Innovation Network Participant Resources
We are thrilled by the diverse cohort of teams that make up this year’s Innovation Network. Your commitment to transforming the youth justice workforce is commendable, and we are excited to embark on this journey together.
On this page, you will find a number of resources, such as agenda, worksheets, videos of each session and more. Please check back here frequently, as we will continue to grow and develop the materials hosted in this participant hub.
General Innovation Network Resources
Foundational Session Resources
Below you will find pre- and post-session materials for the foundational meetings.
Session 1: Establishing Short-Term Strategies to Mitigate Workforce Crisis (April 22, 2024)
The Innovation Network kicks off with a session identifying tools and short-term strategies that jurisdictions can utilize to mitigate the workforce crisis as they develop longer-term solutions. Grounded in research on effective practices for system-involved youth, participants will collaboratively explore short-term goals that address the skills, qualifications, and core functions of their workforce. This session also sets the stage for a comprehensive understanding of the transformative potential within participants’ agencies and the youth justice field more broadly.
Below, you can find materials related to our first session of the Innovation Network.
Session 2: Transforming Systems to Create Innovative Staffing Strategies (May 23, 2024)
To reimagine the youth justice workforce, leaders must also reimagine the youth justice systems that they operate so they are better designed and equipped to achieve positive outcomes for youth, families, and communities. In this session, participants will explore what an optimal youth justice system entails and the types of long-term transformative efforts that will help address the staffing crisis. The session will also examine dimensions of leading effective system transformation efforts, such as articulating a clear agency mission and vision, and cultivating an agency culture that values investment in community-based services, collaboration across youth-serving systems, and authentic partnerships with lived experts, including youth, families, and community leaders. This session aims to lay the groundwork for a more supportive and impactful youth justice system.
Session 3: Staff Recruitment and Retention (June 26, 2024)
Building on Sessions 1 and 2, this session focuses on the practicalities of effective staff recruitment and retention, particularly in the face of the current realities and challenges facing the field. Participating jurisdictions will explore strategies on how to best identify and recruit staff, including efforts around leading impactful communications initiatives, creating compelling position descriptions, partnering with credible messengers, and collaborating with educational institutions for recruitment. Sites will also discuss strategies to retain staff, such as supporting staff’s wellness and work-life balance and building a sense of meaning and purpose for staff’s day-to-day responsibilities.
Session 4: Reimagining the Youth Justice Workforce (July 31, 2024)
This last session centers the discussion around re-thinking roles and responsibilities, and the larger implications of workforce transformation efforts. Participating sites will have opportunities to reflect upon the strategies explored in previous sessions, plan for their next steps, and identify how to sustain the visions that they have for an ideal workforce of the future.
February Convening: Reimagining the Youth Justice Workforce (February 4, 2025)
Participants reconvened to share updates on their workforce transformation initiatives, discuss implementation challenges, and exchange ideas and strategies with their peers and TA providers.