Meaningful Family and Community Engagement NDTAC Topical Call March 18, 2014

2 Topical Call Agenda  Welcome and Introductions  The Importance of Family/Community Engagement  First Topical Call: Family Engagement at System Intake  Introduction of Presenters  Today’s Topical Call:  The Role of Families/Caregivers While Youth Are System Involved  The Importance of Keeping Family/Community Connections for Youth Who Are System Involved  The Role of State TIPD Coordinators

3 Welcome!  Who’s on the call?

4 The Importance of Family/Community Engagement Research has shown that there are many benefits when families/caregivers are involved in their child’s education:  Students are more willing to learn, and they feel better about themselves  They get better grades and attend school more regularly  They are more likely to graduate from grade school or high school and are more likely to continue their education  They are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, and they have fewer instances of violent behavior and suspensions (Henderson & Mapp,2002)

5 The Importance of Family/Community Engagement  Family/caregiver visitation of youth who are system- involved is associated with improved behavior and school performance  Programs that work with families (e.g. develop effective parenting skills, provide reinforcement) have shown success in reducing problem behaviors and increasing school success  Families/caregivers are potentially the most reliable sources of information about their child’s strengths, needs, and experiences and thus should be included in decision-making (Agudelo, 2013; Garfinkel, 2010)

6  Karen Francis joined us in December 2013 to:  Discuss the necessity for meaningful family and community engagement at the point of initial contact and system intake  Share strategies for success engagement at this stage The First Topical Call

7  A Sample of Important Take-aways:  Family/caregiver engagement is important in reducing recidivism and improving academic and behavioral outcomes for children  Families/caregivers should expect to be treated with respect and dignity  Facility and educational program staff should be able to communicate effectively with families.  Families need to be empowered to help their students be successful in and out of the facility.  TIPD coordinators can encourage subgrantees to include family/caretaker engagement in their TIPD applications The First Topical Call

8 Introduction of Today’s Presentation and Speakers  Importance of meaningful family/community engagement once youth are system involved  Grace Bauer, Executive Director, Justice for Families  Ryan Shanahan, Sr. Program Assoc., VERA Institute of Justice

Family Involvement Matters: The Evidence  Maximizes kids chance of success  Lower rates of recidivism  Improved working conditions  Safer facilities  Brings relevant/missing information to the table  Increased options and resources  Reduced use of more costly and restrictive services  Families more likely to participate in treatment and follow-up care

Polling Question #1

Polling Question #2

Polling Question #3

Barriers/Challenges Lack of Value Lack of Authentic Dialogue No Common Vision Lack of Trust

Overcoming Barriers Individual  Recognize Assumptions/Biases  Challenge  Practice  Active Listening System  Create Space  Invite  Prepare Staff  Provide Accommodations  Enlist Experts  Value Perspectives

NOT Family Friendly It is our belief that the vast majority of parents care about their children, and parent them to the best of their ability. It is also our belief that some parents, due to their life experiences, current circumstances, skill level, socioeconomic status, degree of social support, special needs of their children, and other factors, could benefit from receiving additional information about effective parenting (e.g., child development and the changing role of parents), skill building, resources, and social support from both professionals and other parents. It is also our belief that the vast majority of children and adolescents want to please their parents, and are looking to them for love, approval, guidance, limit- setting, and consistency. When these needs are not sufficiently met, children may display problematic behaviors in order to call attention to these unmet needs.

Family Solutions, Family Voice Provide families with peer support/family partners who can help them navigate unfamiliar school, arrest, court, probation, and placement rules Adopt Family Bill of Rights Involve lived family voice at all decision- making points within the youth justice system

Slide 18 Why Family Engagement is Key March 18, 2014 Ryan Shanahan, PhD, Senior Program Associate, Family Justice Program

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.

Build on Family Interactions  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

Continuum of Family Involvement Small Changes No cost, staff-led family- focused initiatives Medium Changes Some cost Administrativ e buy-in Large Changes Creating Family- Focused Culture throughout system

Continuum of Family Involvement START SMALL No cost, staff- lead initiatives focused on family partnership TAKE STEPS Administrative buy-in and small financial commitment COMMIT Creating a family-focused culture throughout the system

Best Practices: KENTUCKY – Juvenile Justice teachers send survey home to parents to learn how they want to be contacted for school updates CALIFORNIA – Family dinners at camps; Family Councils TEXAS & DC – Parent Bill of Rights MINNESOTA – No metal detectors at visitation NEW YORK – Close to Home Initiative; Adolescent Portable Therapy INDIANA – Lifted visitation restrictions EPICS Family  Effective practice in community supervision– officers engaging family

As a parent, you have the right not to be judged, blamed or labeled because of your child’s incarceration. As a parent, you have the right to be an active participant when decisions are made about your child. ts_billof_rights.aspx Parent Bill of Rights

Polling Question #4

Polling Question #5

Steps Educators can Take Send home good assignments/tests/quizzes to younger siblings Video tape students reading a children’s book for their child or younger siblings Invite parents to IEP meetings and allow them to visit before or after Invite families to graduation and take photos Help students enroll in home school Send photos of school projects home

Incorporating Family into Subjects: History Family tree or family history research project Conversations about family’s traditions English/Writing Practice writing by journaling about family Writing plays telling family’s story Write about successful people in family Science Family DNA projects

Ryan Shanahan, PhD Senior Program Associate

33 The Role of State TIPD Coordinators Strategies that TIPD coordinators can use include:  Encourage subgrantees to include family/caretaker engagement as a part of their TIPD applications  Section I in the Nonregulatory Guidance states that "an SA [State agency] must assure that it will work with parents to secure their assistance in improving their children's and youth's educational achievement and, as appropriate, preventing further involvement in delinquent activities…an SA, to the extent possible, must give parents the opportunity to participate in their children's and youth's educational plans.” Section I  Include family/caregiver community as part of your monitoring plan  Support, to the extent feasible, use of TIPD funds to encourage family/caregiver engagement in programs and facilities

34 Q&A

35 Next Topical Calls  Meaningful Family/Community Engagement, June 24  Reminder: All topical call presentations and recordings are available on the ND Communities website at

36 Resources Available on the NDTAC website:  NDTAC Toolkit: Facility Toolkit for Engaging Families in Their Child's Education at a Juvenile Justice Facility NDTAC Toolkit: Facility Toolkit for Engaging Families in Their Child's Education at a Juvenile Justice Facility  NDTAC Guide: Family Guide to Getting Involved in Your Child's Education at a Juvenile Justice Facility NDTAC Guide: Family Guide to Getting Involved in Your Child's Education at a Juvenile Justice Facility

37 Resources Additional resources:  Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice  "Family Comes First, A Workbook to Transform the Juvenile Justice System by Partnering with Families.“ Available for ordering online at first.html first.html