This spring the Shippensburg University Center for Juvenile Justice and Research has launched a “Train the Trainers” process that will produce teams of family advocates and juvenile justice practitioners to do training on the PA Family Involvement Curriculum for Juvenile Probation Officers. This curriculum was written by family advocate Wendy Luckenbill, juvenile justice practitioner Susan Blackburn, and curriculum developer Mary Hunninen. In 2011, the staff of three local juvenile probation offices–one rural, one suburban, and one urban—piloted the curriculum. Preliminary outcomes of pre and post participant assessments indicate a significant attitude shift within the 1.5-day training. Examples of pilot county assessment data include:

#5. Families will act in the best interest of their child when they have the knowledge, skills, and supports they need.
Attitude Shift- Very Much, 39% to 96%

# 7. The benefits of family involvement in the court process outweigh the drawbacks.
Attitude Shift- Very Much, 40% to 89%

More Information

Here are two new resources that make the case for family engagement and involvement. The information is helpful for staff and families, who will benefit from understanding how to foster positive relationships:

• Family Engagement, Child Welfare Information Gateway–View online. Download as a PDF. Order free. 
• Family Engagement: A Web-based Toolkit–View online.

Accessing Insurance
What: Medical Assistance, Waivers and Affordable Care Act Workshops, Using Public Insurance to Get Service and Supports You Need, David Gates, Exq., Managing Attorney- Harrisburg, PA Health Law Project

When & Where: Across PA!

• April 17-Williamsport
• April 19-Pittsburgh
• May 9- Allentown
• May 10-Chester
• May 11, Philadelphia (inc. Spanish Interpretation- only this site!)

More Information: www.pealcenter.org/images/MA_Spring2012.pdf

Family Support
What: Parent Education/ Support Group- “Been There, Made Aware and Willing to Share” hosted by Parents Involved Network (PIN) is a peer-to-peer run program that assists parents/caregivers of children and adolescents with behavioral health challenges. PIN provides information, support, referrals and advocacy; assists parents/caregivers to acquire services from all state, local, or private child-serving systems.

Where: Bethanna
1212 Wood Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-568-2435

When: Thursday, April 19, 2012, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Info: Register with -Heather Miller – 215-355-6500 ext-213

There will be refreshments and tokens.

More information: Call Cynthia Garrett- 267-507-3871 OR 267-258-1204, Visit www.mhasp.org/family-youth.

IEP Clinic
What: IEP Clinic, presented By McAndrews Law Offices, P.C. In conjunction with SPELL (Supporting Parents of Exceptional Learners for Life).

• From 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. A MLO special education attorney will present the top ten tips to develop a proper Individualized Education Plan.
• Following this discussion, there will be a general question and answer period.
• On the day of the event, the first 25 attendees will be eligible to meet individually with a McAndrews Law Offices attorney.
• Attendees should bring the child’s IEP, previous evaluations of the child, and any past IEPs or other documents which may help to determine the appropriateness of the current IEP. Light refreshments will be served.

Where: Reading Area Community College (RACC)
10 South Second St.
Reading, PA 19603

When: April 26, 2012, 9:00 a.m. to Noon

More Information: Register by calling 610-374-9900 or by visiting www.mcandrewslaw.com

Written By: Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., SAMHSA Administrator

For the past seven years SAMHSA’s National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) has celebrated the resilience of young people, especially those young people who have mental health challenges. This year we are also honoring the caring adults, the “Heroes of Hope,” who help these young people demonstrate resilience following traumatic experiences. “Heroes of Hope” help young people reach their full potential by maintaining a long-term, stable and positive relationship—the kind of relationship that improves a young person’s ability to find success at home, at school, and in their community.

On May 9, 2012, the national Awareness Day event will be held at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C., at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The evening will feature young people in juvenile justice, child welfare, and education systems who have demonstrated resilience after experiencing a traumatic event. Awareness Day will also continue its focus on assisting military families enhance their resilience. The event will feature artistic performances made in tribute to the Heroes of Hope the young people identify.  In addition, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will present a recognition award to Honorary Event Chair Cyndi Lauper for her work in helping youth who are homeless and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

How can you get involved in your local community? One way is through “Community Conversations,” which we are creating this year to bring people together to talk about children’s mental health. Many of these conversations will focus on issues of trauma and resilience. Using data and talking points provided a twww.samhsa.gov/children, a conversation brings people together who may not have been involved in children’s mental health or substance abuse prevention efforts before. At the end of the conversation we are hoping that participants will pledge to become Heroes of Hope. This will help grow the network of caring adults in communities across the country.

To help communities across America get started in planning Awareness Day celebrations, SAMHSA is hosting a Twitter chat April 17 from 2–3 p.m. EDT. Co-hosted by the Surgeon General of the United States, Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., MBA, the Twitter chat is an opportunity to discuss Awareness Day 2012, better understand issues related to trauma and resilience in children and youth, and help facilitate Community Conversations.

Follow SAMHSA on Twitter at @SAMHSAgov and Dr. Benjamin at @SGRegina for more information and join the chat April 17 using the hashtag #CMHchat.

Make sure to visit www.samhsa.gov/children for the latest Awareness Day information.

Project LEADERS is housed at Georgia State University in the College of Education and within the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education and the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services. The total potential 5-year funding package for each scholar is approximately $175,000. Details on specific funding amounts are provided on the web site below.

Project LEADERS will prepare six select diverse, highly qualified doctoral-level professionals, who will be future higher education leaders in special education with an emphasis on academics and mental health issues in alternative settings. Students will be trained to provide effective leadership through research, service, and teaching upon graduation. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to start in the fall of 2012

More Information

• Project LEADERS: Website
• Project LEADERS Staff Contacts: Email David E. Houchins Ph.D.and/or Kris Varjas, Ph.D. at ProjectLeaders@gsu.edu
• For additional information you may call Dr. Houchins at 404-413-8338 or Dr. Varjas at 404-413-8190.

This NJJN Factsheet reviews recent studies on the juvenile just system showing that formal system processing doesn’t reduce delinquency and that incarceration is ineffective–get tough approaches actually do more harm than good.

The PA Juvenile Justice system is embracing this “What Works” philosophy in its new Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES).  The JJSES State Leadership Team, Workgroup, and county Juvenile Probation Offices are partnering to ensure that court practices improve outcomes for youth, victims, and the community.

The NJJN Factsheet reports that “Recent research on the juvenile justice system indicates that in nearly all instances, the best public safety outcomes coincide with the least restrictive interventions for youth, rather than more traditional processing and incarceration. Studies from the Campbell Collaboration and Dr. Edward P. Mulvey and his colleagues starkly demonstrate the negative effects of formal juvenile processing as compared to diversion, and the ineffectiveness of incarceration. These studies reinforce the deleterious effects of incarcerating youth, both in terms of youth health and individual outcomes, as well as the broader negative impact on public safety and harm to society. Such costly incarceration of youth contrasts sharply with diversion programs and community-based alternatives, which, when done right, cost less and reduce recidivism.”

More Information:

• Read the NJJN Factsheet The Truth About Consequences
• About NJJN (the Mental Health Association in PA is a member of NJJN)

More Information:

• Juvenile Law Center coverage of the Court Ruling
• PA Juvenile Defenders Association

The Act catches a broad range of persons in its net, including children who have engaged in troubling behaviors that can be viewed as influenced by immature judgment. The Act is in conflict with the significant body of research showing that highly punitive, restrictive responses to children’s bad behavior has poor outcomes for the child.  See Juvenile Justice Research Showing Strengths Based Interventions Yield Best Results (link to accompanying kids news article)

There has been considered pushback to AWA nationally, as states struggle to implement this Federal mandate while also preserving effective approaches to youth. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has dedicated a web page to the debate. The Juvenile Law Center recently called for repeal of Act 111.

The PA legislation did attempt to balance the Federal mandates of AWA and the need to offer children an ability to turn their lives around.  PA’s Act 111 allows law enforcement only to view the names of children registered. (The National Sex Offender Public Website does provide the public with a registry of adults.) This provision was supported by the Juvenile Court Judges Commission and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. You can read more about the PA legislation here.

Other provisions of Act 111 are the same for adults and children, including the requirement that adults and children successfully complete inpatient treatment, followed by one-year of outpatient treatment. It also requires a lifetime registry with database and lifetime monthly counseling.

More Information:

• Full coverage in the December 2011 Juvenile Court Judges Commission Newsletter, pages 1 and 2.

The PA Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has been working to decrease the use of children’s residential treatment facilities across Pennsylvania. (The Mental Health Association in PA supports these efforts.) Although cost is certainly a factor, DPW is committed to quality effective care for children. Research has show that best treatment outcomes occur when children are able to access treatment in their homes and communities. Therefore, DPW has been able to support the development of a short term Intensive Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) Program in Lehigh and Northumberland Counties.  The program was developed and administered jointly by Magellan Behavioral Health and the Lehigh Valley Care Management Center.

Magellan recently released its “Two-Year Outcomes Report” (2009-2011). Some conclusions:

• 48 percent of the children were discharged to a family-based level of care, which allows a 30-day overlap with the RTF
• The average length of stay for intensive RTF is 165 days less than for traditional RTF in the same time period
• Case managers have been successful at identifying community-based services that support children upon discharge
• 30-day and 60-day readmission rates were zero
• Intensive RTF is a more effective and less costly treatment alternative, based on the positive outcomes related to no readmissions and reunification of the child with the family much sooner than traditional RTF.

More Information:

• Magellan Two-Year Outcomes Report, 2009-11
• Bazelon Center Factsheet on Children’s Residential Treatment
• Archived issues of CASSP Newsletters are available here

How can we promote the academic, social, and emotional well-being of all Pennsylvania’s students?  Research shows Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) enables schools to create and sustain positive safe school climates for students and staff. Schools adopting PBIS go through very specific training and receive ongoing guidance. Despite an intensive process, teachers see almost immediate drops in discipline problems and increases in academic learning. For the last several years in Pennsylvania, a group of dedicated leaders from the PA Department of Education, local schools, and community groups has been leading the efforts to bring PBIS to all interested schools. Currently almost 200 school buildings are implementing PBIS. PBIS is a nationally recognized evidence based practice.

More Information:

• Read the December 2011 edition of the PA CASSP Newsletter, which includes stories from several schools and programs implementing PBIS and a summary of the third annual evaluation documenting significant success.
• Read the January 2012 edition of the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network Newsletter, which includes information about the 2011-2012 school-based behavioral health performance grants, one teacher’s journey with PBIS, and updates on other PBIS-related initiatives.
• Attend the 2012 Implementers’ Forum, to be held May 23-24 at the Hershey Convention Center. The theme is “Going to Scale: Three-Tiered Logic” and the forum will feature strategies for scaling up school and program-wide PBIS, national keynote presentations, and more than 35 breakout sessions for early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school levels.

More than 60 organizations, including the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania, have joined together in a coalition called the Protect Our Children Committee (POCC) to send a letter to the new Task Force addressing shared concerns about the state of child welfare services in Pennsylvania and outlining needed reform.

You can read the letter here.