Never Too Early: Moving Upstream to Prevent Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, and Dual System Involvement

From the introduction:

“…this paper explores the ways we can prevent children and youth from being at risk for crossing over in the first place – and if they do cross over, how to safely reduce the extent of their involvement in those ‘other’ systems.

The paper explores a variety of approaches to utilize this prevention lens, hoping to prompt its readers to focus their efforts upstream and work across systems and in partnership with youth, families, and communities in a new and impactful manner. As the paper reflects, this is not easy work in which to engage. It requires sharing power and decision-making authority, and (often scarce) resources. It requires strong communication and clarity of purpose. It requires building trust and taking risks without the fear of blame by others. In essence, it requires true collaboration and partnership. “