Four juvenile courts are receiving tools to help children involved in both the juvenile justice system and child protective services.

Four juvenile courts are receiving tools to help children involved in both the juvenile justice system and child protective services.

Children involved with both a juvenile court for an alleged offense and a child protective services agency are more likely to face future delinquency and remain more entrenched in one or both systems. Research also shows that children straddling both systems deal with troubling behavioral health and education issues and high rates of complex trauma.

To help combat these difficulties, the Ohio Supreme Court has awarded technical assistance to four juvenile courts in the state to assist children who find themselves in both systems.

The courts will receive in-person and off-site technical assistance and consultations from the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. The organization developed the program, which the Supreme Court is funding for Ohio juvenile courts. The program’s mission is to integrate child welfare and juvenile justice work so that services are enhanced for “dual status youth” and to make a positive impact on the children, their families, and their communities.

The four Ohio courts receiving the most recent awards for technical assistance are:

• Coshocton County Juvenile Court.
• Franklin County Juvenile Court.
• Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
• Union County Juvenile Court.

New Ideas Welcome To Improve Services
Staff at the Union County Juvenile Court applied for the opportunity because of a rising need for intensive services to help children and a declining number of service providers in the county. The court stated that community partners, such as the county human services agency, are already committed to the project.

“Our county has a history of collaborating well with each other,” said Judge Rick Rodger. “The project gives us an opportunity to collaborate with our community partners – mental health, human, and social services agencies; the prosecutor’s office; and defense counsel – on the unique issues encountered by our dual status youth.”

Judge Rodger said they’re looking forward to listening and learning from the RFK juvenile justice center about effective ways of handling dual status youth. The court’s application said that prevention and intervention will be central to the efforts of the juvenile court and its partners. They ultimately hope that fewer children in child protective services will be placed outside of their homes and the number of children placed in juvenile detention by the court will decrease. The application stated that if these goals are achieved, more resources will be available to enhance agency services and support for children and their families.

Project Centers on ‘Voice and Choice’
The Fairfield County Juvenile Court was a recipient of technical assistance from the RFK center during the 2023 cycle. Makaila Tussing, the court’s specialized docket and strategic initiatives program coordinator, shared how the project has helped there. She said the assistance allowed the county to develop a specific approach for identifying dual status youth. It also set expectations for court and child protective services staff to effectively work together and deliver services.

Tussing noted that the Fairfield County program emphasizes “family and youth voice and choice.” Children and families that cross into both systems are found earlier, and families gain a better awareness of everyone on the team that will assist them, she said.

“Having their voices lifted up and a clear understanding of the people at the table to support them has resulted in increased youth and family engagement,” Tussing explained. “Our feedback surveys indicate that families feel supported by their teams to create positive change within their families, and they are able to share needs openly with the court and protective services.”

Goals Set for Technical Assistance Recipients
Courts that receive technical assistance are tasked with particular goals regarding youths and families, including minimizing how many children return to juvenile court or child protective services, reducing the disproportionate number of children of color in the systems, and lessening the use of juvenile detention and the amount of time children spend in detention. Programs must strive to improve student performance in school and family functioning; increase stability at home or in placements outside of the home; and boost social skills, activities, and connections. The program also focuses on promoting cross-system collaboration and data sharing.

Along with Fairfield County, three other Ohio counties – Clark, Champaign, and Hancock – have previously been awarded technical assistance to improve services for dual status youth. Their dual status initiatives are ongoing. The Supreme Court Children & Families Section coordinates the technical assistance awards.