigned at the Juvenile Department

Receives referrals from both the district and Juvenile Case Workers

Reports directly to the Director Level

Works with PO’s, Teachers, Administrators, SPED Case Managers, Families, Counselors and Everyone else

What I Do

Pre-Release

Immediate Post Release

Post Release

On-Going Support

Goal Areas

Education

Transportation

Recovery

Employment

Interests/Fun Things

Post High School Plan

Project Support

Was a partnership between the Springfield School District, University of Oregon and the Oregon Youth Authority

The project was grant funded

When the grant ended the position was continued due to its success

Traces:

Was a 5 year study conducted by Mike Bullis and others in 2002

The study found that youth with disabilities were 2 times more likely to re-offend

It also found that the transition out of closed custody facilities were more likely to fail when a youth had a disability

How do we work together

Successful transitions require communication and the ability as well as the desire to work together

Relationships between agencies as well as staffs are the back bone of success

CONFIDENTIALITY, Uh Oh

Get signed releases as soon as possible

Understand what is public information and what is not

Include all parties: Probation, Parole, Schools, Treatment Providers and other agencies as required

Develop streamlined approaches to the transfer of records

FERPA

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

Yes FERPA was updated in recent years to allow more sharing of information between Juvenile Justice and Education

In 1994 the Improving Americas Schools Act was passed

Teams

Form multidisciplinary teams

Allow those teams to share information

Be inclusive

Be open to new ideas

Look at established modules but make it your own

Lane County

In Lane County we have partnered in several ways

It starts with Administrators, Directors and Superintendents

Once there is support, select key staff

Draft a plan

Update the plan

Programs

The following are programs that have been formed in Lane County. If you have questions about them at a later date feel free to contact me at tcanter@sps.lane.edu

Educational Transition Team

Formed this year

Includes 3 school districts

Assigned staff are Transition Specialists and School Administrators

Meet weekly at the Juvenile Department

Discuss best placements and student supports

Is open to Juvenile Justice staff

RAP Court

Juvenile Drug Court

Staff include: Juvenile Court Judge, Probation Staff, Defense Attorney, Treatment staff, Educational Staff, Psychological Services Staff and a Mentorship program

Meets weekly

Springfield Supervision Team

Probation Staff

Intake Staff

Educational Staff

Meets weekly

MLK Jr. Education Center

Alternative School Program

Located at the Juvenile Justice Center

Supported by County, ESD, WIA, DOL and school district staffs

Other Ideas

Schedule both formal and informal meetings

Remember the spirit as well as the law when it comes to IDEA

Use the IEP process, You may need more than one meeting per year

Use Transition Plans and assessments as tools, not just sections to complete

Do whatever you can to keep youth involved

Thank You

Timothy Canter

Springfield Schools

tcanter@sps.lane.edu

541-683-7008

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Questions?

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