Multidisciplinary Intervention Team

Youth At High Risk of Gang Involvement Have many areas of risk Family disruption School difficulties Lack of access to positive alternatives Negative life events Mental health/substance abuse Are difficult to serve Require a team approach

Who should be on the team? Targeted High Risk Youth Law Enforcement Outreach Worker Juvenile Probation Schools Social Services Mental Health Grassroots Agency Who should be on the team?

Coordinator Role Convene the team, and keep the team members engaged and focused on the overall goals Ensure that all program participants receive the right level of services and are regularly discussed Keep lines of communication open between agencies Market the program with partners (referrals) and provide follow-up information

Law Enforcement Role Share information on criminal activities of program participants, their close friends, and family Share information on safety issues and local gang trends that may affect the team, participating agencies, and the participants Serve as liaison between team members and law enforcement Refer appropriate youth to the program

Probation Role Share information on participants’ history of court involvement and court requirements with the team Ensure that court requirements address the participants’ needs, including gang involvement Leverage services for clients Hold participants accountable when necessary Refer appropriate probationers to the program

Schools’ Role Provide information about the participants’ educational status, learning issues, family background, and needs Provide feedback to the team regarding participants’ educational performance, attendance, and school behavior Support participants on-site at school Ensure that participants have access to education services in a safe environment Leverage services from within the school setting Keep the school informed of safety risks Refer appropriate students to the program

Mental Health/Social Services Provide guidance on mental health/substance abuse/social services needs of participants and resources to address these needs Help participants access services and follow- up on their participation Support conditions of probation and other court requirements for clients Ensure that service providers are aware of the special needs and safety risks of high risk youth Refer appropriate clients to the program

Street Outreach Reach out to high risk youth and their families and engage them in a supportive, mentoring relationship Assess the needs of youth and families and link them to necessary services Advocate for the needs of high risk youth and their families with other agencies Provide a model of positive social behavior for participants Provide crisis response directly to high-risk youth and their families Work to implement the team’s plan with each participant

Steps for Implementing an MDT Identify goals for the team, including the number and characteristics of youth to be served, and desired outcomes Formalize information sharing protocols between agencies in writing Formalize referral process Develop client information-sharing consent forms Determine how client data will be collected and stored to protect client privacy Identify available services for client intervention plans

Structure of Intervention Team Meetings Screen referrals Conduct initial client staffing (create case plan) Prioritize issues Assign responsibilities Review progress of existing clients Discuss safety issues in target community

Information Sharing on the Intervention Team The Intervention Team Is Vegas

Information Sharing Safety is paramount Clients Community Team members Information should not be used to penalize or handicap the youth

Information Sharing Do not share information about youth without the consent of parent/guardian Client information should be kept protected and confidential Participating agencies may need to sign confidentiality contracts stipulating what information will be shared and how that information will be used

Creating an Intervention Plan Information needed Family situation Criminal justice involvement Individual client mental health/substance abuse issues Educational level and issues Employment status and goals

Developing an Intervention Plan Once clients have been assessed, the team should Prioritize the participant’s issues, particularly safety Address specific areas of need Consider the participant’s goals and desires Break the plan down into smaller steps towards an achievable goal

Intervention planning with high risk youth is like eating an elephant…

Access to Resources is Crucial Educational Vocational/employment Drug & alcohol treatment Mental health services Family counseling/assistance Recreational Outreach

Follow-Up Team members should remain in touch outside meetings and share information as needed If plans do not appear to be working, the team should revise the plan immediately Follow-through on the plan by all team members is essential to client success

Maintaining a Successful Intervention Team It takes time to build trust between team members Turnover in membership will negatively affect the team and should be discouraged Regular and consistent attendance by team members is critical Each of the agencies represented on the team has an equally important perspective and equally important information to share at team meetings. No single agency should dominate the team

MDT Resources Multidisciplinary Gang Intervention Teams http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/D ocuments/NYGCbulletin3.pdf Implementing the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model: http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Compr ehensive-Gang-Model/Implementation- Manual

Project BUILD Durham Cooperative Extension 721 Foster Street Durham, NC 27701 www.projectbuild.org (919) 560-0537

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