laura nissen national program director february 2009
TRANSCRIPT
Laura NissenNational Program Director
February 2009
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
What is Reclaiming Futures?
• Innovative, tested approach to help teens caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime
• Began as $21-million, five-year initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Entering 9th year with new investments by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the Center for Substance Abuse and Treatment (CSAT), the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust (KBR) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• Vision: Communities reclaim youth through appropriate, comprehensive, individualized responses to substance abuse and delinquency
Portland, OR
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Reclaiming Futures Solution
More Treatment
Better Treatment
Beyond Treatment
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
How Does Reclaiming Futures Work?
• Judges, other community leaders play vital role• Sites rely on testing innovative strategies at key
decision points in juvenile justice• Change teams use coaching, curriculum, strategic
planning, and action to develop implementation plan
• Strategies deployed to produce improved interventions – especially related to substance abuse treatment, youth development
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: The Beginning
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 1
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 2
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 3
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 4
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 5
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our Six-Step Model: Step 6
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Model
• Identifies young people with substance abuse problems and tracks whether they get effective and timely treatment
• Uses data to measure progress, report gaps and successes, and make case for investing in services
• While it sounds simple, the model takes coordinated effort across groups, possible technical adjustments, and tenacious team commitment
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Families and Communities
Family and community involvement is essential
Seattle, WA
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Communities
• Usually not regarded as part of the solution, except in extraordinary situations
• Have ideas, commitment and passion for changes that affect them
• Great potential to push for change that cannot occur within the system
• Programs can’t reclaim youth – only communities can
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
How Communities Help
• Mentor• Educate• Employ• Engage youth as leaders• Build accountability through
corrective action when necessary • Prepare youth for higher education• Harness youth energy, idealism to tackle
community challenges• Help youth feel safe
Montgomery County, Ohio
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
To Succeed
• Increase number of youth screened and assessed
• Improve number of youth matched to treatment, based on assessments
• Grow family participation
• Reduce detention, out-of-home placements
• Boost case completion, treatment closure
• Better public safety
• Reduce costs of drug-related juvenile crime
King County, WA