McDowell County
JCPC
Funded Programs for 2004-2005 (proposed)
Temporary Shelter Care
Temporary Shelter Care enables court counselors, DSS, and other
agencies to locate alternative living arrangements for youth
at risk for placement in secure detention. Utilizing services
including Crossnore School Inc., South Mountain Children’s
Home, and therapeutic foster care, this program has succeeded
in placing youth in appropriate temporary care as an alternative
to detention or youth development centers. Youth between the
ages of 7 and 17 are able to remain closer to family and community
while working through the juvenile court process.
Holly Hills
For a variety of reasons, children must be placed
outside their own homes. For some, the need is short-term;
problems can be resolved quickly and there is a relatively
fast return home. For others, however, there is a need to
plan for long-term placement. This program allows for a stable
placement until more permanent plans are developed. By providing
a safe, out-of-home placement, social workers and juvenile
court counselors are afforded time to interact with families
to address and resolve family problems such as management,
conflict, and disruption.
The Holly Hills Program operates under the umbrella of the
McDowell County Department of Social Services. It is staffed
with four full-time cottage parents, two on duty each shift,
who are responsible for day-to-day operations and for the
care of children. The central program goal is to provide a
stable, home-like environment in the community that is short-term
and that meets the individual needs of each child placed with
the service. For many the service provides an alternative
to detention and gives counselors an additional option in
dealing with the pre-delinquent/delinquent child.
Juvenile Mediation Program
The Juvenile Mediation Program provides effective
diversion and dispositional options to address juvenile justice
problems such as truancy, vandalism, assault, theft, shoplifting,
and family conflict that are referred by the courts, law enforcement,
and the schools. Through participation in mediation, youth
learn social skills, empathy, communicaiton skills, and to
take responsiblitiy for their actions, feelings, and lives.
The goal of the program is to reduce recidivism by quickly
and efffectively intervening to providemediated resolution
of undisciplined and delinquent acts which result in a documented
agreement that satisfies the interests of all parties (youth,
juvenile courts, parents, school, law enforcement, and juvenile
crime victims). The program gives priority to youth who are
court identified by intake, contractual diversion, petition,
adjudication, or as part of a level I or II disposition in
juvenile court.
Project Challenge
http://www.projectchallengenc.org/
Juveniles can only discern the impact of the damages or
injury caused by their own offenses if they have had the opportunity
to provide restoration to the victim or community through
their own effort. Project Challenge provides this opportunity.
Through community service participants are introduced to the
spirit of helping those in need. During this phase of the
Project Challenge System, the youth participate in many community-oriented
activities such as working with Habitat for Humanity, sponsoring
canned food drives for donation for local food banks, visiting
elderly, and giving support to the needy in their community.
The program provides a dispositional structure for restitution
and rehabilitation in delinquent and undisciplined cases,
and it provides participants and local communities with a
program that increases self-esteem and civic awareness. Project
Challenge facilitates mindfulness in participants that they
can make a positive difference in their homes.
Project Rise
Project Rise helps families of participating
youth to receive components identified as significant in reducing
conflict, disruption and illegal and dangerous behavior and
environment. This program will help families to become more
connected with the school and build better communication between
school and home. Rise will help to link families to appropriate
services in the community including health, mental health,
parent support and safe and nurturing environments for the
children such as the YMCA, sports, summer camp and services
to the community.
Positive Parenting
Positive Parenting is an 8 session parent education
program that supports parents in developing family management
skills. Each session focuses on topics such as Anger Management,
When to Say No, Promoting Academic Success, Substance Abuse
Education, Community Resources, Family Meetings and Managing
Family Finances. Presenters are staff members from different
community agencies including McDowell Health Department, McDowell
Hospital, Cooperative Extension, Early Childhood Center and
agency and private mental health professionals. Positive Parenting
is based on effective practices which are shown to reduce
substance abuse and family disruption.
Psychological Evaluations
JCPC funds are used by Juvenile Court counselor to
secure psychological evaluations, counseling and consultations.
This service will be performed by a licensed Psychologist
on a contractual basis. This will consist of one or two sessions
with the juvenile and any other necessary family members.
Frequently undisciplined and delinquent youth are brought
into court with a need for further placement and treatment
outside of their current home or county. This program addresses
the root of some of the behavior that juvenile are experiencing.
Youth Sex Offender Treatment
The youth sex offender program is designed to reduce
and eliminate sexually aggressive/sexually inappropriate behaviors
by changing distorted thinking, reducing deviant interests,
developing healthy, pro-social patterns of behavior and assisting
families in developing skills in effective management and
support.
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