Youth in Custody Practice Model

Consistent with the traditional approach used since the inception of the YIPCM in 2016, over an 18-month period (i.e., March 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022), CJJA, CJJR and a team of experts will provide training and technical assistance to support the site’s implementation of the YICPM. It  is understood that each site selected to participate in the YICPM will have different strengths and weaknesses and may be more advanced in some areas of practice than others. For this reason, each site’s 18-months of training and technical assistance will be a customized package of services within the general framework of the overall initiative. The training and technical assistance will support sites in:

• Assessing current practices compared to the comprehensive, research-based blueprint presented by the YICPM;
• Developing customized action plans to implement desired policy and practice improvements and achieve measurable objectives;
• Training staff on the research undergirding the YICPM and the strategies listed therein;
• Building and broadening a coalition of support for the system improvements, including agency staff, partners and stakeholders;
• Creating strategies designed to achieve long-term sustainability of the efforts, such as policy development, training, quality assurance and performance measurement; and
• Measuring the effectiveness of the training and technical assistance in changing practices and achieving positive

Over the course of six site visits and regular conference calls and email correspondence, the training and technical assistance will be delivered by national experts with experience in the youth in custody arena. The consulting team will include two lead consultants who will attend every site visit and an additional consultant who will attend two of the six visits. Overall, this team of consultants will provide each participating site with a minimum of 130 days of consultation.

The consulting team will cover all areas of the Practice Model including:

• Family Engagement and Empowerment;
• Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities;
• Case Planning;

• Facility-Based Services (e.g., Academic and Career/Technical Education; Programming; Physical Health; Behavioral Health; Supporting Staff; Youth Voice; Environment; Behavioral Supports; Crisis Management; Managing the Influence of Gangs);
• Transition/Reentry; and
• Community-based Services

Additionally, the consulting team will include a number of specialized subject matter experts available to assist sites in targeted areas requiring further attention. For example, a site may wish to delve deeply into improving facility-based family engagement practices, addressing racial and ethnic disparities, or enhancing trauma-informed approaches. To this end, specialized experts would provide consultation—on site and/or by phone/email/webinar—to help participants develop specific strategies to improve practices. The lead consultants will work with each site to identify areas of interest for this specialized consultation. Each selected site will be provided with a total of 15 days of TTA from the specialized subject matter experts.

Finally, the 18-month option of the YICPM includes a strong data collection and evaluation component. Dr. Jennifer Woolard, Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department at Georgetown University, and her staff will provide training and technical assistance to sites to support data collection, analysis, and report writing related to the YICPM implementation. This effort, involving 13 days of consultation from Dr. Woolard and her team, is designed to measure the impact the YICPM has on changing practices and achieving positive outcomes.

In total, the training and technical assistance package includes a minimum of approximately 158 days of consultation from the lead consultants, specialized subject matter experts, and data consultants.

As noted above, for the first time ever, CJJA and CJJR are offering an opportunity for sites interested in receiving more targeted support around particular elements of serving youth in custody. For this 12-month version of the YICPM initiative, participating sites will receive the YICPM monograph, an overview of YICPM components, and intensive training and technical assistance on one of the following tracks:

• Track 1: Partnering with and Supporting Staff, Youth and Families: This track will cover strategies for supporting and equipping staff; elevating the voices of youth in practice; and engaging and partnering with families in meaningful ways.

• Track 2: Motivating Positive Youth Behavior at the Facility: This track will cover strategies for establishing a positive physical and social facility environment; providing youth with behavior supports including through strong behavior management and motivation practices; and preventing and safely responding to critical
• Track 3: Collaborating across Systems to Deliver High Quality Services: This track will cover strategies for conducting effective and cross-disciplinary case planning; delivering high quality education, medical and behavioral health services; and supporting a seamless reentry
• Track 4: Promoting Race Equity and Fairness for Youth in Custody: This track will cover strategies for ensuring that youth of color are treated equitably and fairly at the facility level, including through the use of data-driven strategies, training, messaging, and organizational culture change.

Led by a consulting team of national experts, this technical assistance package includes two site visits and regular conference calls and email correspondence. At least two lead consultants will facilitate every visit and call which will be designed to support the site to analyze gaps in policy and practice in the track, and develop and implement action plans to address those gaps. While this package does not include the full data and evaluation component contained in the 18-month version, note that the lead consultants will provide guidance to the site to support a self-directed evaluation of their work under the YICPM. Overall, this team of consultants will provide each participating site with a minimum of 80 days of consultation.

Similar to the 18-month version, this training and technical assistance package will also include access to subject matter experts who will assist the site in targeted areas requiring further attention. In collaboration with the site, CJJR and CJJA will tap into their respective networks to identify and engage the subject matter experts for up to three days of consultation. In total, the training and technical assistance package includes a minimum of approximately 83 days of consultation from the lead consultants and specialized subject matter experts.

Implementing the YICPM will require a significant commitment from the participating sites. At a minimum, participating organizations should be prepared to:

• Engage in monthly conference calls;
• Participate in all site visits (including covering the costs associated with convening the team members for each visit, as well as meeting preparation and follow-up)Communicate regularly with the consulting team;
• Communicate regularly with the consulting team;
• Drive the data collection process (for the 18-month version); and
• Coordinate the various implementation groups (e.g., implementation team, workgroups, guiding coalition).

We ask that each site thoroughly examine its level of commitment and the ability to support staff members in undertaking this work. In this regard, there is an expectation that each site will be ready to move rapidly in implementing the YICPM upon selection.

The costs to participate in the YICPM and receive the training and technical assistance from CJJR, CJJA, and the team of experts include the following:

• 18-month version: $209,000
• 12-month version: $98,500

This fee includes:

• All technical assistance from the lead consultants (130 days in total for the 18-month version; 80 days in total for the 12-month version), specialized subject matter experts (15 days in total for the 18-month version; 3 days in total for the 12-month version), and data consultants (13 days in total for the 18-month version). For each version, the fee includes all consultant fees, consultant travel, and costs associated with conference calls and webinars;
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of the training and technical assistance and action plans in changing practices and achieving outcomes in the participating sites (for the 18-month version); and
• CJJR and CJJA staff support for coordinating and managing all aspects of the program.