Make the Right Choice

Transcription

1 Make the Right Choice HELPING FAMILIES INITIATIVE Fall 2004 Learn more How the program works Community partners Year 1 results John Tyson Jr. District Attorney Working together Research clearly indicates that truancy and serious misconduct at school forecast juvenile delinquency and, eventually, adult crime. Mobile County s high crime rate and social risk factors play key roles in the discipline problems in our public schools. Recent studies show that many public school students fear for their safety at school, and that at-risk youth suffer serious problems at home. Educators cannot be expected to correct such problems without significant assistance from families and the community as a whole. In a unique collaborative effort led by the Mobile County District Attorney s Office and Mobile County Public Schools, the Make the Right Choice Helping Families Initiative is proving to be a costeffective way of both fighting crime and preventing it. The DA partners with the community s education, law enforcement, health, mental health, social services and other organizations and agencies to identify high-risk youth and their families, and to develop appropriate interventions for them. The Helping Families Initiative is cutting red tape and knocking down barriers in an effort to maximize existing community resources. This report will tell you how the program works, and how our community s at-risk youth are getting the help they need to improve not only their behavior at school, but also their very lives. we re making a difference! Dr. Harold Dodge Superintendent This partnership works. In : 1,365 referrals for students and their families were made by 78 community organizations and agencies

2 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004 / Page 2 of 8 Helping Families Initiative key steps Here are the key steps for the District Attorney s Office and the Helping Families Initiative intervention team: IDENTIFY youth most at-risk ENGAGE youth and family with need for change REFER and DELIVER services MEASURE and REPORT progress What parents need to know Catching problems early enough can help divert an atrisk child from trouble Alabama law requires parents to make sure that their children attend school, and that they behave themselves appropriately in class. The Mobile County District Attorney s Office is mandated to vigorously enforce these laws. However, the District Attorney also realizes that misbehavior in school is sometimes a symptom of problems that need something other than a law enforcement solution. Catching these problems early enough and giving families the targeted assistance they need can help divert an at-risk child from trouble. The Helping Families Initiative offers early intervention for an at-risk student whose own behavior triggers the process. The Helping Families team goes into action when the student s serious violation results in suspension, but not an arrest. Arrested students continue to be processed through the juvenile court and probation systems. Participation is mandatory Participation in the Helping Families Initiative is not optional. Disruptive students interfere with the education of law-abiding classmates and erode school safety, and they must be held accountable for their actions.

3 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004 / Page 3 of 8 Dear Mobile County Parents and Citizens... The Make the Right Choice Helping Families Initiative is a unique and highly effective partnership between the district attorney and the school system to prevent crime and disruptions in the classroom. Together with dozens of agencies and organizations, we bring the whole community s resources to bear on the problems faced by teachers every day in their classrooms. Our children s education is too important to the future of the community to leave problems untreated and families without critical resources. Through this partnership, we are helping at-risk children get back on track and making our schools safer for all students. Here s how the program works: Helping Families Initiative interventions are triggered when students seriously misbehave at school, particularly when these acts result in suspensions for C, D and E violations of the Code of Student Conduct. C violations include a wide range of illegal acts such as arson, assault, bomb threats, robbery, indecent exposure, and theft. D violations involve substance abuse. E violations involve weapons. Any student committing his or her first C violation receives a warning letter from the Mobile County District Attorney s Office. The student s principal and the central office are notified of the letter. On the second C, or the first D or E violation, a suspended student or one who is chronically truant and his or her parent(s) undergo an assessment and participate in an intervention prescribed by the Helping Families Intervention Team. Team members are professionals from local law enforcement, education, juvenile justice, and community social service, health, and mental health agencies. Cooperation with the assessment and intervention process is a requirement for readmission to school. Failure of the student or parent to fully cooperate in the prescribed interventions or subsequent C, D, or E violations may result in legal consequences as called for in Alabama laws governing student and parental actions and responsibilities. We encourage you to call (251) with any questions and concerns, or if you know of a student or parent who needs assistance through the Helping Families Initiative. Working together, we can make a difference in the lives of Mobile County s children and families. John M. Tyson, Jr. Mobile County District Attorney Harold W. Dodge Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent

4 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004 / Page 4 of 8 During the school year, the Helping Families team made 1,365 referrals to 78 community partners. These partners delivered a broad range of services to Mobile County s at-risk youth and their families. : Law Enforcement Children s Services Health Services Mental Health Faith Community Report Card to the Community: COMMUNITY RESOURCES NUMBER REFERRALS Mobile County District Attorney 82 Mobile Police Department 14 Saraland Police Department 4 Bayou la Batre Police Department 1 Mobile County Sheriff s Office 4 Mobile County Street Narcotics Enforcement Team 3 Department of Human Resources 141 Mobile County Public School System 307 All Kids Health Insurance 5 Child Advocacy Center 11 Early Childhood Directions 3 Teen Center 6 Futures, Inc. 5 Strickland Youth Center 74 Department of Public Health 12 Victory Health Partners 11 Franklin Memorial Primary Health Center 5 Other 4 Mobile Mental Health Center 173 Family Counseling Center 33 Catholic Social Services 15 Other 6 Mt Hebron Missionary Baptist Church 12 Episcopal Church of the Redeemer 5 Government St Presbyterian Church 1 Government St Methodist Church 7 Cottage Hill Baptist Church 4 Christ United Methodist Church 8 Springhill Baptist Church 1 1st Baptist Church-Wilmer 2 Rock of Faith Missionary Baptist Church 1 Aimwell Baptist Church 3

5 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004 / Page 5 of 8 Helping Families Initiative Year 1 results COMMUNITY RESOURCES NUMBER REFERRALS Waterfront Rescue Mission 2 Salvation Army 7 Mobile Community Action 19 Catholic Social Services 24 Volunteers of America 8 Penelope House 6 Mobile Housing Board 21 Prichard Housing Board 7 Chickasaw Housing Authority 1 1st Time Homeowners (Consumer Credit Counseling Service) 4 Habitat for Humanity 3 Good Samaritans 2 AlAnon 10 Smoking Cessation 10 Alcoholics Anonymous 8 Gamblers Anonymous 2 Widowed Persons Services 1 Mercy Medical Grief Support Group 6 Compassionate Friends 2 Survivors of Mental Illness 2 Exchange Club Family Center 35 Big Brother/Big Sister 15 Jubilee Youth Sanctuary 10 Boys and Girls Clubs 57 Kappa League 8 4H Clubs Black Men 13 American Red Cross 3 Drug Education Council 52 Volunteer Mobile 7 Boy Scouts 6 Girl Scouts 5 CareerLink 14 Mobile Association for Retarded Citizens 4 Bishop State Community College (Talent Search and GED) 17 Job Corps 10 Total referrals 1,365 Emergency Assistance Housing Recovery Groups Parenting/Mentoring Job Support

6 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004/ Page 6 of 8 Community challenges The delinquency prevention efforts of the Helping Families Initiative are essential to improving quality of life in the community at large. Mobile County suffers from a chronically high crime rate that affects all its citizens. Early intervention is the best way to prevent future juvenile delinquency and adult crime n Mobile County citizens are a third more likely to be a victim of serious crime than elsewhere in the US (2002 FBI Uniform Crime Reports) n Mobile metro area is the 15th most murderous in U.S. (City Crime Rankings 10th Edition, Morgan Quitno Press) n In 2003, there were 2,025 youthful offenders under age 21 in adult court. That same year, Strickland Youth Center handled 8,601 complaints against juveniles n Mobile County has some of the highest child risk factors teen pregnancy, poverty, child death rates, etc. -- in the nation (Alabama Kids Count) n 40% of students suspended for serious violations already have an active record in juvenile court (Alabama Administrative Office of the Courts) n That means that the other 60% are our greatest opportunity to help an at-risk child before he or she gets into serious trouble with the law The Helping Families Team These are the Helping Families Team members who dedicate themselves to intervening with at-risk youth and their families: Mobile County District Attorney s Office Mobile County Public School System Mobile Police Department Mobile Mental Health Center Mobile County Department of Human Resources Drug Education Council Exchange Club Family Center Jubilee Youth Sanctuary Strickland Youth Center Boys and Girls Clubs Mobile County Health Department University of South Alabama Early Childhood Directions Strengthening Neighborhood Investment Program

7 Make the Right Choice/ Fall 2004 / Page 7 of 8 Case stories from the Helping Families Initiative Crime, victims of crime, hunger, addiction, mental illness, homelessness. These are just a few of the desperate circumstances that the team from the Helping Families Initiative encountered in the first year of operation. With unprecedented teamwork among all the partners and the entire community, HFI team members work to cut red tape and offer services and solutions to at-risk youth and their families early enough to intervene effectively. A teenage girl a throwaway kid on the verge of a life of drug abuse and sexual exploitation finds refuge in a group home. Four abused and neglected children are rescued from a crack house and get a taste of normal life with foster parents. A 4 th -grader overturns school furniture in a rage, threatens to kill faculty and students, stands on top of his desk and screams at the teacher. At home, he blackens his frail grandmother s eye and is suspected of setting fires and torturing animals. The boy is picked up and put into safekeeping until his medications are corrected. Under professional supervision, his behavior improves. A mom and dad at wit s end with their teenaged daughter get help with the child s addiction a problem they were unaware of until Helping Families Initiative intervention. A wide range of family assistance services help the troubled families of several middle school girls discovered to be engaging in ritual self-mutilation. A high-school student destined to drop out gets the support and encouragement he needs to finish high school and enroll in community college. We noticed the mood swings, but we had no idea she was doing drugs. -- Father I didn t know what to do. I couldn t get to work before they were calling me with problems about my son. -- Mother

8 A project of Mobile County District Attorney s Office & Mobile County Public Schools Helping Families Initiative a school/community collaboration Know someone who needs help? John Tyson Jr. District Attorney Call to speak with a Helping Families Initiative case officer Dr. Harold Dodge Superintendent Make the Right Choice HELPING FAMILIES INITIATIVE Mobile County District Attorney P.O. Box 2841 Mobile, AL 36652