Connecticut Family Support CentersErika NowakowskiConnecticut Judicial Branch: Court Support Services DivisionCenter for Best Practice June 25, 2010

Systems Change for Status Offenders in Connecticut Connecticut juvenile population Impetus for Change: legislative background and

target population Family Support Center model

Services Screening and Assessment Interventions Implementation process: considerations and

challenges Measuring and monitoring outcomes Lessons learned

Definition of FWSN Five (5) categories that constitute a FWSN referral

to court for a child under the age of 16: Runaway without just cause Beyond control of a parent/guardian Engaged in indecent/immoral conduct Truant from school or overtly defies school rules Age 13 – 15 and has engaged in sexual

intercourse with a person 2 years of his/her age

Before Legislative Change

Connecticut Juvenile Court FY 2006-2007 15,857 distinct juveniles referred to court

10,910 Delinquency 1,212 Youth in Crisis (status offenders age 16 & 17) 3,735 FWSN referrals (status offenders under 16)

1,675 distinct juveniles admitted to detention Average daily population of 169 50% with FWSN history* 12% with FWSN and VOCO*

49% of FWSNs are female; 51% are male 34% of all referred juveniles are FWSN; 15% violate

orders

After Legislative Change

Statewide FWSN Referrals Down Calendar Year 2006

3,638 FWSN Referrals

Calendar Year 2007 3,263 FWSN Referrals

Calendar Year 2008 2,187 FWSN Referrals

10% reduction from 2006

40% reduction from 2006

3 year comparison of FWSN referrals

3753

2403

1872

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

6/06-5/07 6/07-5/08 6/08-5/09

Decrease in Judicial Handling 10/1/06 to 4/30/07

1,222 non-judicial FWSN 1,309 judicial FWSN

10/1/07 to 4/30/08 1,397 non-judicial FWSN 89 judicial FWSN

10/1/08 to 4/30/09 1,341 non-judicial FWSN 47 judicial FWSN

0 FWSNs or FWSN Violators in Detention

Decreased Violations, Commitments 10/1/06 to 4/30/07

30 FWSN Commitments of 181 total commitments (17%) 263 violations for FWSN & Delinquent

10/1/07 to 4/30/08 6 FWSN Commitments of 134 total commitments (4%) 166 violations for FWSN & Delinquent

10/01/08 to 4/30/09 8 FWSN Commitments of 151 total commitments (5%)

How did we get there?

Legislative Changes PA 05-250: Children of Families with Service

Needs; effective October 1, 2007 Prohibits holding a child whose family has been

adjudicated as a FWSN in juvenile detention, and

Prohibits adjudicating FWSNs delinquent solely for violating a court's FWSN order

PA 06-188: Establishes Families With Service Needs Advisory Board

Legislative Changes

Amendments of CGS §46b-149 included changes to: Processing FWSN referrals Time a judge may permit the matter to be continued with

no adjudication (up to 6 months with a 3 month extension for cause)

DCF FWSN Commitment; requires assurance of least restrictive environment

Services that must be available Process for adjudicated FWSNs who violate a court order Types of environments allowable for FWSN violators

New Court Referral Process New Parent Complaint Notification Form Changed the School Truancy/Defiance of School

Rules Complaint Form Considerable changes in requirements for

Judicial handling High-need FWSNs diverted directly to services

(to FSCs in 4 areas)

Role of Juvenile Probation Supervisors Screen FWSN Referrals; focus is

on court diversion Refer directly to FSC (high needs indicated) OR Assign a probation officer to assess needs and

refer to services All Cases Handled Non-judicially

Exceptions: Continued and escalating problem behavior in conjunction with community based services being exhausted

Family Support Center: Funding Judicial Branch requested state funds for 10

centers to serve 13 juvenile courts Target Highest-Need FWSNs

Estimated 25% of all referred

FY 07/08 state budget funded four (4) of ten, remainder of funding requested for FY 08/09 and again for FY 09/10

Funding included process and outcome evaluation

Family Support Center: Referrals Probation Supervisors receive and review referrals from

complainant If risk/need indicators are moderate/high, referral is sent

immediately to FSC and FSC must contact the family within 3 hours

If risk/need indicators are mild/moderate, case is assigned to a probation officer for standard processing If after meeting the child and/or family, probation officer uncovers

more risk/needs indicators, referral to FSC can still be made DCF liaison can/is also be consulted; 3 of 4 courts instituted a

triage meeting with DCF 564 referred since 10/07; 506 with intakes

Referrals and Intakes at FSC

72

85

120111

6771

111103

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

7/08 - 9/08 10/08 - 12/08 1/09 - 3/09 4/09 - 6/09

Family Support Center: Goals To divert FWSNs from further court

involvement: Offer a “one-stop,” multi-service model of care

for children and their families Provide an array of services on-site Prioritize collaboration with systems, service

providers and families

Family Support Center:Who are the Kids? Cases are VERY Complex

Multiple system involvement: Many services have already been tried Prior out of home placements Home-based services Outpatient substance abuse and mental health services

Significant mental health needs Have witnessed or been victims of abuse/violence Parents have untreated and significant needs Educational challenges Stressed families

Family Support Center:Client Demographics Average age is 15 75% of FSC clients are minorities Gender distribution by FSC site

Bridgeport 62% M, 38% F Hartford 25% M, 75% F New Haven 54% M, 46%F Waterbury 32% M, 68% F

Family Support Center:Model Underpinnings Principles of effective practice Strengths-based Gender responsive Trauma sensitive Family focused Individualized

Family Support Center: Key Elements Focus on initial engagement

Contact families within 3 hours of receiving the referral

Must continue attempts until all options are exhausted Provide comprehensive screening, assessment and

case plan (called collaborative plan) Services needed are services offered; match the

child/family to the services indicated through assessment

Collaboration with systems and service providers

Family Support Center: Services Crisis Intervention Family Mediation Case Management/Coordination Educational Consultation/Advocacy Aftercare Services Referrals to home-based programs Flex Funds for Pro-social Activities

Family Support Center: Groups

Trauma Services/ Intervention Cognitive Behavioral Interventions Female-specific services Parent/ Family Skill building

Family Support Center:Screening and AssessmentsAccording to the OJJDP, screening and assessment

instruments are desirable if they are: Easy to read Paper and Pencil Assess mental distress and disorder and/or substance use

needs Culturally sensitive Reliable and Valid Age- and Gender-based norms

Family Support Center:Screening InstrumentScreening instruments should:

Assess psychological or behavioral conditions Have low cost and fees Be brief and simple to administer Offer easy scoring Be quick and simple to interpret

Family Support Center:AssessmentsAssessment is defined as,

“a more comprehensive and individualizedexamination of the psychosocial needs and

problems identified during the initial screening, including the type and extent of mental health

and substance abuse disorders, other issues associated with the disorders, and

recommendations for treatment intervention”.(OJJDP, 2004)

Family Support Center:Screening and Assessments Tools Comprehensive screening process

Juvenile Assessment Generic (JAG) Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ) Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2

(MAYSI-2) If indicated, assessment is conducted

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths with Mental Health Challenges (CANS-MH)

Traumatic Events Screening Inventory (TESI)

Family Support Center:Staffing & Training Staff interview process must reflect the key underpinnings of

the program model Each staff must have an individual development plan Staff must be held accountable to set standards and rewarded

for model adherence Training (plus coaching) must begin with how you expect

staff to treat the clients Motivational interviewing Strengths-based practice Trauma sensitivity Cultural competence Gender responsivity

Training on practices and interventions Process must include quality assurance and feedback to encourage

improvement

Family Support Center: Measuring/Monitoring Outcomes Utilize Contractor Data Collection System to collect

data from FSCs Justice Research Center conducted process and

outcome evaluation Quality assurance on select groups Compliance specialist ensures contract compliance CBP staff ensure model fidelity through coaching

and support

Family Support Center:Outcome Measures Client Level

Recidivism; including referral for another FWSN Educational improvements Family functioning improvements Overall client functioning improvements

Program Level Service completion rates Treatment matching Model fidelity

System Level Reduction/elimination of FWSNs in detention Reduction of judicially handled FWSNs Reduction of repeat FWSNs/ FWSN delinquents Reduction of FWSN Commitments

Completions and Successful Completions by Quarter

8

19

42

77 79

89

07

17

51

63

72

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1/08 - 3/08 4/08 - 6/08 7/08 - 9/08 10/08 - 12/08 1/09 - 3/09 4/09 - 6/09

completionssuccessful

Percentage of Successful Completions by FSC

50%

14%

61%

25%

90%

44%

56%

68%

90% 90%

56%

80%

92%83% 81%

73%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Waterbury F.S.C. Bridgeport F.S.C. New Haven F.S.C. Hartford F.S.C.

7/08 - 9/08 10/08 - 12/08 1/09 - 3/09 4/09 - 6/09

Lessons Learned Implementation requires an active partnership

between model developer and the agency implementing the model

Process evaluation helps streamline program processes and activities

Collaboration with referral source is paramount Must have established ties with other systems/

service providers Collect data that will help determine if outcome

objectives are being met Detail processes and inform partners

Connecticut Contact Information Erika Nowakowski

860-721-2199 ext 3141 Erika.Nowakowski@jud.ct.gov

Kimberly Selvaggi 860-721-2171 Kimberly.Selvaggi@jud.ct.gov

State of Connecticut, Judicial BranchCourt Support Services Division936 Silas Deane HighwayWethersfield, CT 06109