Oakland County Children’s Village Juvenile Assessment Center

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Children’s Village Juvenile Assessment Center (CVJAC) was designed to assist the Oakland County Court Family Division (OCCFD) with the difficult decisions associated with identifying juvenile offenders who are amendable for community based services and those who meet criteria established for out of home placement. The CVJAC provides assessment services prior to Dispositional hearings, while youth are in residential placement, and subsequent to youth reentering the community. CVJAC is one of the few assessment centers that not only assesses for criminogenic risk/needs but also includes the juvenile’s psychological characteristics, patterns of family interaction, individual strengths, and potential barriers to treatment along with follow up interventions. Statistical analysis of the outcome data indicated CVJAC made recommendations based on a holistic interpretation of the assessment results while identifying a need for increased collaboration with OCCFD. CVJAC effectively showed a reduction in criminogenic risk scores for youth who were placed in Children’s Village residential programs while showing a decrease in the level of internal distress reported by youth who exited those programs. Initial outcome data suggests the CVJAC has successfully demonstrated its potential to produce reliable and applicable data to assist with court decisions, placement options, treatment interventions, and reentry/aftercare services.