RFP J28019 juvenile substance abuse treatment SVC, first circuit

The goal of the service is to provide evidence-based practices to assess, engage, and treat individuals in need of substance abuse treatment and recovery support services. Services should provide youth offenders with the skills and knowledge to effectively deal with their use of alcohol and drugs in order to eliminate re-offending behaviors, while also being reflective of the court's balanced and restorative justice philosophy, and the juvenile justice reform effort with emphasis on best practices/evidence-based practices, collaboration, and cultural competency. The goals of balanced and restorative justice are accountability, competency development, and public safety. Family Court Juvenile Client Services Branch goal is to engage youth and families with youth whose patterns of alcohol and/or drug use put themselves and the community at risk by implementing an early identification and intervention program. Youth needing evaluation for alcohol and drug use will be referred for an evidence-based substance abuse assessment. The assessment will be used to assess the degree of substance use and to craft interventions, including treatment, drug monitoring, and engagement with parents and families. The purpose is to accurately identify adolescent treatment needs; evaluate existence or severity of a substance use disorder (SUD); examine the nature, correlates, and consequences of substance use including family impact. The assessment will produce a written report to be used for case planning and court interventions. Those youth identified as needing treatment will be referred to substance abuse treatment services. Parents and caregivers will be referred to services that provide education and group interventions to increase their knowledge and skills regarding substance use and the effects on adolescent development; develop supportive recovery techniques and relapse prevention skills; and educate parents/families on ways to support their youth's treatment and recovery in the juvenile justice system. By providing a parent/guardian group intervention service, participants can hear from others with different perspectives on similar issues in the hope of seeing that they are not alone in having challenges, and gain ideas on how to deal with issues in a more healthy and productive way.