Collaborating with Juvenile Correctional Facilities
The goal of JB is to have quality sites committed to supporting teenage parents and that have the capacity and commitment to maintain the program. Sites interested in the program contact JB. Before implementation, the JB team conducts several informational calls or webcasts with staff at a site to determine readiness. The JB team then visits the site. During the visit, they assess space in the facility, existing programing, policies about visitation, community needs, and staff structure. JB strives to implement its program in sites that can be successful and resolve barriers prior to implementation.
Facilities, sites, or communities interested in the JB program must meet specific criteria:
- Onsite personnel (minimum of four) must be available to be trained to facilitate the program.
- A child-friendly play space is needed for structured visits. For more details, see the “Visitation” section.
- Facilitators must have a space to conduct the training sessions, review video clips, and discuss concepts with program participants. In many instances, this is the same place as the play space. To review video clips, an iPad or laptop or DVD player is needed.
- A camera or audio recorder is needed to record the facilitator training and the evaluation. JB staff will review the recording to ensure the training aligns with the model. An iPad, camera, or laptop provided by the site can be used.
Since its start in three counties in California in 2008, JB has expanded to 18 sites in six states. JB has also piloted the program in three community-based sites since 2015.
To learn more about JB or becoming a potential site, visit https://www.justbeginning.org/ or http://elp.georgetown.edu/.
