Youth at Risk Coordinator (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

New Brunswick

City/ Region:

Fredericton

Description of Initiative:

The primary responsibility of the Youth at Risk Coordinator is to be a critical link with youth and community members as they build partnerships in the community to meet the needs of the youth who are in crisis or at risk of a crisis—with a focus on crime reduction. In addition, the Youth at Risk Coordinator acts as a crisis intervention facilitator and, through proactive community programs, helps establish and maintain a coordinated effort in working with the most at-risk youth.

Initiative Key Objectives:

This initiative's key objectives are to:

• develop draft policies and procedures related to the Youth at Risk initiative;
• research, develop and deliver programs on school violence assault, Trespass Act harassment, theft, threats and other important issues to all schools, especially local middle schools;
• work as part of a team with other school resource officers and crime prevention officers to develop and implement the educational strategies and provide input and feedback on crime reduction strategies;
• build and maintain partnerships with parents, service groups, educators and the Department of Social Development;
• work with the Fredericton Police Force (FPF) Chief Reader on youth-related files for assessment, assignment and Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) process;
• review youth-related files and identify risk factors, devise and direct action plans according to the values of youth at risk interventions;
• follow up with youth, parents, guardians, school resource individuals, and crime prevention officers at predetermined and measurable stages;
• liaise with strategic internal FPF work groups, and external partners, on youth-related files and issues;
• liaise and direct Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT) members and/or victim witness workers to intervene with identified “most at high-risk youth”; and
• liaise with FPF Research and Planner regarding emerging best practices and research, evaluation planning and measurement to gauge outcomes of the strategy.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT)

Key Contact:

Jan Smith
janet.smith@fredericton.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

• community groups
• other government departments/agencies
• academic institutes (research and evaluation)

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

The Youth at Risk Coordinator has helped develop a group comprised of both government agencies and not-for-profit groups. The group is referred to as the Community Youth Action Team (CYAT). CYAT represents the following groups:

• John Howard Society
• Department of Social Development
• City of Fredericton
• School District 18
• Boys & Girls Club
• Probation Services
• Fredericton Residential Youth Services
• Portage Atlantic
• Chrysalis House
• Chimo
• Mental Health & Addiction Services
• Youth Choices
• River Valley Health Authority

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

Introduced in 2008.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

This initiative was primary related to the provincial government's concerns over higher youth incarceration rates than in other jurisdictions in the country. Higher-than-average rates of open custody, community sentences and probation were also of concern. This initiative was put in place to improve the administration of the YCJA by way of warnings, police cautions, Crown cautions, extra-judicial measures and sanctions.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

Costs associated with this position include an extra computer, office space, telephone lines, etc. The Youth at Risk Coordinator position is staffed by reallocating an existing full-time police constable’s position. Provincial and federal project funding has been denied. The intention is that the Youth at Risk Coordinator remain a civilianized position.

Method of Implementation:

The full-time position of the Youth at Risk Coordinator was created from an existing position within the Neighbourhood Action Team and implemented in consultation with (and with direction from) the Deputy Chief of Police and the NCO i/c NAT. This has been developed “in-progress” using a concept-based framework with goals and objectives.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

Policy and procedures, including a process map, have been developed to assist in the delivery of the program both within the FPF and with our external partners.

A strong partnership with service groups, educators and the Department of Social Development has been built and established in the form of CYAT. This has resulted in earlier intervention with youth at risk before they become “unsalvageable” by YCJA standards and left to the more traditional prosecution and trial process of the criminal justice system.

Versonnel Records Management System “Project Case” is being utilized as a tool for capturing information on more extensive interventions involving social service providers and criminal justice contacts with our youth at most risk of becoming career criminals. This tool is proving useful for developing intervention and support strategies for these youth, their parents/guardians and police. It is an effort to create a web in which to catch the youth most at risk who fall through the social system cracks, and it enhances police efforts to prevent crime.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

Yes

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

In part, police staff have been exposed to the initiative through in-service training and presentations involving senior management. Information has yet to be made widely available through social media or on the website.

Youth at Risk—a preventative, proactive and holistic approach to reducing criminality and increasing social assets in our youth.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

• summative
• internal
• qualitative
• social return on investment

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

No

Summary of the Outcomes:

An evaluation of this initative has yet to be completed. However, feedback from the CYAT members, FPF members and the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate has been positive. Feedback has been received from community partners, especially CYAT. A review is proposed for the Youth at Risk position with the potential of civilianizing it.

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

• New Models of Community Safety

Further Details:

By identifying one person to review all YCJA related files, consistency in the measures used is being realized as opposed to having different officers implementing different sanctions.

Through the use of screening tools and shared information between the community partners (CYAT), earlier interventions are being put into place with a goal of reducing the workload of the frontline officer and reducing the recidivism rates among youth offenders, developing social assets, and reducing incarceration and criminality.

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

It is believed that civilization of this position will increase efficiency and reduce cost based on salary.

The FPF youth risk assessment model is based on research conducted at Carleton University and piloted by the Ottawa Police Service. The local RCMP have modeled efforts based on the work being done at FPF by the Youth at Risk Coordinator. The coordinator has also provided information to other agencies regarding our efforts.

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01