1. Successful Re-Entry: A Look at Getting Juvenile Offenders Back into School and Keeping Them Engaged

2. Session Outcomes Overview of Project STAY OUT
Identify youth barriers to re-entry
Describe re-entry strategies for juvenile offenders
Define Transition Specialist’s key activities
Understand importance of community partners in re-entry
Examples of practices in each area

3. Deanne Unruh & Miriam Waintrup University of Oregon Nick Moore Eugene 4J School District Jermaine Whitaker Multnomah ESD Oregon Statewide Transition conference February 2017 Portland, Oregon

4. Project STAY OUT: Strategies Teaching Adolescent Young Offenders to Use Transition Skills
Funded by US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs
Model Demonstration Project on Reentry of Students with disabilities from Juvenile Justice Facilities into Education, Employment, and community Programs
3 funded across nation: (1) Oregon, (2) Minnesota, and (3) Arizona

5. A 3 State Collaboration
Arizona State University: Project RISE (Re-entry Intervention & Support for Engagement
Focuses on developing a model for effective reentry of youth with disabilities from a long-term secure care facility back into schools, employment, and community programs. 
University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration: MAP Project
Supports juvenile offenders transitioning from juvenile justice to secondary education, post secondary education, and employment opportunities in St. Paul and surrounding communities.
University of Oregon: Project STAYOUT

6. Project STAY OUT Overview
Goal 1: Build community capacity to serve young offenders w/ disabilities by providing training and PD to school personnel and JJ system Goal 2: Develop curriculum and training materials to support transition-related special educators in a young offender’s reentry into their home schools, employment, and community living.
Key Features
Transition Specialist, employed by school, trained in needs of JJ youth
Youth-driven planning
School engagement focus
Community-based Employment options
Targeted social skill training
IMMEDIATE access to age appropriate and culturally appropriate services

7. Target Population Must have an active IEP or be eligible for one
Be years of age
Already be in school or not yet enrolled but coming from detention, residential treatment, or close custody facility (they must have stayed longer than 10 days to be un-enrolled in school)
Has been adjudicated
Individualized Education Program (IEP) = Each public school student who receives special education and related services must have an IEP. Each IEP is designed for each individual student and address that student’s unique needs. It contains unique, measureable annual goals and accommodations and must include transition goals by the age of 16. Transition planning looks at postsecondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, and community participation.

8. Primary Transition Specialist Activities
Employment Services
Career awareness activities
Career exploration/job seeking activities
Vocational Education participation
Educational Services
Support records transfer; IEP support/planning;
Review and provide guidance for credit recovery
Tutoring support (Specified coursework)
Independent Living/Community Services
Time/organizational management
Citizenship/problem solving
Peer relationships
Transportation
Social/Family Services
Family intervention
Access to mental health services
Disability awareness

9. Strategies to Support Youth to Stay Engaged in School
Additional areas of focus above providing evidence- based transition services:
Individual
Education
Family/Living Environments
Employment
Promoting Positive Peer Relationships
Building Community Agency Capacity

10. Focus Area: Individual
Individual youth barriers include: self (poor decision making, lack of self advocacy skills); mental health needs; and moving from a structured to unstructured environment.
Target
Interventions
Increase good decision making skills, locus of control, self-regulation skills
Access to continued Cognitive Behavior Therapy and other mental health services in the community.
Develop youth’s self-determination & advocacy skills.

11. Focus Area: Education
Education related barriers included lack of basic academic skills and difficulty accessing school records and youth’s IEP.
Target
Interventions
Strategies to increase engagement in education
Facilitate records transfer and transition planning for IEP
Match education programs to youth’s interests and academic needs. (Relevance)
Provide flexible education opportunities.
Focus on maintaining attendance rates

12. Focus Area: Family/Living Environments
Family & Independent Living related barriers include not being able to return to family, lack of consistent support; stable housing and lack of independent living skills.
Target
Interventions
Improve familial emotional support
Support Family/home stability
Increase family & youth support services in the facility and community.
Ensure services are culturally appropriate.
Improve independent living skills
Provide referrals to increase home stability: food pantries, referral for adult mental health or substance use treatment
Target Independent Living skills in IEP

13. Focus Area: Employment
Employment related barriers include lack of employment history or training, stigma of being involved in JJ, lack of transportation.
Target
Interventions
Increase rate of employment
Develop targeted employment services.
Job matching based on youth strengths.
Practice helping the youth talk about disclosing their JJ involvement on the job or interviews

14. Focus Area: Promoting Positive Peer Relationships
Barriers related to peer relationships in the community include negative peers, gang issues, and access to drugs & alcohol.
Target
Interventions
Increase pro-social networks
Natural supports may develop through new friend sets in school, employment.
Engage youth in healthy community activities related to interests, strengths, and hobbies.

15. Focus Area: Community Agency Capacity Building
Community capacity building barriers include dealing with multiple schools, availability of mental health/drug treatment, and stigma of JJ youth by schools and community agencies.
Target
Interventions
Increase multi-agency collaboration
Educate all partners about the JJ system process and IDEA law
Regular planning meetings relative to systems and youth.
Develop records sharing and transfer process.
Learn eligibility requirements for each agency

16. Resources
delinquent.org/sites/default/files/NDTAC_Issue_Brief_FAPE_1 2_15.pdf National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or delinquent Children and Youth
WebinarVersion_Jan pdf Summary of Every Student Succeeds Act and Youth returning from JJ system
Center for Parent Information and Resources: webinar from September 20, 2016

18. Contact Information
Jermaine Whitaker,
Nick Moore,
Miriam Waintrup,
Deanne Unruh,