Need-based services

Youth are often arrested or cited by the police because of volatile family relationships, negative peer influences, or an unstable home environment.  Youth often have poor attendance or behavioral incidents at school, sometimes stemming from circumstances at home. Whether a youth is being informally supervised by a probation officer, or formally supervised with regular court hearings, the assigned probation officer will connect the youth and their parent/guardian with services tailored to the youth’s needs by making a referral to the appropriate service provider.

If the youth is not released at their detention hearing, a confidential Integrated Assessment will be completed by Behavioral Health for youth who are in custody for 14+ days. This evaluation consists of an interview covering a range of topics: emotional or mental health, substance use, education, and family relationships. If the evaluation is unsealed by the attorney, based on the results of this assessment, the probation officer will make the appropriate treatment referrals and the youth usually begin participating once the Dispositional Hearing has occurred. If the youth is out of custody, the youth may begin participating in counseling or treatment in the appropriate areas while the case is pending or before the Dispositional Hearing has occurred.

The Behavioral Health Department provides co-occurring treatment, where treatment in one area of need may simultaneously address another area of need; this is most common for youth who are experiencing substance use and mental health issues.