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Authentic Youth Engagement with High and Complex
Need Youth
YAP is a nationally recognized, nonprofit organization exclusively
committed to the provision of community-based alternatives to out-of-home care through direct service,
advocacy and policy change.
EmploymentPsych/Social
Education
Medical
Youth & Family
Residence
Family
Finances
Legal
Safety
Spiritual
Bubble Chart
Strength-Based Survey
Interests Survey
Parent Survey
Chicago YAP
Chicago YAP Staff
A web-based, nationwide YAP-lead campaign that
promotes the belief that community-based alternatives for young people should be the
norm and out-of-home placements the exception, not the other way around.
The Safely Home Campaign
Collaborative Campaign: Partners
The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth The Campaign for Youth Justice Children and Family Justice Center of Northwestern University School of Law The Coalition for Juvenile Justice Community Connections for Youth First Focus The Forum for Youth Investment The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Justice Policy Institute The National Collaboration for Youth, representing 40 youth-serving
organizations National Juvenile Justice Network Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association SparkAction Strive DC The W. Haywood Burns Institute
Why this CampaignMore than 500,000 youth and young people in
out-of-home placements, Detention centers, incarceration, residential treatment centers, other institutions / congregate care facilities
More than 61,000 youth incarcerated on any given night (detention, residential & state / federal incarceration)
More than 400,000 youth in child welfare system, with more than 50,000 living in institutions
Locked Up & Left Out
Out of Home Placements:•Put youth at additional risk (trauma, abuse, etc.)•Don’t meet underlying needs•Separate youth from their families and emotional supports
Many Community-Based Programs•Exclusionary criteria often limits youth with highest need•Compliance requirements often eject youth with highest need•Interventions are based on the program, not based on the youth’s need
The SolutionFocus on Meeting Underlying Needs not Services• Individualize services– Enables creativity in response– Close gaps– Allow for non-traditional services
The Solution• Engage families and youth to have voice
and choice in what happens to them• Support & develop public policies that
incentivize keeping families together• Redirect resources from out-of-home
placements to intensive community-based program
• Replace out-of-home placements with community programs that can reach young people
• Help government and communities build their capacities
Seven Goals of the Safely Home Campaign
• Educate and inform• Reduce out-of-home placements• Redirection• Expand community-based alternatives• Reduce overrepresentation of youth of color• Improve community safety• Increase successful outcomes for youth
National Report: Released June 24, 2014
• Target advocates and policymakers• Describe elements of effective community-
based programs• Highlight “bright spots”• Support states and localities in reducing use
of incarceration for high-need youth• Elevate youth voices
Genesis, Goals & Key Messages• Create continuums for all kids; meet the kid, not
the file• Recognize the value of community: Virtually
anything that can be done in an institution can be done better in the community
• Systems have the money to pay for more effective and less expensive community programs - redirection
• Communities can’t climb out of poverty, neighborhood violence, etc. through institutionalization, especially of their youth
• Effective programs up to serve more youth in the community (especially high-need youth) should be scaled up
How you can help: Partners• Collaborative Campaign• Blog posts• Sharing via social media (hashtag #safelyhome)• Presentations / conferences where joint missions• Keep us informed and share stories
– Resources– Youth & Family Stories, sharing space– Let us know of good works happening that we can
highlight• Legislation• Policy• Direct Service
How you can help• Keep us informed about what’s happening in
your community, county, state• Share stories of success for us to highlight in
our newsletter• Help us expand our reach • Drive other ideas – how else can we work
together to help youth?
Social Media
w: www.safelyhomecampaign.orge: [email protected]
: Like us on Facebook
@kidssafelyhome@yapinc
Thank you!Dave Williams, [email protected] Regional Director, Chicago
Shaena Fazal, [email protected] Policy Director, Washington, DC
Steve Gates, [email protected] Director, Chicago
