1. Accessing the Guideposts for Success to Support Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Annual Regional Conference
October 27, 2016
Jenny Stonemeier
Slide to be up on screen as participants arrive 1 1

2. Agenda Who Am I? Who Are You?
Definition & Status of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Why It Matters
What Do We Do? The Guideposts
Resources
Questions

3. Who Am I? Institute for Educational Leadership
Center for Workforce Development
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
SWIFT Center, Partners in Policy Making, WI FACETS, Mom…… 3

4. National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
Strives to ensure that youth with disabilities are provided full access to high quality services in integrated settings in order to maximize their opportunities for employment and independent living.
3 levels: system (policy), organizational, and front line (youth service professionals)
Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
The Knowledge, Skills and Abilities initiative is part of the National Collaborative on Workforce Disability for Youth and funded by the Office of Disability and Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. Note that participants have a handout on NWCD/Youth (pass out before session begins). The Collaborative is managed by the Center for Workforce Development at the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Mission: NCWD/Youth strives to ensure that youth with disabilities are provided full access to high quality services in integrated settings in order to maximize their opportunities for employment and independent living. NCWD/Youth does this through working on state and local policy; strengthening the services provided to youth by organizations; and strengthening the skills of individuals who work with youth. 4 4

5. Who Are You?
What work are you already doing to support youth in the JJ system?

6. Youth with Disabilities in School, Work, and Juvenile Corrections
3-4 times the number of ywd in JC schools than in public schools (Gagnon, Barber, Van Loan, 2008; Quinn, Rutherford, Leone, Osher, & Poirier, 2005)
Almost 3/4 of secondary students with ED have been suspended or expelled: a rate four times that of peers (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005)
61.2% percent of youth with ED exit school without a diploma (U.S. Department of Education, 2004)
Youth who drop out of school are: 72% more likely to be unemployed and earn 27% less than HS graduates (U.S. DOL, 2003)
Youth without a high school diploma, are 3X more likely to live in poverty (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2001) 6

7. The Guideposts for Success
Extensive review of research, demonstration projects and effective practices
Examining programs and services—including youth development, education, and workforce development
Identified core themes across the disciplines, programs and institutional settings.
Key Finding: no one institution or organization can provide the full range of services
; thus, highlighting the interdependence of agencies that requires communities, states, the federal government and multiple organizations at all levels to collaborate with one another in order to help assure quality transitions for all youth. 7 7

8. Guideposts: Basic Values
The Guideposts core values:
high expectations for all youth, including youth with disabilities;
equality of opportunity for everyone
full participation through self-determination, informed choice, and participation in decision-making;
independent living
competitive employment and economic self-sufficiency, with or without supports; and
individualized transition planning that is person-driven and culturally and linguistically appropriate.

9. Meeting the Needs of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: The Guideposts
School-Based Preparatory Experiences
Career Preparation & Work-
Based Learning Experiences
Youth Development & Leadership
Connecting Activities
Family Involvement & Supports

10. School-Based Preparatory Experiences
All youth need:
Academic programs based on clear standards
Career and technical education programs based on professional and industry standards
Small and safe learning environments
Support from highly qualified staff
Access to an assessment system with multiple measures
Graduation standards that include options

11. School-Based Preparatory Experiences
Youth with disabilities may also need:
Use their individual transition plans to drive their personal instruction
Understand reasonable accommodations, including assessment accommodations
Access accommodations in school
Be supported by highly qualified transitional support staff that may or may not be school staff

12. School-Based Preparatory Experiences
Youth with & without disabilities in the JJ system also need:
Available quality educational, vocational, and GED programs
Qualified educators who promote a free and appropriate public education
Well staffed correctional schools held accountable to federal requirements
Opportunity to earn transferable credits
Collaboration among professionals across disciplines

13. Career Preparation & Work- Based Learning Experiences
All Youth Need:
Career assessments to help identify preferences and interests
Structured exposure to postsecondary education and other learning opportunities
Exposure to career opportunities
Training designed to improve job-seeking skills and work-place basic skills

14. Career Preparation & Work- Based Learning Experiences
Youth with disabilities need to:
Understand the relationships between benefits planning and career choices
Learn to communicate their disability-related work support and accommodation needs
Learn to find, formally request, and secure appropriate supports and reasonable accommodations in education, training, and employment settings

15. Career Preparation & Work-Based Learning Experiences
Youth with and without disabilities in the JJ system may also need:
Comprehensive vocational programming as a diversion and prevention approach
Collaboration among corrections, workforce programs, and other community stakeholders
Development of career pathways
Work-related and soft skills instruction
Work experiences on and off facility grounds

16. Youth Development & Leadership
All Youth Need:
Mentoring activities designed to establish strong relationships with adults
Peer-to-peer mentoring opportunities
Exposure to role models in a variety of contexts
Training in skills such as self-advocacy
Exposure to personal leadership and youth development activities, including community service

17. Youth Development & Leadership
Youth with disabilities may also need:
Mentors and role models including people with and without disabilities
An understanding of disability history, culture, and disability public policy issues as well as their rights and responsibilities

18. Youth Development & Leadership
Youth with and without disabilities in the JJ system may also need:
Individualized transition plans with youth input
Transition support that recognizes unique needs of youth
Instruction on laws, rights, and JJ process
Education on consequences of risk-taking behaviors
Self-empowerment and mentoring opportunities

19. Connecting Activities
All Youth Need:
Mental and physical health services
Transportation & housing
Access to Tutoring
Financial planning and management
Connection to other services and opportunities (recreation, sports, faith-based organizations)

20. Connecting Activities
Youth with Disabilities May Also Need:
Acquisition of appropriate assistive technologies
Community orientation and mobility training
Exposure to post-program supports such as independent living centers
Personal assistance services, including attendants, readers, interpreters, and others
Benefits-planning counseling

21. Connecting Activities
Youth with and without disabilities in the JJ system may also need:
Access to diversion programs (when appropriate)
Advocates at each stage of the JJ process
Support from multiple systems, including mental health, education, social services, and workforce development
Knowledgeable probation/parole staff
Exit programs with progressive school or employment involvement

22. Family Involvement & Supports
All Youth Need Families and Caring Adults who Have:
High expectations that build upon the young person’s strengths and interests
Been involved in their lives and assisting them toward adulthood
Access to information about employment, further education, and community resources
Taken an active role in transition planning with schools and community partners
Access to medical, professional, and peer support networks

23. Family Involvement & Supports
Youth with Disabilities Need Families and Caring Adults who Have:
An understanding of their youth’s disability and how it affects his or her education, employment, and daily living
Knowledge of rights and responsibilities under various disability-related legislation
Knowledge of and access to programs, services, supports, and accommodations available
An understanding of how individualized planning tools can assist youth in achieving transition goals

24. Family Involvement & Supports
Youth with and without disabilities in the JJ system may also need:
Well informed parents who can advocate
Specific opportunities for parent involvement at each stage of JJ process
Facilities and programs committed to engaging families
Family focused treatments such as MST and mental health

25. Understanding the Juvenile
Justice System (pg. 7)
Initial Interaction
Diversion
Prosecution
Intake & Detention
Formal Processing & Judicial Waiver
Adjudication & Disposition
Alternative Sentencing 25

26. Practices that Work: Prevention & Early Intervention (pg. 27)
Keep them in school or otherwise engaged
- in school youth are arrested less
- youth employed are more likely to be as adults
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
- system-wide, targeted, individual
Career-Focused Mentoring
- individualized plans, peer-supported goal setting
- Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program ramp.iel.org 26

27. Practices that Work: Non-Institutionalized Juveniles (pg.28)
Keep them out of jail!
Diversion
Rehabilitative Models (yd vs punishment)
Family-focused Treatment (cognitive-behavior)
Teen Courts, Drug Courts, MH Courts
Multi-Systemic Therapy (family, cognitive- behavior, community, school) 27

28. Practices that Work: Institutionalized Juveniles (pg. 31)
Do something REAL with the time!
Education – follow the law
Strategic Instruction Model (teacher & student)
Work – Career & Technical Education (NC – VoCATS)
Behavioral & Mental Health Interventions
Transition & After Care (Pre-release) 28

29. What can your organization do?
Build capacity
Internal, at first
External
Cultivate relationships
Think outside the box
Resource/Relationship mapping
Outreach
Literature drops
Resource sharing

30. NCWD/Youth Resources
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System
411 on Disability Disclosure (Cyber Guide & Adult Version)
Professional Development: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Office of Disability Employment Policy 30

31. More Resources Teen Courts: National Association of Youth Courts
Multisystemic Therapy:
Strategic Instruction Model (SIM): a comprehensive approach to adolescent literacy

32. Jenny Stonemeier stonemeierj@iel.org 202-822-8405 x. 100
Contact
Jenny Stonemeier x. 100