Behavioral Health
Licensed social work/mental health professionals within Fairfield County Juvenile Court’s Behavioral Health (BH) team provide mental health and substance abuse assessments for juveniles referred from Court Case Managers and Specialists or by the Judge/Magistrates.
If through their interview with the youth and parent(s) it is determined that further counseling or treatment is needed, the team will make a referral for the youth to the most appropriate community resource or provide short-term in-house counseling. The BH team also is available for immediate lethality screening and referral when a youth is at risk for suicide or is a threat to others.
Additionally, the team provides case consultation services to all Court staff. One Behavioral Health Specialist is focused on family engagement. Her primary role is to engage, educate, advocate for, and support parents/caregivers who have youth in Juvenile Court programming; as well as to facilitate meetings to support family voice and choice.
Resource Center
Fairfield County Juvenile Court Resource Center (RC) provides a combination of interventions and programs joined under one umbrella to better serve youth and families, law enforcement, and other community partners. The RC is located in Connexion West, a Lancaster community center focused on helping individuals and families.
Programs and services under the RC umbrella are Assessment Services—including Community Request for Services and On-Call Services, Reporting Services, Mentoring, Community Service, Workforce Development, and the Youth Subsidized Employment Program.
The purpose of the RC is multifaceted:
- To utilize restorative justice system best practices to provide high-risk, Court-involved youth a safe and structured environment in which to develop skills, connect to community resources, and establish positive relationships to improve daily living and reduce further involvement in the juvenile justice system;
- These skills, as outlined in the Fairfield County Juvenile Court Guiding Principles include:
- Pro-Social,
- Moral Reasoning,
- Academic,
- Workforce Development, and
- Independent Living.
- To promote public safety through around-the-clock availability to local law enforcement for assistance with emergent needs related to juveniles displaying unruly or delinquent behaviors;
- To utilize trauma-informed practices to promote public and youth safety by encouraging local school districts, law enforcement, other community partners, and affected families to refer juveniles displaying unruly or delinquent behaviors to the RC for skills-development and/or other resources for the youths’ personal development and success;
- To assess youth for underlying issues that contribute to their concerning behaviors and to intervene with development of safety plans and provision of appropriate services and referrals to behavioral health and other community partners;
- To assist youth existing detention with their transition back into the community; and
- To provide mentoring services and opportunities for positive community engagement while modeling appropriate social interaction and promoting resiliency.
Reporting Services
Reporting Services utilizes restorative justice system best practices to provide high-risk, Court-involved youth a safe and structured environment in which to develop skills, connect to community resources, and establish positive relationships. Primary goals are to improve daily living and to reduce further involvement in the juvenile justice system. Programming is based on cognitive behavioral change and structure.
Originally funded through the Ohio Department of Youth Services, Reporting Services provides intensive supervision, as well as supportive services that address identified needs of the juveniles who are referred. Youth ages 12 through 18 are referred by Court Services and the Judge/Magistrates and less frequently by Diversion Services. Eligible youth may be ordered pre-adjudication, by the Court at adjudication, or as a condition of probation. Eligible youth include those who are not a danger to themselves or others or to the property of others. In addition, a youth who is a flight risk is not eligible for placement with Reporting Services.
Programming is scheduled for three hours after school Monday through Thursday during the academic year and for 3.5 hours in the afternoon during the summer. The daytime summer schedule allows youth greater opportunity to participate in community service projects and provides supervision earlier in the day when the youth may otherwise be home alone.
Transportation is provided to and from the Resource Center, which houses Reporting Services. During transportation time, staff engage in meaningful conversation with the youth. A standard referral is for 25 days. Upon program completion, youth may return for a 10-day referral to continue their skill-building and positive relationship development and receive additional supervision.
At times, Reporting Services is used when youth on probation need temporary supervision when parent(s) are unable to provide it. This service may occur outside of standard program hours if needed to best serve the youth and family.
Because Court staff were unable to meet with youth in person during the COVID pandemic, Reporting Services team members developed a virtual program to enable the Court to continue to provide support to individual youth and families through a creative use of technology and increased staff engagement. Although not in use since 2021, provision of virtual Reporting Services is possible should the need arise.
Mentoring
Mentoring provides Court-involved, at-risk youth opportunities to work one-on-one with a screened and trained adult mentor whose support and camaraderie will contribute to the development of positive skills. Studies show that more than 76% of at-risk young adults with a mentor aspire to enroll in and graduate from college, versus 56% of at-risk young adults who had no mentor.
The Court’s mentor program offers three different approaches: one-on-one, group, and team. One-on-one is a traditional approach through which a pre-screened adult is matched with a youth based on similar interests. The matched pair is encouraged to meet for at least two hours weekly for six months.
Evidence shows that timeframe provides ample opportunity for an engaging mentorship to evolve. Through group mentoring, two adults facilitate a group consisting of four to six youth who meet for a six-week period. The Court regularly utilizes the group approach in house. Two adult sisters mentoring one youth together is an example of team mentoring. Established youth groups and programs such as Connexion West Mentor Academy are other examples of a team mentoring approach.
Community Service
Court-involved youth are provided the opportunity to participate in community service work, through which they may regain community trust, pay restitution, and fulfill obligations while developing new skills and building quality relationships with adult mentors.
The Judge/Magistrate or Court case managers and specialists refer the youth to Community Service. Youth often complete volunteer projects with Court staff at several sites throughout Fairfield County and may work off assigned hours under the supervision of the Supportive Services Specialist Lead.
Through a blended approach, youth may volunteer independently at an established community partner site such as Connexion West, Lancaster Parks and Recreation, Habitat for Humanity, local churches and Pickerington Food pantry. Community connections have the potential to transpire into positive mentorships after Court involvement.
During the summer, Court staff collaborate with Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers (SROs) to work on community projects such as park cleanups, landscaping and painting. Youth work as a team with Court staff and the SROs. Lunch is provided after the hard work. Sites have included Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Lancaster and Pickerington, food pantries, Maywood Mission, Foundation Dinners, local churches, highway cleanup sites, and many more.
Workforce Development Program
In keeping with the principles of restorative justice, goals of the Workforce Development (WFD) Program are to prepare Court-involved youth for the workforce and to increase their ability to obtain and retain employment.
WFD uses this five-step approach to achieve the goals.
- Assessment
- Job Readiness Assistance
- Individual Job Search
- Job Placement
- Job Retention
The WFD Coordinator meets with youth and parent(s) to conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the level of assistance needed and to identify barriers and challenges.
Youth attend Job Readiness workshops that provide training in interviewing, time management, work habits/conduct, attendance, communication, conflict management, positive relationships with supervisors/ coworkers, good hygiene, and appropriate work attire.
The Coordinator meets with the youth to help create resumes, explain job postings and the value of networking, complete online job applications and employment paperwork, review employer expectations, determine work schedules, arrange transportation, balance school and work, and communicate with supervisors.
Workplace issues and problems are identified early and addressed as they occur to avoid resignation or firing. Support services are identified and accessed to help each young person maintain employment. School attendance and grades are reviewed on a regular basis.
Subsidized Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
The Subsidized Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides subsidized wages to at-risk youth while giving employers incentives to provide participants with 120 hours of quality on-the-job training. Youth can be placed with public, private, or non-profit employers. SYEP participants are youth ages 15 to 18 who have multiple barriers that have limited their employability.
The goal or SYEP is to help youth develop the necessary skills and work ethic to transition into unsubsidized employment at the conclusion of the program. Participants attend Job Readiness workshops to prepare for their placement. Fairfield County Juvenile Court has partnered with TeenWorks, Inc. since the program’s inception in 2018 to operate the SYEP program. TeenWorks provides administrative oversight. Funding comes from the Fairfield County Board of Commissioners, Columbus Foundation, Fairfield County Foundation, and United Way of Fairfield County.
The Workforce Development Coordinator maintains consistent contact with employers and youth to monitor and evaluate progress and address any issues that may arise. She provides support services to ensure participants are equipped to be successful on the job.
