JusticeWorks has targeted the gaps in the system within Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare systems to offer innovative programs. Our services are designed to aid overburdened public systems and workers and to be cost-effective (often saving more than they cost!). We routinely assess outcomes and use the results to refine our programs. We are proud of the positive outcomes achieved with very challenging populations and our goal is be distinguished as a highest quality provider.
JustCare®: a continuing care program that reduces residential length of stay and achieves superior community outcomes.
Our signature JustCare program has proven to be a cost-effective managed care program for youth in long-term residential placement. JustCare improves outcomes by providing proactive case management throughout the length of the stay and support and supervision when youth return to their home community. Working with both private and public institutions, JustCare serves as a reminder of where youth came from and focuses services on the realities of home and community. Aftercare planning is done earlier and more specifically than has traditionally been done. We create a seamless transition when youth return home and help to sustain gains made in residential programs.
In an evaluation of three years’ work, JustCare was proven to shorten residential length of stay and achieves superior outcomes for a group of chronic re-offenders. To view outcome studies, navigate to the “Outcomes” page.
Variations of the JustCare theme have given Juvenile Probation and Children and Youth agencies an effective resource to resolve complicated problems with high-risk youth and their families.
STOPP®: a 24/7 short-term high impact program to prevent out-of-home placements for troubled CYS families.
Our Short-term Therapeutic Outreach to Prevent Placement (STOPP®) program was developed in collaboration with Lehigh County Office of Children & Youth Services in 2005. Now provided to several counties, STOPP® features an emergency response team on call 24 hours a day/7 days a week for families at great risk of disintegrating and requiring expensive out of home placements.
The project has the fundamental goal of keeping children safe, with a mission to help keep families intact and well-functioning. We work to maintain children in their own homes, help rectify a myriad of other problems, and develop a community resource plan which includes professional services and family, friends , churches and neighbors.
STOPP is a short-term (60 days) high intensity program with Master’s level clinicians and 1:5 caseload ratios. We are creative and innovative at addressing the myriad needs families have. We identify and arrange for community resources for mental health, drug & alcohol, housing, life-skills, parenting, vocational and recreation.
Outcome studies have demonstrated STOPP’s effectiveness at preventing out-of-home placements. To read our outcome studies, navigate to the “Outcomes” page.
VIP®: intensive community based program to prevent detention and placement for non-compliant delinquent youth.
The JusticeWorks YouthCare Violation Initiative Program was created to reduce detention and/or placements for chronic juvenile probation violators. Based on proven JusticeWorks’ programs, VIP was designed as a positive intervention for juvenile probationers who, while not reoffending, were chronically not meeting their probation requirements and were at high risk.
Using JusticeWorks’ “whatever it takes” philosophy, VIP is a community-based family centered model that requires equal measures of support and supervision. Behavioral contracts are established with youth and family and evaluated consistently. We establish a positive working relationship with youth and let them see that complying with probation standards will be in their best interest. Youth are seen frequently, both by appointment and through surprise visits. We utilize a broad array of community resources to engage youth positively and address special needs (drug & alcohol, mental health, education, vocation, recreation, etc.)
We work with the entire family to address conditions that can undermine youth’s success and to enlist the entire family in supporting positive new behaviors.
The VIP program is designed to work with juveniles with extensive delinquent histories and who have ‘dug in their heels’ regarding probation compliance. VIP works in partnership with Probation Officers to achieve positive outcomes. The program is designed to be fully congruent with the principles of Balanced and Restorative Justice and focuses on key competency areas identified by the Juvenile Justice System (pro-social skills, moral reasoning, academic, workforce and life-skills development).
The fundamental goal of VIP is to assist and insist that youth abide by the conditions of their probation and are positive members of the community. Outcome studies have demonstrated VIP’s ability to prevent detention and placement while increasing positive behavior.
We understand fully the obligation to assure community safety and we will recommend, without hesitation, that a youth be detained if safety considerations warrant.
Family Group Decision Making
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) is an evidence based practice which encourages families to work together to find their own solutions that assure safety, well-being and permanency of children with their own family. JusticeWorks has been a certified FGDM provider since 2008, and are currently offering this strength-based protocol in several counties.
We use FGDM to assist families to develop and utilize their own strengths and resources to solve critical issues. At the same time, we assist families to identify and utilize appropriate community resources that may help them achieve their goals.
With specific authorization from our county agency partners, we utilize FGDM to resolve critical issues for families. FGDM has proven to be an effective tool to resolve issues that arise subsequent to custody decisions; death of a parent or guardian; a family member’s return from placement, treatment or incarceration; and other critical watershed moments.
Although FGDM was initially used when working with families involved in child protection, Pennsylvania is also using it as an intervention with children and families involved with juvenile probation, adults with substance abuse and mental health issues, and those involved with corrections and parole. FGDM’s roots are in restorative justice and child welfare. The targeted populations are highly varied among children, youth and families throughout many levels of the criminal justice and child welfare systems. Across the state of Pennsylvania, in child welfare and juvenile justice, FGDM has been used to capitalize on family strengths to develop service plans and probationary single plans.
FGDM is a guided process in which a coordinator identifies immediate and extended family members and other resources (professional community organizations, clergy, neighbors, employers, mentors, etc.) who agree to spend the better part of a day in a facilitated meeting devoted to resolving critical issues. Since important family members with much to contribute may not be readily apparent, we will use Family Finding to locate key people and facilitate their attendance, sometimes at great distance. Our FGDM facilitator is an experienced clinician, trained in FGDM to help the family organize itself to resolve the presenting issue(s).
FGDM is often hampered by a family’s reluctance to participate. Often, there are concerns about confidentiality, hesitation to air family conflicts or secrets, or ambivalence about the family member under discussion. JusticeWorks has developed a core competency to overcome family’s reluctance about participating. Our outcomes demonstrate a high percentage of FGDM conferences actually conducted. We also follow-up post conference to assist in the implementation of conference decisions and commitments.
Further, our staff have had special training in dealing with violence, domestic and otherwise, and we incorporate those skills in our FGDM work.
We are pleased to add this powerful tool to our repertoire and it’s been exciting to see families derive benefits from it.