Providing Tailored Behavioral Support Services for Youth in Juvenile Justice & Child Welfare Systems
Posted: February 26, 2013
Youth who are involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems face many challenges and barriers to academic and vocational success. Regardless of the reasons for their involvement, youth in these systems are “disproportionately children and youth of color who currently have, or have experienced, a host of risk factors that are associated with poor academic achievement, delinquency, recidivism, substance abuse, and mental health issues” (Osher, Gonsoulin, & Lampron, in Leone & Weinberg, 2010, p. 1). Whether due to high rates of mobility, mental and/or behavioral health needs, living in poverty, or delinquent involvement, these youth often face struggles that their non-system-involved peers do not. As such, “youth in the juvenile delinquency and foster care systems, perhaps more so than other youth, need high-quality education services and supports to make successful transitions from adolescence to adulthood”. Specifically, educators need to provide these youth with individually tailored support services to address their academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs.