TeamChild Juvenile Justice Project

TeamChild is a collaboration between the Center for Children's Advocacy and the Hartford Juvenile Public Defender's Office. The attorney from the Center teams with the defense attorney to improve the outcome for the child in the juvenile justice system. The TeamChild attorney handles the child's legal issues in the civil arena to secure needed services through community agencies or the school system.

The Center's attorney represents the child on educational issues, including special education, §504 and expulsions, status offenses, and access to mental health treatment, which may be at the root of the child's court involvement.

Information and History of TeamChild Juvenile Justice Project

Proven successes for TeamChild include:

• a higher rate of successful school re-entry
• more students receiving necessary mental health services
• more community-based dispositions
• a much higher rate of successful completion of probation
• lower recidivism

The TeamChild attorney uses the information gleaned through the representation of individual clients to identify systemic issues in education, mental health, and juvenile justice. Through meetings with state and local education and juvenile justice agencies as well as the introduction of legislation, TeamChild works to implement systemic changes that provide the maximum benefit to children.

According to Susan O. Storey, Chief Public Defender, "Children without these all-inclusive juvenile justice, mental health, and educational services often fail to succeed in school and their communities and eventually become casualties of the criminal justice system. The Center for Children's Advocacy and the TeamChild program have proven to be creative and effective in developing community-based collaborative programs that address the needs of these children."

Publications

What Are My Rights? Know your Legal Rights in Detention. This question and answer handbook was developed by the Center for Children's Advocacy in collaboration with the Connecticut Judicial Branch and with funding from the Connecticut Bar Foundation. The book answers questions that youth In detention may have about their legal rights and about the responsibilities of the detention center, and encourages youth to speak up to ask for the services they need.
Life After Lockup: What's Up with School? (Your Legal Rights when You Come Back to the Community) Question and Answer book on the legal rights of youth returning to school and the community from CJTS, Juvenile Detention or Residential Placement. These youth are often dealing with Parole and Probation Officers, DCF, Public Defenders and School Officials. This important book helps them understand their legal rights and what they can do to participate in the decisions that affect them.

TeamChild/Juvenile Justice:

• TeamChild/Juvenile Justice Project
  CCA's TeamChild/Juvenile Justice program provides legal help for children with educational and behavioral health issues that provoke their involvement with the juvenile justice system.

• Know your Legal Rights in Detention
  This question and answer handbook was developed by the Center for Children's Advocacy in collaboration with the Connecticut Judicial Branch and with funding from the Connecticut Bar Foundation. The book answers questions that youth In detention may have about their legal rights and about the responsibilities of the detention center, and encourages youth to speak up to ask for the services they need. Currently available in PDF format only. Printed booklet to be available for order late Fall 2008.

• Life After Lockup: What's Up with School? (Your Legal Rights when You Come Back to the Community) Question and Answer book on the legal rights of youth returning to school and the community from CJTS, Juvenile Detention or Residential Placement. These youth are often dealing with Parole and Probation Officers, DCF, Public Defenders and School Officials. This important book helps them understand their legal rights and what they can do to participate in the decisions that affect them.

• Teen Legal Advocacy Clinic
  CCA's Teen Legal Advocacy Clinic provides legal advocacy to teens to reduce truancy and dropout rates by resolving issues that affect academic performance.

• FWSN Advisory Board Report February, 2008
  FWSN Advisory Board's Truancy Subcommittee Report which was developed during nine months of deliberations and discussions around interventions for truant youth in Connecticut. FWSN Advisory Board's Truancy Subcommittee members reviewed national truancy intervention models as well as current truancy initiatives in Connecticut and, after careful and deliberate consideration, presented a list of recommendations for services for truant youth in Connecticut to the FWSN Advisory Board.

• OJJDP Report on Connecticut Families With Service Needs
  Although the legislation reform in Connecticut is relatively recent, preliminary data shows that the system changes are creating positive results.

• Vera Institute Report: Making Court the Last Resort
  Supporting Families in Crisis

• NDTAC: The Importance of Literacy for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System

• Families With Service Needs: Outcome Findings Demonstrate Success
  Excerpts from Connecticut Families With Service Needs Project Report, Justice Research Center 2010

• Families with Service Needs Advisory Board Final Report to Connecticut General Assembly - June 2010