By Judge Kelsey Hanlon • Owen Circuit Court II At the Annual Meeting of Juvenile Judges in June 2021, the wisdom and potential of Indiana’s court-involved children was on clear display as four older youth with lived experience in Indiana’s foster care system educated juvenile judges about how the courts are missing the mark in working with older youth. Each of the panelists shared their unique experience with Ind … [Read more...] about Wielding the Wisdom of Older Youth in CHINS Proceedings
Search Results for: older youth
Filing and Counting Petitions Regarding Collaborative Care Agreements for Older Youth
The 2012 Indiana General Assembly passed SEA 286, which creates a program (funded by Title IV-E of the Social Security Act) that can provide services to older youth who are ready to age out, or who have previously aged out, of the juvenile justice system as children in need of services (CHINS). The law defines an older youth as an individual who is at least eighteen (18) years of age but less than twenty (20). The … [Read more...] about Filing and Counting Petitions Regarding Collaborative Care Agreements for Older Youth
Fostering Futures: A Program for Older Foster Youth
There is little hope for a good future for foster youth who age out of the foster care system without a permanent family. These young people often drop out of school, become unemployed, homeless, or end up incarcerated. Aging out of foster care without a permanent home is the highest risk outcome for a foster youth. Nationally, about 25,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 leave foster care each year. In … [Read more...] about Fostering Futures: A Program for Older Foster Youth
Youth Justice Oversight Committee reports on juvenile justice reform
By Leslie Dunn, Deputy Director for Children & Families | Office of Court Services In 2022, the Indiana General Assembly adopted H.E.A. 1359, creating the Youth Justice Oversight Committee (YJOC) tasked with comprehensive juvenile justice system reform. Chief Justice Loretta Rush appointed Justice Steven David (ret.) as YJOC chair and other youth justice professionals to serve as members. Justice David … [Read more...] about Youth Justice Oversight Committee reports on juvenile justice reform
Youth Justice in the Time of COVID-19
By Nancy Wever, Director | Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Almost overnight, Indiana’s youth justice systems went from business as usual to remote supervision, virtual interactions, and attending court hearings online. What may have been considered something that would never happen six months ago did happen and will likely permanently shape the operation of youth justice systems. Those who work in y … [Read more...] about Youth Justice in the Time of COVID-19