Skills Groups in the Schools – A New Partnership

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The Clackamas County Juvenile Department (CCJD) Skills Group Program provides group facilitation of cognitive and social skills development for the youth of Clackamas County. This program is dedicated to providing facilitated group learning opportunities with evidence-based and evidence-promising curricula which focus on expanding the competencies of youth. Skills Groups address risk factors by providing youth with positive life and social skills experiences, thus increasing protective factors. During the 2010-11 school year, the Skills Group Coordinator began reaching out to schools to see if these skills groups could be offered to youth in the communities in which they live. By 2011-12 three schools were offering skills groups within the school day, co-facilitated by school personnel. Today there are 12 schools and one community setting in Clackamas County offering 27 skills groups for at minimum 189 youth. (This is in addition to approximately 34 skills groups run by the CCJD, where in 2014 at least 190 youth completed the skills groups in which they participated.) School teachers and counselors have been trained to facilitate these groups.