title
PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Public Defender
Grantee: Public Defender
Grantor: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: To acquire three (3) social workers or social service/community outreach workers to work with youth that are processed through the Cook County Juvenile Court system each year. Staff will target this highly vulnerable and educationally disengaged population by assessing our client's needs and strengths, or advocate for services while a youth is under supervision or probation. In addition, Staff will help gather information such as mental health history, family situation, educational engagement, current services being received, services needed, or any other relevant information. This information along with testimony or other documentation from the social workers would be used to support arguments regarding programming and services verses detainment, mitigation to combat transfer to adult court, or alternative solutions to violating a youth's probation.
In essence, the social workers would act as advocates for the youth as they move through their supervision, reengaging youth in school, connecting them to needed services, and finding potential alternative placements when a youth is having a crisis at home. All of these efforts would help to keep a youth from violating probation while also giving them the support they need to complete their supervision and achieve positive outcomes in the future.
Grant Amount: $387,212.00
Grant Period: 7/1/2014 - 9/30/2016
Fiscal Impact: N/A
Accounts: N/A
Concurrences:
The Budget Department has received all requisite documents and determined the fiscal impact on Cook County, if any.
Summary: To acquire three (3) social workers or social service/community outreach workers to work with youth that are processed through the Cook County Juvenile Court system each year. Staff will target this highly vulnerable and educationally disengaged population by assessing our client's needs and strengths, or advocate for services while a youth is under supervision or probation. In addition, Staff will help gather information such as mental health history, family situation, educational engagement, current services being received, services needed, or any other relevant information. This information along with testimony or other documentation from the social workers would be used to support arguments regarding programming and services verses detainment, mitigation to combat transfer to adult court, or alternative solutions to violating a youth's probation.
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