La Plata Youth Services Inc

Programs: Juvenile diversion: most states have recognized that low-level offenses, particularly those committed by first-time offenders, shouldnt necessarily trigger the normal criminal-case process. Theyve acknowledged that youth with minor crimes may not be best served going through the regular court process of a plea and sentence or, in the case of a not-guilty plea, a trial. Counseling and other supportive and restorative services, rather than punishment, can often help and deter such people. Furthermore, studies show that diversionary programs are much less costly than sending a case through the normal court process. In addition, diversion still gives youth the opportunity to compensate victims, by means of restitution orders and service learning. Youth are referred to the lpys diversion program by the courts, law enforcement, and the school resource officers in lieu of having criminal charges filed against them for felony, misdemeanor, and petty offenses. The program is designed to provide youth with resources, support, and direction that will ultimately decrease their chances of reentering the criminal justice system. Youth are referred for offenses such as marijuana and alcohol possession, theft/shoplifting, vandalism, and assault such as a fight. Program components: lpys diversion program is voluntary. If a youth and their family elect to participate, an intake assessment is completed and an individualized plan is developed. Case managers (also referred to as youth advocates) provide assessment, supervision, service learning, connection to pro-social activities and programs, school and home visits, crisis management, as well as referral and resource networking. Youth are asked to engage in activities including life-skill building, parent coaching, counseling, useful public service, and tutoring as part of their contract. In addition, restorative justice can be suggested, which includes family and victim-offender mediation, restitution, and service learning. Referrals to other community agencies are made as appropriate. Program services for each youth range from three to twelve months. In fy17, 98 youth referred by law enforcement and the courts were served. 89% of these youth completed the program successfully, and their charges were not filed in juvenile court. Another 21 youth who self-referred were also reached. Our diversion program success rate, as measured by the omni institute for the division of criminal justice, remains at 96%. Restorative justice: lpys coordinates with a number of community conferencing specialists who provide mediation to victims of juvenile crime in our community. We also work with school district personnel in the county to support training for school-based restorative practices and programs. In fy17, lpys focused school-based rj efforts in one middle school in the durango school districts, creating a model for restorative interventions and a supportive school climate. Additionally, la plata youth services provides services to area youth as a strengths based alternative to truancy court. In addition to providing truant youth with assessment and case management services, la plata youth services houses the la plata county collaborative management program, or lpc cmp, and has worked collaboratively to develop a model of care to address the specific needs of truant and at-risk children and youth. The lpc cmp coordinator is an employee of la plata youth services. In fy17, 17 youth referred for truancy were served. 70% of these youth improved their attendance.

truancy program: lpys serves as the lead agency for a series of client-centered, community-based, collaborative programs, designed to serve the highest-need youth in our community. Lpc cmp and lpys partnership programs include (a) the school multidisciplinary review team, or smart; (b) the community-in-schools partnership program (cisp); and (c) radical possibilities therapeutic mentorship program. Smart: the student multidisciplinary assessment review team, or smart, is a community-based case management tool, which addresses the needs of habitually truant and at-risk students facing complex need situations that require wraparound care and collaborative case management. In fy17, 7 youth participated in a total of 15 smart review meetings. Community-in-schools partnership (cisp) program: provides a wrap-around, early intervention and prevention response to the issues facing chronically absent, habitually truant, and at-risk students and their families. Programming concentrates on improving school climate and coordinated delivery of community resources in the school setting, including mentorship, family outreach, mental health, case management, restorative justice, tutoring, and transportation. In fy17, cisp reached 410 youth. Of these youth, 50% saw an increase in attendance, 67% saw a reduction in behavioral incidents at school, and 100% saw a reduction in suspensions. Furthermore, no students reached through cisp were expelled that school year. Therapeutic mentorship: rp delivers a neurologically-based, therapeutic intervention to youth who experience significant adversity and provides robust training and professional development to burgeoning practitioners in the mental health field. In fy17, rp served 14 youth. 58% saw an increase in attendance, and 1 in 4 youth reduced their number of suspensions that school year.