Fit for Trial in the Juvenile Justice System (and More) -- News Roundup
Messaging Brief: Human Needs on the National Radar Screen
This brief from the National Human Services Assembly provides a great summary of framing messages effectively to support human services; includes worksheets.- Video: "What's Your Elevator Speech?"
Youth workers give their best pitches telling viewers what their organization does to help youth -- and why viewers should support it. Thanks to National clearinghouse on Families and Youth.
New Guide for Community Collaboration (and More) -- News Roundup
- Promising Practice: Helping Young People into Employment
LA Fitness founder Fred Turok spearheaded "Transforming a Generation," a program that provides on the job training and has helped 1,400 young people into jobs or higher education. - Two OJJDP Grants Cut for Lack of Funding
The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategies and Programs and Evaluation of the Second Chance Act Juvenile Mentoring Initiatives were worth $750,000. Both grants were not awarded due to spending cuts in 2011. (Hat tip to Youth Today) - NIATx Training: Billing Third-Party Payers
This learning collaborative will focus on giving behavioral healthcare providers, including adolescent substance abuse treatment providers, the skills they need to bill third-party payers for their services. Application deadline has been extended to September 23. - New Guide for Community Collaboration
The National Collaboration for Youth has created "Invitation to the Big Picture: Implementing a Local Collaboration for Youth in Your Community," a guide to identifying or forming an association of local child- and youth-serving agencies. Please use and share this guide with your national and local networks. (Hat tip FYI)
Join SAMHSA Recovery Month for "Twitter Chat" on Recovery
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month is hosting its third Twitter chat to help spread the word that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.
The September #RecoveryChat will focus on celebrating Recovery Month and will be co-hosted by Dr. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and Kathryn Power, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services. The chat will be held on Monday, September 12 from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm PST / 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST.
Join the Twitter chat by asking questions and contributing to the dialogue about Recovery Month and substance use and mental health disorders by using the designated hashtag #RecoveryChat to track and participate in the conversation. By adding #RecoveryChat to the end of each tweet, you signify your involvement in the conversation. Also, be sure to tune in 15 minutes early for our first Twitterview with our expert co-hosts!
SAMHSA/CSAT also encourages you to share your stories about planning or attending Recovery Month events, key learnings of what worked or what didn’t work for you or others in recovery, or other similar topics. During the chat, we are looking to not only answer questions, but also to raise awareness of the importance of prevention, the effectiveness of treatment, and the reality of recovery.
Not available for the chat? Tweet your questions to @RecoveryMonth in advance, using the hashtag #RecoveryChat. If you aren’t on Twitter, but are interested in asking a question, feel free to post questions on the Recovery Month Facebook Page or send questions in an email to recoverymonthfan@samhsa.hhs.gov.
[Reprinted from a SAMHSA press release with minor changes.]
States Save Millions by Downsizing & Closing Juvenile Prisons (and More) -- News Roundup
- Report: Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System
Cosponsored by OJJDP and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this report is now available online. The report describes findings from a study that explored issues surrounding American Indian youth who are processed in the federal justice system, and discusses the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes at each stage of the justice system. - From PBS: Stats and Facts on Juveniles Tried as Adults
Evidence that deterrent effects are minimal or nonexistent, and that, trying juveniles in criminal court may result in higher rates of reoffending. - Juvenile Offender Becomes Advocate for Youth At-Risk
Starcia Ague helped push through a law in the state of Washington that allows Class A juvenile felony records to be sealed, at the discretion of the judge, as long as youth have a clean record for five years after their release.
The Effects of Drug Testing in Schools (and More) -- News Roundup
- Health and Human Services Awards $40 million
Grants were awarded to 39 state agencies, community health centers, school-based organizations and non-profit groups in 23 states for efforts to identify and enroll children eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Hat tip to Rob Vincent.) - Study Finds Drug Testing in Schools Has Only Small Effect in Reducing Substance Use
“This study sends a cautionary note to the estimated 20 percent or more of high schools that have joined the drug testing bandwagon,” study co-author Dan Romer said in a news release. “We find little evidence that this approach to minimizing teen drug use is having the deterrent effect its proponents claim.” - Fact Sheet: Understanding Child Welfare and the Courts
Families involved with the child welfare system may have some involvement with the court—in most States, this occurs in a family or juvenile court. This fact sheet is designed to serve as a quick guide to the general types of court hearings that a family may experience, and it traces the steps of a child welfare case through the court system. (H/t Paul Savery.)
Poll: Drug Abuse a Top Health Concern for Kids (and More) -- News Roundup
- Selecting and Implementing Evidence-Based Practices
Treatment funding is being increasingly tied to outcomes, a trend expected to continue as the integration of behavioral health with primary care moves forward in the context of healthcare reform. Learn more from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England about achieving desired client outcomes in part 2 of a 3-part series. - Poll: Drug Abuse Equals Childhood Obesity as Top Health Concern for Kids
On Aug. 15th, the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital released the results of its 5th annual national poll, in which Americans rated drug abuse and childhood obesity as the number one health concern for our nation’s youth. This is important news because it shows that drug abuse is now on the radar screens of people throughout the country and that Americans are very concerned about this issue. Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America issues a statement in response. (Hat tip to Christa Myers.)
Apply Now: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Learning Collaborative
"Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is an evidence-based intervention for children and families whose level of conflict, coercion, and aggression have resulted in or placed them at-risk for physical abuse or related safety concerns," writes Paul Savery.
He also forwarded the following:
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is pleased to release the 2011–2012 Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) Learning Collaborative Information and Application Packet. AF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment designed to improve the relationships between children and their caregivers. AF-CBT addresses concerns such as harsh physical discipline/punishment as well as child/family aggression and family interactions characterized by hostile interactions and conflict.The Information packet contains critical information to help you and your organization understand the benefits of participating in the 2011-20112 AF_CBT Learning Collaborative. All interested in participating should thoroughly read the attached Information Packet and follow the directions included for submitting the Notification of Interest (by Monday, August 22, 2011) and the Online Application (by Friday, September 2, 2011).
2011 Recovery Month Toolkit Now Available from SAMHSA
Michele Monroe is a Public Health Analyst for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Save the Date: Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE) 2012
The next Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE) -- the only national conference solely devoted to adolescent substance abuse treatment -- has been scheduled for April 10-12, 2012, in Washington, D.C.
Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the nearly-annual conference is a fantastic opportunity to see top-notch presentations on ... well, you can check out the 2010 JMATE agenda here to get an idea.
There's no agenda yet for the 2012 event, but take it from me, you don't want to miss it.
Want to be notified when you can register? Send your email to JMATE-info@jbsinternational.com.
Want to participate in the 2012 JMATE planning committees? Contact JMATE-info@jbsinternational.com.
UPDATED and Still URGENT: Support SAMHSA in Making Teens a Priority in Block Grants
If you care about adolescent substance abuse treatment (and mental health treatment), this is really important.
As I posted recently, SAMHSA is proposing big changes to its mental health and alcohol and drug treatment block grants. They want your comments by this Friday, June 3, 2011 June 9, 2011.
Ho-hum, right?
Far from it. We need you and everyone you know to submit comments to support SAMHSA's inclusion of adolescents/youth as a target population by Friday (see below for a draft message you can use or adapt).
>>Submit your email comments to SAMHSA the easy way, using this action alert from sparkaction.
