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Youth Development and Crime Prevention Initiative Annual Report

January 21, 2003

Summary

The California Health and Human Services Agency in collaboration with the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Department of Mental Health, and the Employment Development Department, released a Solicitation for Proposals (SFP) in September 2000 for the Youth Development and Crime Prevention (YDCP) Initiative.

The seven counties selected for funding are Butte, Mendocino, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Stanislaus. The projects are funded by grants provided by the three participating departments providing a total of $5 million annually.

Counties are demonstrating an innovative system of coordinated and comprehensive services for youth engaged in, or at high risk of, committing juvenile crime. The model is based on youth development principles of supports, opportunities, and an array of developmentally appropriate services for youth. These include mental health and substance abuse treatment; tutoring and after-school activities; job development and employment; mentoring; problem solving and skill building; and community involvement.

Counties faced implementation barriers that included a program redesign due to a shift in state funding; lengthy board of supervisors' approval, county contracting, and hiring processes; and duplication of effort and differing philosophies among agencies and systems. This resulted in late start-up for some of the counties, but now all demonstration projects are well underway.

Current Status

The second year of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds, which should have been allocated as of July 1, 2002, have not been released. Three of the 7 counties have expended all their WIA funds, and the remaining counties will have spent all theirs within four to six months. Sixty percent of the YDCP was funded with WIA dollars, and the impact to the counties from this loss of funds has been sudden and severe. Two counties have contacted their legislators to ask for their advocacy on continued funding. The three counties with no WIA funds have tried to fill the gaps with other sources, but the level of services will decrease and there will be a negative impact on the youth. Without the integration of work-related services, it is likely that specific youth outcomes will be less positive.

Evaluation

The YDCP is being evaluated to determine whether the anticipated outcomes specified in the SFP were reached. Counties are gathering client data using standardized forms, which are completed for all youth at program intake, every six months, upon exit, and six months after exit. The data will be analyzed to measure changes over time, such as:

• reductions in substance use;
• improvements in mental health;
• reductions in violence, criminal activity, and probation involvement;
• increased vocational services (job readiness, job skills training) and jobs (paid and unpaid work experiences);
• improved attitudes (toward self, family, school, work);
• improved school attendance and performance;
• improved family and peer relationships;
• increased socialization skills;
• increased mentoring relationships;
• increased opportunities for leadership and community involvement.

Counties submit the evaluation forms monthly to the state to be entered into an automated system that will generate regular and ad hoc reports. Data will be in the system by April 2003, and by the end of Fiscal Year 2002-2003, specific client outcomes as shown above should be available.

Preliminary data from quarterly narrative reports submitted by the counties, benchmark tracking, and state staff observation during site visits indicates that the project has been successful in meeting expected outcomes. Some of these accomplishments are described below.

Collaboration

New partnerships and strong collaborations for youth have resulted from the YDCP. This has been especially evident in the last few months as counties struggle to sustain their programs with a sudden loss of WIA funding.

• This project is the first to bring together local workforce investment programs with county human service agencies to serve youth. The YDCP project has cemented a working relationship between the workforce development community and social services that will continue to thrive even after the project funding is gone.
• The inclusion of probation agencies with social service and workforce development agencies has been another positive relationship from the YDCP. Previously, most youth on probation were not screened, diagnosed or referred for mental health and substance abuse treatment, nor did they receive socialization skills or work-related services. Prior to the YDCP, probation youth were not encouraged to participate in WIA activities because their outcomes are often poor. The YDCP focuses on this underserved population and has shown that with caring adults as supervisors, these youth can excel in multiple areas and have rewarding work experiences.
• Several counties have been particularly successful at building strong collaborations for severely emotionally disturbed (SED) youth. Staff assess SED youth for behavioral and substance abuse needs, and focus on recruiting and retaining them in treatment and work-related activities. A school-mental health partnership has helped SED youth overcome academic difficulties. Training has been provided on topics such as brain development, adolescent development, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, and dual diagnosis.
• Including families in the project is a critical component. Parents and caregivers participate in the treatment planning process, attend family counseling and education sessions, and are involved in team building and recreational activities. Families as a whole benefit, and some parents have been linked to job opportunities or been assisted in finding housing.

Integrated Services for Youth

The local collaboration and partnerships forged by the YDCP has resulted in integrated services for youth with multiple needs. Four counties either opened or expanded youth centers with YDCP funds, where a variety of youth services (mental health and substance abuse treatment, jobs and job training, tutoring, mentoring, etc.) are available at one location.

Another county did the same at a community school, where they co-located teachers, a mental health clinician, a substance abuse therapist, vocational specialists, and a probation officer. All the projects maintain a multi-disciplinary team approach to providing services, and utilize case managers to ensure that youth receive needed services and supports.

As of September 30, 2002 (the last reporting period), the seven YDCP projects reported serving a total of 2,126 youth. Some counties served significantly more than others did because they counted youth who received AOD prevention and education activities.

Workforce Investment Services

Each of the YDCP counties has a strong vocational development program for the youth. Tutoring, study skills training, resume writing, mock interviews, internships, job shadowing, and paid work experience are being provided to all youth who are WIA eligible. A variety of creative opportunities are available as well, such as a successful youth-run restaurant and smoothie bar, an inter-agency summer school/work experience program, and work crews that do erosion control and beach cleanups.

Non-WIA eligible youth in the YDCP are also benefiting from vocational services, such as workshops and training on job preparation and future employment. They learn about different career paths and the education and training necessary for those careers. They also attend team-building workshops and many have been assisted in securing unsubsidized employment.

Educational Linkages

Most counties are providing after-school tutoring, and in each county, YDCP staff work with parents, teachers and school personnel to promote school success for the youth in the program. Counties have reported improvements in school attendance and academic performance among the youth they serve.

Youth Opportunities

The local projects have given consumers a voice where they once had none. The concept of youth and family-driven programs and policies has been implemented throughout the project. Youth in the YDCP projects are taking leadership roles in their programs and in the community. Youth participate on councils that plan and implement events at their schools and the teen centers. Some counties have used YDCP funds to establish youth speakers bureaus, where youth are trained in public speaking and they participate in community presentations and outreach activities. At one YDCP teen center, youth advocates were trained to conduct the evaluation process for the project, and youth participated in filming a commercial to increase membership at the center.

All the YDCP projects encourage and support active community involvement. One county implemented a unique mentoring program where the youth (primarily Hispanic boys) do community service with a group of Hispanic men in recovery at a local treatment program. During their work together, they make personal connections that are formalized into mentorships.

Training

The YDCP counties have provided a variety of staff training with project funds. All counties have trained staff on youth development principles and dual diagnosis among youth. Other training has included specific topics on substance abusing youth, working with SED youth, family dynamics, adolescent development, and cultural competency.

Project Success Stories

Nothing speaks as loud about project success as a testimonial. Attached are letters from youth whose lives have been changed by the YDCP program. Also attached are local newspaper articles highlighting components of several counties' programs.