Operation Embrace

Mission: To alert the faith community of juvenile justice issues and to create lasting

partnerships that enhance the lives of youth and families

What Is Operation Embrace?• Operation Embrace is faith and community partners

coming together to assist the community in reducing juvenile crime

• Operation Embrace is an extended community support system

• Operation Embrace relies on faith and community volunteers

• Operation Embrace is a way faith and community partners can embrace the needs of families through referrals to support services.

What Operation Embrace Is NOT?

• Operation Embrace is NOT:– Case management

– A service provider = treatment– Mental health/Psychiatric services– Individual/family counseling– Substance abuse counseling

– A replacement of the Juvenile Probation Officers’(JPO) or Case Managers’ responsibilities

– Legal advice

– Funding

In Partnership With

Fifteenth Judicial Circuit

Dominion Ministries,

Inc.

Who Will Be Served ?• Court-involved youth and families in Palm Beach

County– Youth/families may be referred by:

• The Court • Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)• Operation Embrace Coordinator

• Various levels of involvement in the juvenile justice system are eligible:– Intake– Diversion– Probation/Post-Commitment Probation

Support Services Offered

• Mentoring

• Pro-social activities

• Vocational/Internships opportunities

• Family support

• Community hubs

Mentoring

• Minimum of a one (1) year commitment between youth or family and the adult volunteer

• Partner with community mentoring agencies

• All volunteers must complete and pass a background screening

Pro-Social Activities

• Community activities including but not limited to: – After school programming– Extracurricular activities– Sports– Tutoring – Youth groups

• Community recreational facilities/clubs, such as:– Youth Empowerment Centers– Boys & Girls Clubs

Vocational/Internships Opportunities

• Local businesses and schools to offer job training, work experience and leadership development

Family Support

• Wrap-around support for the entire family:– Someone to talk to– Regular, personal contact– “Lending a hand”

• Assisting the family to navigate the “system” and help identify and access community resources

Community Hubs

• Utilization of community facilities to host family meetings, group sessions, etc.– Probation Field Offices– Youth Empowerment Centers– Faith and Community Centers/locations

Operation Embrace Coordinator

• Who?• Dedicated volunteer with experience in a related

field and strong desire to help youth/families in the community

• Roles/Responsibilities:– Serve as the liaison between the 15th Judicial Circuit

and the Operation Embrace program– Oversee all volunteer activities– Coordinate referrals and assist faith and community

partners– Recruit new partners as necessary– Maintain statistical information

Volunteer Qualifications• Desire to work with youth and families in the juvenile

justice system

• Ability to volunteer time and provide your own expenses• **minimum of one (1) year commitment

• Ability to pass a background screening

• Participation in an interview and orientation training session

• Willingness to provide own expenses

Roles of the Volunteers• Maintain monthly contact with Operation Embrace

Coordinator• Maintain notes on youth and family contacts• Provide status reports

• Assist families with resource needs as necessary

• Participate in training sessions as scheduled

• Weekly contact with youth and/or family:• Includes phone and face to face contacts• Minimum of (4) hours per month face to face

contact

Referral Form

• Begins the referral process for youth/families to become involved with Operation Embrace

• Completed by the Juvenile Probation Officer, Court Case Manager or Operation Embrace Coordinator

• Email the completed form to the Operation Embrace Coordinator and Juvenile Court Operations Manager:– bonnerjaydeb@juno.com, caltaro@pbcgov.com

Family Needs Meeting

• At the initial meeting, Operation Embrace Coordinator will talk with the family to obtain the following types of information:– Demographics– Individual needs of the youth (mental health,

substance abuse, peers, school), needs of the family– Additional information

• On-going communication between the Operation Embrace Coordinator and JPO/Case Worker is crucial to the youth/family’s success

• Release of Information will be completed to maintain confidentiality

Confidentiality & Information Sharing

• Release of Information– Form which allows for the sharing of

information between only those agencies approved by the youth/family participating in the program

– Operation Embrace Coordinator will complete this form with the youth/family at the initial meeting

• Mandatory volunteer training will cover matters pertaining to maintaining confidentiality, information sharing and incident reporting

Program Completion

• Relationships are everlasting!

• Operation Embrace Coordinator will complete (in collaboration with the volunteers) and forward a Program Update Form to the Juvenile Court Operations Manager 90 days after the initial intake

• Additional updates will be available upon request from the Operation Embrace Coordinator

Pilot Program

• The initial pilot program will target serve 15 youth/families in the initial year in the Palm Beach County area.

Data Collection

• Program data will be maintained to identify successes and necessary enhancements to the program

• Program files will be maintained at the Operation Embrace Office

Next Steps

• Recruitment of volunteers (on-going)

• Implement and host orientation sessions– Operation Embrace Coordinator– Juvenile Court Operations Manager

• Update community stakeholders– Juvenile Division meeting– Juvenile Justice Board meeting

In Collaboration With

• Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO)

• New Beginnings Community Development Center

CONTACT INFORMATION• Operation Embrace

Operation Embrace CoordinatorJay Bonner

(561) 389-2189bonnerjaydeb@juno.com

• Fifteenth Judicial CircuitJuvenile Court Operations Manager

Cristy Altaro (561) 355-6586

caltaro@pbcgov.com