Program Description

Family Intervention Resource Services Team, Kentucky

Overview

The Family Intervention Resource Services Team (FIRST) is a county diversion program for first-time status offenders in grades 6 through 8 who have mental health and substance abuse problems and who appear for adjudication in juvenile court. FIRST originated from the collaborative effort of a committee consisting of a Kentucky district judge, the heads of three local school boards, the court administrator, court designated workers, education personnel, the local cabinet for Human Resources, local court personnel, police, health, county governing board, parents, housing authority, alternative school personnel, and the local community services agency. The committee submitted a proposal to the State Commissioner of Mental Health, which resulted in the development of FIRST. The program is operated by Audubon Area Community Services, Inc., and is overseen by an advisory board consisting of the court and other involved agencies. FIRST was originally funded by four sources (state mental health, substance abuse, and education, and local donations) and is now funded solely by the state mental health agency and private donations.

The goal of the program is to connect youth with effective, community-based interventions as an alternative to further (and more formal) court processing. The Court Designated Worker (CDW), who serves as the gatekeeper between the police and juvenile court, makes referrals to the program based on referrals to the court from probation intake. The CDW administers the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument (POSIT) to determine mental health status and shares the results of this evaluation with the FIRST program. The FIRST case manager then meets with the family (either at their home or at the court office) to do the formal program intake, to interview and meet the family and begin the development of a family service plan.

No direct services are provided by FIRST. The case manager provides referrals and linkages to a range of community services, including mental health and substance abuse services, as well as case management to the family. The family case manager regularly reports to the CDW on how the case is progressing, and if a youth meets the goals included in the individual service plan, the case is closed successfully. Typically, cases stay open 6 months, although the CDW can ask the court to grant an extension if more time is necessary for a youth to meet the plan’s goals.

FIRST has a 75 percent success rate based on evaluation data going back to 1996. The University of Louisville also conducts yearly program studies of FIRST. A recent study concluded that children who were referred but declined services were three times more likely to have additional charges compared to children who participated in FIRST. The likelihood of additional charges has been attributed directly to the level of program compliance.

Reference

Telephone interview on January 23, 2004

Program Contact

John Blaney
Director
415 Ann Street
Owensboro, KY 42303
Phone: 270-852-6510