Caregiver and Juvenile Justice Personnel Perspectives on challenges and importance of caregiver engagement and the potential utility of a peer navigator program in the Juvenile Justice System

Health & Justice

Research Article

Matthew C. Aalsma¹  Katie Schwartz¹  Sarah E. Wiehe²  Allyson L. Dir³  Casey Pederson³  Shirin Khazvand⁴ 

[1] Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA;

关键词: Juvenile justice;    Caregivers;    Peer support;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40352-023-00231-y

 received in 2023-01-27, accepted in 2023-07-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundFor youth involved in the juvenile justice (JJ) system, caregiver involvement and engagement in the system is crucial for youth development and outcomes of JJ cases; however, there are challenges to establishing positive/productive partnerships between caregivers and JJ representatives. The current project examines perspectives of caregivers and JJ personnel regarding facilitators and barriers to establishing JJ-caregiver partnerships, as well as their perceptions of the use of a caregiver navigator program to support caregivers of system-involved youth. Results are used to inform development of a caregiver navigator program to support caregivers and help them navigate the JJ system.ResultsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers of youth involved in JJ (n = 15, 53% White, 93% female), JJ personnel (n = 7, 100% White, 50% female), and JJ family advisory board members (n = 5, 100% Black, 100% female). Caregivers reported varying experiences across intake/arrest, court, and probation processes. Positive experiences were characterized by effective communication and feeling supported by JJ. Negative experiences related to feeling blamed and punished for their child’s system involvement and feeling unsupported. JJ interviews corroborated caregiver sentiments and also illustrated facilitators and barriers to JJ-caregiver partnerships. Both JJ personnel and caregivers endorsed potential benefits of a peer-based caregiver navigator program to provide social, informational, and emotional support.ConclusionContinued work is needed to improve JJ-caregiver partnerships and use of a peer-based navigator program has the potential to address barriers to caregiver engagement in the JJ system.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023