Juvenile court asks commissioners to renew three service agreements covering guardian ad litem, family therapy and SOTA treatment

George Moyer, juvenile court administrator, presented three personal services agreements scheduled for approval: a pass-through grant of $91,960 to local Child Advocates to cover guardian ad litem services (funded by the Administrative Office of the Courts); a $17,007.50 DCYF-funded agreement with Creative Solutions for functional family therapy (an evidence-based program that has run in the county for 12 years); and an agreement with Darnell & Associates to continue the special offender disposition alternative (SOTA) outpatient program. Moyer said SOTA caseloads 'ebb and flow' — sometimes 6–8 youth per year, historically as many as about 15 — and that the program is typically two years in duration. He said prior contracts required many amendments, and legal recommended replacing old agreements with new PSAs tied to state fiscal years.

Commissioners asked about how the pass-through grant is monitored; Moyer said Juvenile Court manages invoices, tallies expenses and submits them to the Administrative Office of the Courts for reimbursement. He offered to provide recidivism or program performance data later, acknowledging such measures would require a longer time study. No final vote was taken in the briefing; the agreements are set on the agenda for the board to act on at the regular meeting.