The Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council (CAPCC) was awarded an AmeriCorps grant directly from the Corporation for National and Community Service that is administered through the Governor’s Office as California Volunteers. The grant funds the AmeriCorps North State Rural Assets Project (NSRAP) to serve youth and families in our community and provides full-time and part-time AmeriCorps members who serve youth and families in their homes and community as Parent Partners and Youth Champions. Parent Partners provide mentoring and linkages to other needed community services. Youth Champions provide assistance to youth and families in developing social, behavioral and problem-solving skills, as well as everyday skills such as money management and time management. Members receive a monthly stipend as well as an education award at the end of their term of service.
Three programs in Probation funded by the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) have been developed to include the services of Parent Partners and Youth Champions. Currently, there is one Parent Partner and one Youth Champion assigned to Integrated Family Wellness Program (IFWP) in addition to a mental health clinician and alcohol and drug counselor. IFWP is designed to serve youth with DSM -5 Diagnosis, general mental health issues and substance abuse issues. IFWP works toward reducing recidivism, improving school attendance, minimizing the need for out of county placements and improving the family’s ability to cope with the minor’s behavioral and/or mental health issues. The Parent Partner is utilized to provide interventions to the families by role modeling, supporting development of parenting skills and identifying access to community resources outside the probation system. The Youth Champion is utilized to model skills that enable the youth to problem solve and engage in everyday positive social interactions. Probation is currently working with Children Services to further utilize the program while a youth is in placement to improve the continuum of care and re-entry planning and increases services to both the youth and the family.
The Parent Project® program is a twelve-week course for parents that teaches them to understand and practice specific intervention and prevention strategies to eliminate destructive behavior in themselves and their children. A full-time Parent Partner is needed for role modeling and supporting development of parenting skills for the parents of juveniles involved with Probation.
The final Youth Champion works with youth and families assigned to the Gardening, Responsibility, Ownership of Self and Community Well Being (GROW) program. This program is a re-entry program for at-risk youth in detention and youth on furlough or released to their parent/guardians designed to lower the re-offense rate by promoting pro-social activities, providing noncriminal alternative activities, and reducing association with criminals by enhancing positive involvement and relationships with pro-social individuals from the community. The Youth Champion will also work with youth and families assigned to the River’s Edge Academy (REA). REA is an in-custody commitment treatment and camp program which offers a safe and effective alternative to out of county placement for youth ages 14-17. Several of the REA youth work within GROW and partner with community gardens and the Youth Champion with support and mentor youth working in these environments.
Through the AmeriCorps grant, CAPCC will provide up to four full-time equivalent (FTE) AmeriCorps members to work in Parent Partner and Youth Champion positions. Full-time members work 1,700 hours during the term of the agreement. Full-time AmeriCorps members’ costs are $30,080 for a Parent Partner and $26,640 for a Youth Champion.
In addition to the cost of the members, which is up to $113,440, Probation will pay up to $500 for pro-social activities and for mileage incurred by the members while performing Parent Partner and Youth Champion duties. Members are reimbursed at the rate set annually by the Internal Revenue Service. The department projects $12,000 in approximate mileage reimbursement, which brings the total contract to $124,940 for four members, pro-social activities, and contract related mileage.
The Parent Partners and Youth Champions are essential positions to the success of these programs to enhance the communication bridge between Probation decisions/actions and the affected youth and families. Families need to know and understand the system and programs they are assigned to or participating in so they can establish a role for themselves and monitor their own progress. Having a voice with the courts and program compliance allows families, parents especially, to have some control over outcomes. With peer-type workers, parents get a more personal and satisfying experience, and challenges to individual successes for youth and families are reduced.