The friends of the children's preventing system involvement project will benefit youth in at least 19 states who are most at risk of delinquency, violence, substance abuse, school failure, and early…

The friends of the children's preventing system involvement project will benefit youth in at least 19 states who are most at risk of delinquency, violence, substance abuse, school failure, and early parenting. Uniquely designed to improve outcomes for the highest-risk youth, friends of the children employs salaried, professional mentors (friends) and commits to youth for 12.5 years from kindergarten through high school graduation. For 31 years, the friends of the children model has been successful at closing the opportunity GAP and breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty for children who have experienced multiple, compounding risk factors at an early age. The goals of the proposed project are to: provide 12 hours/month (144 hours/year) of professional, individualized goal-directed mentoring to youth ages 4 to 17 (enrolling new youth) who have been assessed as high risk for later antisocial behavior and delinquency by granting subawards to chapters within the growing national network during the 3-year grant period; and develop and implement a new certificate for professional mentoring, which will advance the skills and knowledge needed to qualify as a professional mentor. The curriculum will focus on the core competencies of being a professional mentor, including trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice and systems advocacy/navigation. Following youth and caregiver input and network pilot testing, a plan will be in place for dissemination across the friends of the children network.