In 2005, MHAPA became a partner in Models for Change (MFC), a national initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to accelerate reform of juvenile justice systems across the country. As an MfC partner, MHAPA provides technical assistance to national, state, and local teams working to reform the Juvenile Justice system in Pennsylvania. A major achievement of this work was the publication of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Joint Policy Statement, which has been adopted by all state child serving systems and is now the basis of the county-level Children’s Integrated Planning Process.
Family Involvement in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System
MHAPA has led the work within Models for Change-PA (MfC-PA) to strengthen family involvement in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice process at the individual child and system levels. MfC-PA’s achievements include:
2007- The MfC-PA Family Involvement Subcommittee convenes to address the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Joint Policy family involvement goal. MHAPA Child Policy Coordinator Wendy Luckenbill serves as the Subcommittee Chair.
2008- The PA Balanced and Restorative Justice Implementation Committee reviews and revises its original Strategic Plan, adding Goal: #4 To develop a family involvement focus within the balanced and restorative justice model. The MfC-PA Family Involvement Subcommittee gains responsibility for Goal #4, and becomes an official workgroup of the Committee under the auspices of the PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers (PCCJPO).
2009- The Family Involvement Workgroup publishes Family Involvement in PA’s Juvenile Justice System monograph, a groundbreaking publication that is a joint effort of PCCJPO, MfC-PA, and MHAPA. The monograph is the first publication in the country to discuss in detail the status of family involvement in a state juvenile justice system.
2010- PCCJPO conveys full Committee status on the Family Involvement Workgroup, and committee membership is expanded to include several Chiefs or their representatives, including Co-chair, Jeff Gregro, Deputy Chief, Berks County Juvenile Probation Office. This same year, the Committee participates in the MfC National Action Network and wins funding to identify strategic innovations that support family involvement in juvenile justice.
2011- The Family Involvement Committee, under co-chairs Luckenbill and Gregro, continues its work to promote family involvement through targeted activities supported by MfC and PCCJPO. The Committee’s plan for 2011 include:
- Aligning Committee work with the PA Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy;
- Developing a PA specific Family Involvement in Juvenile Justice Curriculum for Juvenile Probation Officers;
- Developing of a Family Guide to PA’s Juvenile Justice System;
- Convening three regional forums on Family Involvement in Juvenile Justice to bring county Juvenile Probation staff, families and family advocates together to discuss the Family Involvement monograph, current best and emerging practices, and next steps and resources.
