2.

(DISCUSSION)  Continued discussion regarding guidelines and principles for girls’ services in the Dept.       

Julie Posadas Guzman reviewed that when she worked in the Dept she was the point person for girls’ services… with an actual unit with dedicated Dept staff in it, but since leaving the Dept there has not been a replacement point person named, and in fact now there is no real gender specific unit working.  N. Yalon said that the Dept lost the clerk in that unit (lay-offs) so could not sustain the work (records, paperwork, etc). Services to girls in the system  (girls comprise approx 25% of youth in the system) are inconsistent and dependent on individuals (those staff with better familiarity provide better services while those who are not as well informed don’t), rather than a set protocol followed by all to assure every girl gets the same quality of treatment/service.  The Chief said that he was committed to making this real again.

There was a short discussion regarding staffing level needs (the Dept is lacking adequate numbers of POs overall, but N. Yalon didn’t feel this would make or break developing a gender specific unit, given the shuffling of girls from other POs to a girls unit, workloads would shift.  She’s more concerned with “up-line” supervision, lacking at the moment). There is a need for additional personnel to staff such a unit, including supervision, & the Chief committed to selecting the most qualified POs for those positions. 

Jessica H. al-Tawqi said that the City has approved 6 PO positions in a supplemental appropriations and 3 of these could be dedicated to the gender specific unit.

Issues brought up:

·         There needs to be specific training for all staff on the issues and resources pertaining to girls in the system and what there is to help them.

·         Staff need training and orientation, and CBOs need to be qualified (effective) providers. When POs do not know what resources to enlist, service is not possible.  If CBOs are not competent this works against effective treatment and intervention.

      There is a need to train both POs and community service Providers

       There is a need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of services to youth.

·         There is not a full, comprehensive listing of available and appropriate resources for girls, and not all POs have an adequate knowledge of their existence.

·         There are additional protocols between jurisdictions needed for dealing with girls from out of county. (this is a secondary priority to setting up the Dept protocols).

·         The vertical integration model would work best, with a dedicated PO/case manager assigned to each girl from intake to disposition, and thereafter.

·         There needs to be clear steps for the coordination and collaboration of services (between Dept and CBOs).      

           a need for a girls unit that works collaboratively with community based service providers.    

          There is a need for interface between JPD and CBOs.

           identifying ways for JPD and CBOs to interface.

·         There needs to be some clear steps to go from here, with some tentative timelines, milestones to follow.           

     In addition to the long term task of setting up the unit, what immediate things can be done  

         to improve the services to girls now.

Items for the next mtg: 

Identifying the core principles to govern the operation of such a girls’ unit.

identifying core principles for the unit

having a comprehensive listing of identified services available for girls.

prepare a list of services provided by specific agencies.

Addressing the document provided by Jessica Hazard al-Tawqi    (concepts based on the Maryland model, agreed upon by a group of CBOs providing girls specific services, at a meeting after the 2^nd mtg of the girls services committee in Dec, and presented at a Bd of Supervisors hearing).

address recommendations made at the January 3 meeting (members provided a document that mentions the Baltimore, Maryland model and hiring of additional POs)

Have a statistical analysis of al the stats regarding girls in the Dept (Out of county youth, types of charges, “all the metrics”, recidivism rates. etc.)

Statistical information from Jose Perla that, in addition to recidivism rates, out of county numbers, and types of charges, also includes length of stay and numbers of placements.

Create language for a resolution to be passed by the Commission that makes it Dept policy to have a concrete girls unit developed and implemented.

some members of the sub-committee would prepare and bring to the next meeting (1/24) drafts for a recommended policy, in general language, that might be adopted by the Commission.

The next meeting will be January 24, 2007 at 4pm.                    

(public comments)

There were none.

3.

(ACTION) Adjournment:There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:21pm.