Georgetown Data Analysis SOW.pdf

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State of Illinois and Center for Youth Justice Engagement Proposal

The Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Youth Justice (CYJ) was developed in 2007 to address the expanding needs of jurisdictions in the United States to train leaders on multi-system issues and assist communities in their efforts to improve outcomes for multi-system youth. To that end, CYJ has developed a variety of trainings, technical assistance initiatives, and intensive learning opportunities that help to improve outcomes for youth and the operation of the agencies that serve them. Included in this portfolio is the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM), a model proven by research to assist youth-serving agencies and their partners to better serve crossover youth, or those young people who are dually involved with child welfare and youth justice entities. The CYPM has been introduced in over 125 jurisdictions across 23 states since its inception in 2010.

In response to Illinois leaders’ stated desire to increase coordination between the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and related youth-serving agencies in the state for the benefit of dual system youth, CYJ submits the following proposal to gather information on the shared population of youth and the current status of cross-system collaboration. Specifically, information will be collected and analyzed relative to Illinois’ crossover youth, their pathways, and their system experiences to inform the later development of shared policy and practice between key agencies. This will be conducted through a 10-month partnership between CYJ and the State of Illinois. Such a partnership will entail:

• Identifying overarching questions o CYJ will guide DJJ and DCFS stakeholders in identifying specific areas regarding: a) who crossover youth are (e.g., demographics, pathways); b) respective agency’s engagement with crossover youth (e.g., identification of youth and agency response to identification); and c) the agencies’ collective support for this population (e.g., collaborative structures for decision-making and resource sharing).

§ Note: The questions that are developed will be predicated on the ability to share data and/or match profiles across systems to enable the identification of crossover youth for data analysis.

o Based on the questions that are developed, CYJ will collaborate with data personnel from DJJ and DCFS to determine the availability of data points necessary to respond to each of the inquiries. In the event that quantitative data is not available, CYJ will work with DJJ and DCFS stakeholders to revise the questions to enable qualitative insights that align with the stated purpose of said question(s). (See “Qualitative data evaluations” below).

o Deliverable: List of stakeholder-generated questions accompanied by the identification of associated variables or data points necessary for DJJ and DCFS data pulls and subsequent CYJ analysis

• Quantitative data evaluations o CYJ will work with the necessary data partners from DJJ and DCFS to identify and collect data that aligns with the aforementioned questions. CYJ will analyze this information and provide a preliminary report to DJJ and DCFS. Based on the findings and additional inquiries that may arise from DJJ and DCFS, CYJ will seek additional data (as needed and as available) for further analysis.

o Deliverable: Preliminary data report and presentation o Deliverable: Additional data collection and analysis, and preliminary report updates (as necessary)

• Qualitative data evaluations o Upon presenting the preliminary quantitative data findings to DJJ and DCFS, CYJ will design a survey to be distributed to local agencies that serve crossover youth (e.g., Probation) to further understand how this population of youth engage with the child welfare and youth legal systems at various stages. Survey questions will be informed by DJJ and DCFS stakeholder responses to the initial data findings in order to elucidate findings that cannot be further expounded upon through state level data alone.

o The survey will be administered by DJJ and DCFS to maximize response rates and all results will be submitted directly to CYJ.

o Deliverable: Final data report, inclusive of quantitative data analysis and survey findings, and presentation

• Determining the target population o In light of the information gathered through the state-level quantitative data analysis and local survey, CYJ will guide DJJ and DCFS to determine a state definition for “crossover youth.” This definition will inform future efforts between DJJ and DCFS in developing policy and guidance relative to the target population, including efforts to support local adoption of the term.

o Deliverable: Written definition for how Illinois DJJ and DCFS will collectively delineate the term “crossover youth.”

• State-level system assessment o CYJ will conduct a one-day on-site meeting to engage key DJJ and DCFS stakeholders (and others, as identified) in a comprehensive discussion-based assessment using the OJJDP Best Practices Rubric for Integrated Systems to pinpoint areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in cross-systems policies and practices as pertinent to the agreed upon target population. Dialogue facilitated through this activity will be informed by the aforementioned data report, and will round out the information necessary to inform next steps for collaborative policy and practice as desired by DJJ and DCFS.

o Deliverable: Assessment report and recommendations for short- and long-term goals and associated tasks to strengthen Illinois’ infrastructure and supports for crossover youth

The culmination of these activities will position DJJ and DCFS to develop informed policy and guidance to strengthen interagency collaboration on behalf of crossover youth. The estimated cost for this 10-month proposal is $74,637.

A detailed budget can be provided upon request.