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Douglas County Youth Impact team diverts 80% of participating crossover youth, presenter says
Summary
Presenter Shawn Johnson outlined the Youth Impact crossover practice model and reported that over 13 years nearly 2,900 youth met the program's target definition, of whom 75% were team-eligible and 80% of participating youth were diverted from court.
Shawn Johnson, director of the Douglas County Juvenile Assessment Center, described the county's Youth Impact crossover youth practice model during a webinar, saying the team-based process embeds youth and family voice and coordinates case planning among courts, probation, child welfare and community partners.
Johnson said the county's Youth Impact target population is youth referred to the county attorney for a law violation or truancy who also have an open or recently closed child welfare case within one year. He said the team meetings are multidisciplinary and that family advocates prepare youth and families to participate in planning.
Why this matters: Crossover or dual-status youth—those with contact in both child welfare and juvenile-justice systems—face higher needs and worse outcomes; Douglas County's Youth Impact process aims to reduce those harms by coordinating services and emphasizing family and youth input.
Johnson provided a 13-year summary: nearly 2,900 youth met Douglas County's target definition, 25% were court-involved and 75% were team-eligible; among those who participated in the Youth Impact team process, the county diverted 80% from court, Johnson said.
He cautioned the county attorney makes legal decisions about whether youth go to diversion or court and noted that youth who are detained and brought to the youth center are not eligible for the team process. "The county attorney makes all legal decisions," Johnson said, adding that the county attorneyhas discretion under state statute.
Johnson credited a broad set of partners for the model's development and evaluation, including Project Harmony, the Department of Health and Human Services, state probation, UNO's Center for Justice Research and evaluation partners. He named juvenile court Judge Brown and Nick Giuliano, president and CEO of Radius, as co-chairs and contacts for additional information.
Johnson said the Youth Impact work has strengthened interagency communication and case planning across child welfare and juvenile-justice systems and that the county tracks diversionary outcomes for crossover youth as part of systemwide data practices.
