Youth in the child welfare system may also be involved with the juvenile justice system. Improved understanding and collaboration between the two systems is critical to improving outcomes for youth served by both systems. The following resources address training curricula and materials to help juvenile justice professionals better understand the child welfare system and the overlapping issues affecting each system, including State and local examples.
Evaluating Youth Competence in the Justice System (PDF - 437 KB)
Schwartz & Rosado (Eds.) (2000)
Designed to assist juvenile court personnel in understanding the competencies that young people must have to perform different tasks in the juvenile and adult criminal court process, the skills needed by an expert conducting competency evaluations, and the elements of good competency evaluations.
The Incredible Years Training Series (PDF - 215 KB)
Webster-Stratton
Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 2000
Designed to prevent, reduce, and treat conduct problems among children and to increase their social competence.
Kids Are Different: How Knowledge of Adolescent Development Theory Can Aid Decision-Making in Court: Overview of Adolescent Development (PDF - 256 KB)
American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center (2000)
Discusses how legislation differentiates between adults and adolescents and the importance of understanding adolescent development. Also provides basic facts about adolescent development.
A National Curriculum for Caseflow Management in Juvenile Dependency Cases Involving Foster Care (PDF - 261 KB)
Fostering Results, Justice Management Institute, & JERITT Project (2005)
Offers a caseflow management workshop curriculum specifically geared for use with multidisciplinary, interagency teams of practitioners dealing with juvenile dependency cases involving children in foster care.
SAMHSA Model Programs Suitable for Use with Children, Youth, and Families in Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Family Court Systems (Word - 1,861 KB)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2004)
Describes 15 SAMHSA model programs suitable for use with children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or family court systems.
Special Ed Kids in the Justice System: How to Recognize and Treat Young People with Disabilities That Compromise Their Ability to Comprehend, Learn, and Behave (PDF - 217 KB)
Rosado (Ed.) (2000)
Assists juvenile court personnel in identifying and helping children in the juvenile justice system with disabilities that affect their ability to comprehend, learn, and behave appropriately.
Talking to Teens in the Justice System: Strategies for Interviewing Adolescent Defendants, Witnesses, and Victims (PDF - 212 KB)
Rosado (Ed.) (2000)
Assists practitioners in identifying and learning techniques for successfully interviewing adolescents involved in the court system, including adolescent defendants, witnesses, and victims.
State and local examples
Predictors of Staff Responses to Problematic Youth Behavior in Detention and Correctional Settings
Marsh & Evans
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 44(1), 2006
View Abstract
Presents data collected from juvenile justice staff working with delinquent youth in Alaska. Includes demographics, scores on several personality measures, amount and type of training experiences, and responses on a measure developed to assess the severity of consequences assigned to youth for certain problematic behaviors.
Child Welfare Information Gateway encourages organizations to submit resources from their workforce or training efforts for inclusion in our library. Send information to library@childwelfare.gov.