Seattle, WA - News Detail

November 16, 2005

TEENS FROM JUVENILE COURT YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL COORDINATE FALL HARVEST MEAL FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

Special Outreach Made To Katrina Victims in Seattle

SEATTLE – Teenagers who are members of the King County Juvenile Court Youth Leadership Council will be rolling up their sleeves to cook and serve a traditional holiday meal to families beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, at Cascade People’s Center, 309 Pontius Ave. N., Seattle. The meal is being offered the day after Thanksgiving Day out of sensitivity to American Indians and to extend the holiday giving to needy families.

The Youth Leadership Council is made up of young people who have completed or are in the process of fulfilling their probation commitments to King County Juvenile Court. More than 200 people are expected to be served a meal at the Fall Harvest Dinner, which is being made possible through generous donations from dozens of merchants and individuals and a 100 percent volunteer effort.

Youth Leadership Council members are assisting in all aspects of the meal, from preparing the food to signing up volunteers and spreading the word about the meal. They will be working on Thanksgiving Day to cook and set up the Cascade People’s Center, then serving the meals on the 25th.

“I’m excited to do this because it’s a great cause and it’s good for people to see us put something good back into the community,” said Demetrius Robinson, 18, of Seattle, and a member of the Youth Leadership Council.

Robinson understands how important events like the Harvest Dinner are for people who need help. “My mom, my brother and I spent a lot of time living in a car. We were surviving here and there. When I see the people come in [for the Harvest Dinner] I feel really in touch with them. I know people have stumbles in the road. When people are able to come together for a meal it gives them extra hope.”

Each of the teens in the Youth Leadership Council have similar stories of overcoming personal challenges and demonstrating a desire to devote time to community service.

The Council is a component of Reclaiming Futures, a five-year initiative sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote new approaches to helping teens who are caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. Members on the Council provide a youth voice to the Court Oversight Committee.

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Seattle, WA - News Detail

September 14, 2007

King County youth substance abuse intervention program receives national honors

Award is centerpiece of local Reclaiming Futures Five-Year Celebration

Local efforts to improve community-based substance abuse intervention services for at-risk youth received national attention this week as King County received one of the first-ever Science to Service awards for best practices and innovation in substance abuse treatment. Separate ceremonies celebrated the achievement in Washington, D.C. and Seattle.

King County was honored for the successful implementation of an assessment tool called the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN). The GAIN is a progressive and integrated series of measures and computer applications designed to support substance abuse treatment practices, including initial screening; brief interventions, and referrals to ancillary services. The GAIN provides a standardized clinical assessment that providers use in the diagnosis, placement, and treatment planning process for people receiving services within the King County provider network.

"This national recognition reaffirms King County’s ongoing commitment to providing innovative and creative programs that will help young people with drug and alcohol problems receive the treatment they need to achieve healthier and more productive lives and futures," said King County Executive Ron Sims.

Launched in 2005, the award-winning project is a key element in the ongoing effort to transform the county’s chemical dependency service delivery system to be more responsive to the needs of at-risk youth, and is closely tied to the region’s Reclaiming Futures grant working with the juvenile justice system. The project has already resulted in a substantial increase in substance abuse treatment completion and treatment retention rates. In fact, Seattle/King County now has the highest treatment completion and retention rates for youth in the state.

"As recently as 2001, about 33 percent of youth were completing substance abuse treatment and today, almost 60 percent of youth admitted are completing treatment," said Jim Vollendroff, Assistant Division Director and the Prevention/Treatment Coordinator for King County. "This is an incredible accomplishment by our provider community in engaging and serving young people."

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created the awards program to recognize exemplary achievement by public sector and community organizations providing evidence-based programs to prevent and treat mental illness and substance abuse. King County was one of 20 programs in 15 states to receive SAMHSA’s inaugural awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Reclaiming Futures celebrates five years, progress, partnerships

King County shares its national recognition with many partners, including community treatment providers and criminal justice agencies. A local Science to Service award was presented by the county to the Center for Human Services of Shoreline to acknowledge that agency’s exemplary commitment to implementing the GAIN within their agency.

The award presentation was one part of a celebration held September 14, 2007 honoring the fifth anniversary of the Reclaiming Futures project, a Robert Wood Johnson grant-funded program established in King County and in nine other locations nationwide to improve access to treatment services for youth involved in the criminal justice system.

"Too many of our young people become involved in the criminal justice system because of untreated substance abuse problems," said King County Juvenile Court Judge Patricia Clark. "For five years, Reclaiming Futures has helped us to connect at-risk youth to the treatment and supportive services they need to overcome alcohol and drug dependency and get on the road to more stable lives and hopeful futures."

Reclaiming Futures partners include courts, police, local and county government, treatment providers, schools, businesses, families and others working together to improve access to treatment services, coordinate other social services, support families, reduce criminal justice involvement and costs, and improve public safety.

For more information about the Science to Service Award or Reclaiming Futures, please call Jim Vollendroff, King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division, at 206-263-8903.

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Seattle, WA - News Detail

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Gives King County Superior Court $250,000 to Help Troubled Youth

SEATTLE-King County - The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today awarded the King County Superior Court a $250,000 grant to improve substance abuse treatment and other services for young people in trouble with the law.

"America's juvenile justice system faces a public health crisis," says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system each year have an alcohol or drug problem. Even though research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money, and builds stronger communities, the vast majority of young offenders receives no treatment at all."

"We want to change this," says Nissen. "The grants we are awarding today will create model programs in King County and elsewhere in the United States to show how we can reinvent treatment, judicial and social services to meet this urgent need."

The King County Superior Court's project, called Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures, proposes to serve 100 young people with substance abuse problems and their families annually beginning in 2003. The grant is one of $2.59 million awarded to 11 communities nationwide for new treatment and other services for delinquent youth.

"The need for Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures is clear," says Judge Inveen, chief juvenile judge of the King County Superior Court. "We know that kids who abuse alcohol and drugs are more likely to behave violently, break the law, or end up in court. We also know that alcohol and drug abuse is a major health problem among juvenile offenders in King County."

Over 2,400 youth are served in the public drug and alcohol treatment system in King County annually and 75 percent of them have a history in the juvenile justice system. According to local surveys, at least 50 percent of the youth detained in the King County Youth Service Center have been assessed as chemically dependent. An estimated 82 percent of the King County youth committed to state institutions are chemically dependent or substance abusers.

"Kids in King County's juvenile justice system with substance abuse problems, including many youth with complicating mental health problems, are still not receiving adequate treatment and support services," says Judge Inveen. "Without it, many of them find themselves in trouble with the law again and again."

"This grant will help King County break the costly cycle of substance abuse and delinquency," says James D. Cayce, a judge in King County Superior Court. "We need to reclaim, not throw away, the lives of these young people. We are thrilled to have the support of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help us accomplish this."

The King County Superior Court was one of 280 applicants. Over the next five years, King County proposes to reduce recidivism among young offenders, provide them with accessible services, and redirect funds to meet the needs of youth and families served.

Beginning this month, juvenile court judges and officers, law enforcement officials, treatment professionals, and civic, youth and family leaders in King County and the 10 other communities will spend a year planning their programs. In four following years, communities can apply for up to $250,000 annually to implement the plans.

Reclaiming Futures officials say judicial leadership will play a critical part in these efforts and local judges in each community will participate in a two-year fellowship. Laura C. Inveen, chief juvenile court judge of the King County Superior Court, and James D. Cayce, judge of the King County Superior Court, will represent King County in the national program.

Reclaiming Futures is a five-year $21 million initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org.

Seattle, WA - News Detail

Seattle-King County Officials Kick Off Program to Help Troubled Youth with Drug and Alcohol Problems

First-of-its-kind program will enlist help of community

What: Kick-off Event
When: Friday, September 27th, 9:00 am - Noon, *Media are welcome to attend any portion of the morning's events
Where: Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, 104 17th Avenue South (at 17th & Yesler)
Who: 9:05 Welcome by Hon. Laura Inveen, King County Presiding Juvenile Court Judge
9:15 Keynote by King County Executive Ron Sims
9:30 National program overview by Reclaiming Futures national director Laura Nissen
11:30 Local program overview by Reclaiming Futures Partners
Details: Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures is one of 11 national sites given a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create a program to help young offenders with substance abuse problems.

It's estimated nationwide that nearly seven in ten youth test positive for drugs or alcohol when they are arrested. Reclaiming Futures will help the King County teenagers who are substance abusers to return to the community following confinement and treatment. The program will involve young people, parents, and the following local partners: King County Superior Court, King County Department of Community and Human Services, City of Seattle Human Services Department, Youth & Family Association of King County, Special Populations Alliance, the Clergy, Community and Children/Youth Coalition, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration Mentoring Program, University of Washington Behavior and Justice Policy, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institutes and the Puget Sound Educational Service District. The media are invited to hear how all of these programs will work together to solve this community problem.

Seattle, WA - News Detail

King County receives $100,000 grant to improve drug and alcohol treatment for teens in trouble with the law

SEATTLE, Wash. (April 26, 2004) – Seattle is one of ten communities in the nation selected today to receive a $100,000 grant from Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to provide more effective drug and alcohol treatment for local teenagers in the juvenile justice system.

“It's no secret that teens with drug or alcohol problems are more likely to end up in trouble with the law,” says Dean Braxton, program manager for the Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Service Division of King County . “This funding will allow us to adopt cutting-edge treatment techniques that can help our young people overcome the cycle of substance abuse and crime.”

King County officials will use the award to more consistently identify and effectively treat a greater number of youth with substance abuse and mental health needs, who in the past, may have been sentenced to state institutions, primarily due to a lack of effective treatment available in the community. The funds will provide for a systematic way of identifying and assessing youth, and will help ensure that more than 100 youth are matched with proper treatment services and programs. As a result, officials anticipate seeing a reduction in the number of young people who re-offend in the community. 

The grant is the latest national investment in a five-year initiative that brings together local courts, businesses, civic groups, schools and others to improve drug and alcohol treatment, expand and coordinate social services, and find jobs, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law. In 2002, Reclaiming Futures awarded King County $1.25M to reinvent the way the community responds to teenagers involved with drugs, alcohol and crime .

Treatment for youth in the system

As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system nationally each year have an alcohol or drug problem. “Unfortunately, most don't receive treatment and many of the services that do exist are ineffective,” says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, which awarded the $100,000 grants to Seattle and nine other communities. “Today's grant gives King County the opportunity to test promising practices that could make a positive difference in the lives of these teens. Treatment experts around the country are watching this experiment with great interest.”

“Substance abuse treatment is one of the smartest public safety investments we can make,” says Laura Inveen, chief juvenile judge of the King County Superior Court and judicial fellow for Reclaiming Futures Seattle-King County . “Research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money and builds safer communities.”

Local officials say a t least 50 percent of teenagers detained in the King County Youth Service Center are chemically dependent and close to 30 percent have diagnosed mental health problems. An estimated 82 percent of the King County youth committed to state institutions are substance abusers or chemically dependent, and more than 40 percent have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.

About Reclaiming Futures

Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. A five-year, $21 million initiative launched by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Reclaiming Futures promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice for young people with drug and alcohol problems. For more information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org . The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton , N.J. , is the largest philanthropy in the nation devoted exclusively to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org .

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Seattle, WA - News Detail

November 8, 2006
Contact: Margaret Tumulty, Project Director,
Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures
margaret.tumulty@metrokc.gov; 206-205-9425

Portland, OR (November 8, 2006) – A national group of judges is recommending that judicial officers nationwide take a more active role in helping youth in the juvenile justice system overcome their drug and alcohol problems. The team, which includes King County Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen and Chief Juvenile Judge Patricia Clark, is part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The judges issued their call to action as part of their jointly written monograph A Model for Judicial Leadership; Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse. The report was just published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in its Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

"Research shows that teens who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "We believe these young people deserve appropriate screening, treatment, care and community support, and that judges have the knowledge, influence and obligation to drive this change."

The judicial monograph, written by a team of judges with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other judges to follow in order to build a collaborative model for change within their own juvenile justice systems. These steps include inviting and convening stakeholders to participate; identifying the needs for youth services; achieving consensus; focusing on performance measures and outcomes; educating the judiciary and public; partnering with the community; and listening to youth.

The report concludes with 10 recommendations for judicial action, such as: judges must ensure youth in the system are screened and assessed; judges must be educated on the current state of practice in the substance abuse field; and judges must help identify or create positive pro-social influences for youth such as mentors, jobs or volunteer opportunities.

"This guide is written by judges and intended to be used by other judges, court administrators, government entities, community leaders and interested citizens," said Judge Inveen. "Our goal is to provide a blueprint for judges so they can take concrete actions to improve the juvenile and family court system."

A Model for Judicial Leadership can be read in its entirety at http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/resource.asp?rcid=5 or in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative located in the 10 communities of Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. In its fourth year, early research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in its 10 communities.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. The mission of Reclaiming Futures, a $21 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is to promote new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. It is housed in the Regional Research Institute for Human Services of the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. For additional information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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Seattle, WA - News Detail

February 22, 2007
Contact: Susan Waild
Juvenile Probation Manager
206-205-9427

Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use
A report by Reclaiming Futures probation officers, including one from King County's Juvenile Probation Manager, recommends a ground-breaking approach to help teens in trouble with drugs, alcohol and crime

Portland, OR (February 22, 2007) – A national group of probation officers, including King County Juvenile Probation Manager Susan Waild, is recommending that juvenile justice leaders take 10 steps to break the cycle of teen drug use and crime. The officers, part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issued their call to action in a new report, Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency.

"We know teen alcohol and drug use is linked to juvenile crime. Yet, few alcohol-and-drug-involved teens in the system get the help they need," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "Reclaiming Futures offers these young people more treatment, better treatment designed for their age group, and greater access to services beyond treatment such as mentors and jobs that will help them flourish in the community and stay out of trouble."

The report, written by a group of juvenile probation officers with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other officers to follow in order to make changes in their own juvenile justice systems. The findings are based on the Reclaiming Futures model tested in 10 communities during the past five years, including here in King County. The ground-breaking approach screens each teen that enters the juvenile justice system for drug and alcohol problems, assesses the severity of their drug and alcohol use, and provides prompt access to a treatment plan coordinated by a service team. Reclaiming Futures also connects teens with employers, mentors and volunteer service projects.

"This report is written by juvenile probation officers for other officers, treatment providers, family service agencies, policymakers and community leaders who work with teens in trouble with the law," said King County's Waild. "It draws on our success with Reclaiming Futures-King County and is chock full of practical ideas and steps any community can use."

The report offers 10 recommendations for juvenile justice practitioners who want to adopt the Reclaiming Futures approach, such as: collaborating with mental health providers, alcohol and drug treatment professionals, school administrators and community partners; knowing which services are available and appropriate for drug-involved youth; tailoring interventions based on the teen's strengths, risk and needs; supporting staff to continue to learn about effective substance abuse treatment; promoting funding for family advocacy, wrap-around services and mentoring; and collecting and sharing data to help all agencies involved in this effort.

Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency can be read in its entirety at www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation located in Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fifth year, an evaluation conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services across the 10 communities. Reclaiming Futures is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. To learn more, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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Seattle, WA - News Detail

February 23, 2007
Contact: Margaret Tumulty, Reclaiming Futures-King County Project Director
e-mail: Margaret.tumulty@metrokv.gov, 206-205-9425

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation approves $6.5 million in new funding to support efforts to break cycle of juvenile drugs and crime

Foundation cites success in helping local teens break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.

Seattle, Wash. — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced its board has approved $6.5 million in additional support of the Reclaiming Futures Project in 10 pilot sites, which includes King County.

RWJF also approved funding for a national expansion of the Reclaiming Futures initiative, housed at Portland State University, citing the program’s success in getting more services to teens in the justice system who are struggling with drugs and alcohol.

"The impact of King County on our Juvenile Courts has been tremendous," said King County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Patricia Clark. "It has helped us to better identify our mentally ill kids, our overall assessment of kids has been greatly enhanced and it has energized us to find new solutions."

The 10 communities that have piloted Reclaiming Futures over the past five years reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children.

The expanded effort also will create a national resource center to provide data, case studies and other information to even more communities seeking to improve drug and alcohol services for court-involved youth.

"By spreading Reclaiming Futures across the country, we are creating a national movement that can make a vital difference in the health of youth and their families," said Kristin Schubert, RWJF program officer for Reclaiming Futures. "During the past five years, we have created a new national standard of care in juvenile justice. These pilot communities are leading the way."

The Reclaiming Futures model combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Teens who enter the justice system with serious drug and alcohol problems rarely receive treatment, even though research shows that young people who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in trouble with the law, behave violently, or drop out of school.

Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems; assembling a team to develop a personal care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; providing family support; and involving community members as mentors and role models to provide the support teens need.

Beginning in 2002, 10 communities, including King County, helped create and test the Reclaiming Futures model. The other nine communities are: Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio and Portland, Ore.

Reclaiming Futures will invite applications from communities interested in participating as one of the new pilot sites. Successful applicants will be selected in the summer of 2007 and will receive technical assistance, on-site coaching, educational materials and invitations to national conferences and workshops. Application forms will be posted on the Reclaiming Futures web site in late spring.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that offers a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. Reclaiming Futures is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University. To learn more, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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