NCJ Number
136388
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Family preservation programs have been extended from child welfare departments to other governmental agencies that deal with children, particularly juvenile justice and mental health agencies.
Abstract
The New York City Department of Juvenile Justice pioneered the Family Ties program in 1989. As of 1991, 65 families had been served with a 65-percent success rate. The program has moved from just detaining kids to providing services after detention. It gives the court an option with tough cases to keep the child at home, save money for the city, and allow for a probationary sentence rather than institutionalization. Family Ties workers are trained in various special topics including adolescent sexuality and AIDS. Tennessee has its Home Ties family preservation program, while Michigan operates the Families First program. All programs recognize that children and families in the juvenile justice system are often the same children and families known to child welfare and mental health agencies. Family preservation programs have proven to be cost-effective. Further, families and communities want to take care of their own children, even when it may not seem they are equipped to do so. Family preservation programs in California and Missouri are also noted. Illustrations and photographs