By coordinating their approach and service delivery, systems that serve youth can reduce challenges for that population and improve outcomes. This is especially important when youth are involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Learn about the importance of systems coordinating their services and supports for youth in the child welfare and the juvenile justice systems, including examples of successful programs.
Building Partnerships to Support Stable Housing for Child Welfare-Involved Families and Youth
Connections With Youth in the Child Welfare System
Youth.gov
Discusses the risks for youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, overlapping factors including trauma, abuse and neglect, and challenges for transitioning to adulthood successfully, and resources for practitioners.
Intersection of Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2021)
Provides a literature review on the characteristics of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, how each system serves youth differently, and example outcomes and interventions.
Is There an Effective Model for Serving Youth Involved in Both the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems?
Casey Family Programs (2022)
Discusses the challenges associated with providing services and supports to youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and gives an overview of the Crossover Youth Practice Model for a more coordinated approach to serve this unique population.
Leading With Lived Experience: How Impacted Youth and Families Can Drive System Transformation [Video]
Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (2020)
Presents a webinar hosted by the executive director of the Youth Law Center on how to effectively engage youth and their families in system change. The webinar features a discussion with advocates who bring lived experience to their efforts to transform the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
Related Publications for Building Program Capacity to Support Youth at Risk of Homelessness: Phases I and III
Mathematica
Provides high-level themes and lessons learned from a process study of the Children’s Bureau planning and implementation grants for developing and testing cross-system interventions for youth with child welfare involvement who are most likely to experience homelessness.
Supporting Youth in Foster Care: Research-Based Policy Recommendations for Executive and Legislative Officials in 2017
Child Trends (2017)
Examines how policymakers can play an important role in supporting children in foster care and strengthening their families.
Youth.gov
Provides interactive tools and other resources to help youth-serving organizations and community partnerships plan, implement, and participate in effective programs for youth. Also find resources about juvenile justice, mental health, school climate, and the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.
Youth Engaged 4 Change
Allows youth to share their experiences on how to make a difference on topics important to them. The website also provides topical information for youth on support, foster care, education, advocacy, disabilities, employment, and more. Youth Engaged 4 Change is an extension of youth.gov, a project of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs.
Youth Justice and the Family First Prevention Services Act: Insights From a Convening of State & National Youth Justice Advocates (PDF - 360 KB)
Campaign for Youth Justice (2020)
Shares the results of three roundtable discussions with youth justice advocates, youth with juvenile justice involvement, and national stakeholders on how the Family First Prevention Services Act will impact youth involved or at risk of becoming involved with the justice system.