UPDATED REFERRAL CRITERIA FOR YOUTH ASSISTANCE CASEWORK SERVICES

This document is in response to increasing casework referrals at a time of significant staff cuts. It is important to use our resources wisely and ensure that appropriate prevention cases receive services. This will be accomplished by stricter referral criteria and stringent screening prior to accepting cases.

As the prevention arm of the Oakland County Circuit Court, the mission of Oakland County Youth Assistance is to strengthen youth and families and prevent and reduce the incidence of delinquency, neglect and abuse through community involvement.

The approach used by Youth Assistance is two-pronged. The first includes providing family-focused, free, confidential casework services to youth and families in the community. Each year close to 3,800 referrals are received from police, schools and others. The second is community organization. In each local YA area, volunteers form a working Board of Directors which plans and implements prevention programs.

Note: These guidelines refer to casework services only and have no impact on local decisions regarding Camp, Parent Education, Skill Building, or Mentors Plus referrals. Youth Assistance casework services are meant to be preventative in nature and will be screened in this way:

1. No referrals will be accepted for non-divertible offenses.
2. No referral will be accepted for any child beyond the age of 16.
3. Each referral with a known history of inpatient psychiatric or substance abuse treatment, residential care or juvenile probation will be screened by a Youth Assistance staff member in order to determine his/her suitability for Youth Assistance services.
4. If a Youth Assistance staff member, during the initial record check, finds that the prospective client has already been adjudicated and is currently under court supervision, the referral will be forwarded to the assigned Casework Services Unit worker. A letter indicating that this action has been taken shall be sent by Youth Assistance to the referral source.
5. Prospective clients who have received Youth Assistance casework services in the past shall be assessed for suitability based in part on their prior record and participation with Youth Assistance. If alternative services are deemed more appropriate, Youth Assistance will contact the referral source explaining this decision.
6. Prospective clients aged 15 referred for school truancy shall be assessed for suitability for Youth Assistance services based upon history, other agency involvement, and the history of any attempts made by the school to alleviate the problem. If alternative services are deemed more appropriate, Youth Assistance will inform the referral source explaining the decision. No school truancy referrals for youth aged 15 will be accepted after April 1st for the remainder of the school year.

Referrals will be accepted for non-adjudicated youth, through age 16 who live within the boundaries of an Oakland County school district or are residents of Oakland County. Referrals are made by police, school personnel, parents, guardians, businesses, or others.

Police, schools and other referral sources are encouraged to contact the Youth Assistance office in their respective areas prior to making a referral, to ascertain its suitability for Youth Assistance casework services, or to consult on alternate services.

Upon acceptance of services, families will be assessed a $25 processing fee..

If referrals continue to out pace staffing allocations, Youth Assistance will consider making additional refinements to its referral criteria.

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Updated 11/16/09