Different Worlds with Common Concerns: How Dependency and Delinquency Systems Can Achieve Better Results by Authentically Engaging Youth and Families Hernan Carvente and Ryan Shanahan, PhD

Engaging Families What are some BENEFITS to working with families of youth? What are some CHALLENGES to working with families of youth?

Why Work with Families? Families are experts on their own lives. Family members know each other best. Family is a natural support system for early crisis intervention. Families have a long-term investment that outlasts treatment and government interventions.

Research on Family Engagement

Family Justice Program Vera’s Family Justice Program provides extensive training and strategic support to government and community partners to help them effectively draw on the resources of families and communities. These systemic interventions are designed to benefit people at greatest risk of cycling in and out of the justice system. The Vera Institute of Justice is an independent nonprofit that combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.

Family Engagement Matters  A family-systems approach not only reduced recidivism rates for justice-involved youth as compared with other models of treatment, but also reduced rates of siblings’ involvement in the justice system. (Klein, 1977)  The protective effect of receiving parental visits during incarceration exists regardless of the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. (Monahan, Goldweber, Cauffman, 2011)

Youth Who Receive Visits Have Fewer Behavior Incidents

Youth Who are Visited Weekly Have Better GPA’s Visitation Frequency GPA

Distance to Facility Is a Barrier to Visitation School District Average Number of Visits per Year High visitation rates Medium visitation rates Low visitation rates FACILITY

Tools for Authentic Family Engagement

Juvenile Relational Inquiry Tool Goals of the Juvenile Relational Inquiry Tool: To provide staff with a user-friendly method of recognizing and reinforcing positive connections to family and social networks during and after incarceration. To build rapport between the professional using the tool and the incarcerated individual.

Paula b.1961 Ray (Mr. A) b Cynthia b Chloe b James Jr. b Robert b Eleanor Grace b Annette b MALE FEMALE SUBSTANCE ABUSE CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT MENTAL ILLNESS CHRONIC ILLNESS DECEASED MARRIED SEPARATED DIVORCED FAMILY VIOLENCE James Henrietta b Incarcerated Martin b EMPLOYED RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATE TAKES CARE OF CHILDREN IN SCHOOL X X The Genogram

The Ecomap

Religious Services Unit Staff Psychologist Mother and Sister Friends at Facility School Godmother YOUTH CONFLICT NEUTRAL STRONG The Ecomap

Miracle Question Imagine you go to sleep tonight and a miracle happens: your challenges no longer exist. When you wake up tomorrow, what will you notice first that tells you a miracle has happened and things are different?

Scaling Questions

Resiliency Questions What keeps you going? How have you managed?

Exception Questions Were there times recently when the problem did NOT occur? When was the most recent time you were able to…How did that happen? What was different? Who was involved?

Implementation Write down one thing you can do the moment you get back from this training. Write down one thing you will do within one week. Write down one thing you will do within one month.

Contact Information Hernan Carvente (212) Ryan Shanahan, PhD (212)