Presented By:

Brandy Bynum

What is Communities for a Better Tomorrow?

An Action for Children NC lead initiative targeting high-risk children and youth to prevent them from becoming involved or having further involvement in the juvenile justice system.

Halifax (judicial district 6A), Northampton, Hertford and Bertie counties (judicial district 6B).

What is Communities for a Better Tomorrow?

Funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission

2010 GCC Excellence Award Recipient

Why these Four Counties?

Counties were selected based on leading indicators of child health and well-being and recommendations from stakeholders across Eastern NC.

NC Index Rankings

County Name: Delinquent Complaints(Out of 100)

School Violence (Out of 100)

Suspensions (Out of 100)

Halifax 71st 81st 76th

Hertford 30th 47th 95th

Northampton 96th 98th 93rd

Bertie 25th 9th 26th

Communities for a Better Tomorrow (CFBT)

VISION: Every young person has the opportunity to reach lifetime success.

MISSION: Young people will reach lifetime success by communities providing the resources and supports needed to ensure youth have every opportunity.

CFBT Principles

Keep children and youth out of the criminal justice system by addressing their needs and their families’ needs early and effectively.

Ensure responses appropriate to a young person’s age and stage of development.

Research and evidence should inform policy and practice.

Race or ethnicity should not determine a child’s opportunities and future.

Everyone in the community must work to strengthen partnerships with others to promote child and youth well being.

A Collective Effort

Youth

Higher Education

Mental Health

Health

Government

School Judiciary

Businesses

Faith Community

Media

Law Enforcement

Social Services

Parents

Youth

Community Partnerships

In district 6A, 14 agencies/organizations have signed MOAs.

In district 6B, 20 agencies/organizations have signed MOAs.

Members of the CFBT Collaborative Will:

Explore and view services and service delivery with a new lens

Identify and help solve barriers to service delivery Discover and develop new strategies to maximize

the effectiveness of limited services Identify ways to coordinate and pool resources

within and across county lines Identify administrative rules and policies that

create barriers to service delivery in communities

Action for Children NC Will:

Provide technical assistance to CFBT collaborative to implement measurable results tied to priorities

desired by community stakeholders & implementation of JJTC.

– Present examples of evidenced-based programs and funding resources (i.e., nurse family partnership)

– Assist counties in obtaining funding to replicate and implement evidenced-based programs

– Create and maintain the statewide web-based interactive database of available services/placement slots

– Assist counties in coordinating and pooling resources

Action for Children NC Will:

Initiate and recommend changes in administrative rules and policies to state policymakers and legislators that create barriers to service delivery for Communities for a Better Tomorrow.

Results Based Planning

Conducted initial stakeholder meeting January 30th 2009. Subcommittee meetings scheduled began May 15th.

Stakeholders identified barriers they face when working with juveniles.

AfC staff developed solution statements for each barrier.

Priority Ranking of Results-Based Plan

Each participant was asked to rank each solution statement according to 2 scales:– Importance to achieving the vision/ mission– Feasibility of implementing due to money,

politics, other reasons

Staff then took the input score and gave each statement a score

The first items to implement are the ones ranked the most important and most feasible.

CFBT Selected Priorities

Continuum of services for court-involved and at-risk youth

Transitional services for youth leaving residential placements

Intensive in-home services Specialized services for young, first-time

parents Increased communication, collaboration and

information sharing amongst agencies

Long-term Monitoring

The results based plans will be continually monitored and evaluated to allow flexibility

The plans will be evaluated based on tracking the progress of ten high cost/ high service utilizing youth and their families from the four counties

AfC will assist in the development of a bi-annual data card for each of the four counties based on key indicators

Goals of CFBT

1. Reduce the number of short-term suspensions; days court-involved youth must spend in detention and number of YDC commitments.

2. Increase availability of and access to more appropriate services for at-risk and court-involved youth by removing system barriers to intentional collaboration.

Interactive Database & Websites

www.communitiesforabettertomorrow.org is a statewide searchable database of mental health services, including information on and access to residential placement availability, service options, and community and regional resources for youth in need of services.

Online Interactive Databasewww.communitiesforabettertomorrow.org

CFBT INITIATIVES

The Juvenile Justice Treatment Continuum (JJTC)

The Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)

JJTC JJTC COUNTIESCOUNTIES

Juvenile Justice Treatment Continuum (JJTC)

•Provides a full continuum of integrated services

•Depends upon one dedicated provider specializing in working with court involved youth

•Meets court supervision requirements and continues only as long as needed

•Addresses the specific needs of youth and families

Juvenile Justice Treatment Continuum (JJTC)

•Provides outcome-driven, data-driven services that end when the goals of the treatment contract are met

•Depends upon interagency collaboration and partnership, resulting in increased supervision and accountability

Agency Partners

• DJJDP juvenile court counselors

• A restorative justice provider

• A behavioral health provider specialized in working with court involved youth

JJTC Process

•Referral by Court Counselor•Restorative Justice referral•Assessment •Court Report•Treatment Contract•Begin Services•

JJTC Organizational Structure

• Weekly Staffings

• Monthly Supervisory Meetings

• Quarterly Steering Committee Meetings

• Quarterly JJTC Partner Trainings (all staff)

Juvenile Justice Treatment Continuum (JJTC)

ISIS Database: a relational database that tracks consumer progress through treatment.

Replication

Invitation from Chief Court Counselor Creation of steering committee Selection of private provider Initial meetings with staffs First training – introduction to JJTC components,

creation of county teams Second training – Motivational Interviewing

training Third training – JJTC components in detail, joint

staffings, application of MI

Desired Results

At the end of three years:

1) Reduce the number of days youth spend in detention by 15% by 2012.

2) Reduce Youth Development Center commitments by 30% by 2012.

3) Reduce short-term school suspensions by 20% by 2012.

Desired Results:Reduce the number of days youth spend in

detention by 15% by 2012

Desired Results:Reduce Youth Development Center commitments by

30% by 2012

Significant reduction in the number of youth committed to YDCs between 07-08 and 08-09. – Eighteen youth committed in 2007-2008 and one

youth in 2008-2009.

Desired Results:Reduce short-term school suspensions by 20% by

2012.

Number of Short-Term Suspensions

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Short-term suspensions 2007-2008

659 3015 1398 1532 6604

Short-term suspensions 2008-2209

518 2548 1027 1412 5505

Bertie Halifax Hertford Northampton TOTAL

Desired Results

In judicial district 6A, 67 youth have been served in the JJTC continuum since October 2009. – Of those 67 youth, 9 have completed JJTC and 6

have successfully completed. In judicial district 6B, 34 youth have been

served in the JJTC continuum since October 2009. – Of those 34 youth, 7 have completed JJTC and 6

have successfully completed.

Other CFBT Initiatives:Nurse Family Partnership

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is an evidence-based, community health program that helps first-time, low income mothers.

Each mother is partnered with a registered nurse and receives ongoing home visits through her child’s second birthday.

NFP) serves clients ten NC counties. (Guilford, Robeson, Pitt, Wake, Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Rutherford, McDowell, Polk and Buncombe)

Multi-County Service Areas with High Needs

Counties Served First-time Births 2-Year Average

Potential Convener High Risk Interest Expressed Readiness Summary

Edgecombe 214 Communities for a Better Tomorrow

Yes, all counties

Yes, counties have formed a leadership team & application process underway

Very High Need Population; Baccalaureate Nurses in Short Supply; CFBT has discussed this more than and decided to continue to pursue; Smart Starts and Local Health Departments involved, along with Juvenile Court Counselors

Halifax 209

Hertford 71

Northampton 61

TOTAL 418

SOURCE: S. Schmidt. NC NFP Report. Prevent Child Abuse NC. April 2010. *Data for Warren only one year, 2008.

Nurse Family Partnership

Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recognizes Nurse-Family Partnership as an Exemplary Model Program.

Every dollar invested in NFP could realize more than five dollars in return.

NFP expansion planned in Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties!

Questions?

Contact

Brandy Bynum

Director of Policy & Outreach

(919) 834-6623 ext 234

brandy@ncchild.org