Dual Status Youth 607-05-35-05-20

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Dual Status Youth 607-05-35-05-20

Dual status youth (DSY) are those who have active involvement in one system (either child welfare or juvenile justice) with concurrent involvement and/or history in the other system within the past year.

 

Human Service Zone DSY Liaisons, child protection workers, and case managers must be familiar with Dual Status Youth Initiative protocols. The protocol is located on the Supreme Court website (https://www.ndcourts.gov/dual-status-youth-initiative). The DSY protocol outlines standardized cross-system practices for staff to follow throughout the social services and court systems. These practices aim to change the trajectory of a child’s case and to prevent the child from entering or becoming further involved in the juvenile justice and/or child welfare system. In order to achieve the best possible oversight and coordination of DSY cases, Human Service Zones and Juvenile Court must each designate a “DSY Liaison”.

 

Identification of Dual Status Youth:

North Dakota has an information sharing memorandum of understanding between the North Dakota judicial branch and the Department of Human Services, which allows for the identification of dual status youth and initial communication between juvenile court officers and human service zones.

 

An automated report is generated from the Juvenile Court CMS database and Department of Human Services FRAME database identifying dual status youth. The report combines the two databases, matching youth who meet the criteria of dual status. The report reviews “new” opened activity in one system with current involvement or within the past 12 months history of involvement in the other system. Human Services Zone staff will be notified by the DSY Liaison when there is a dual status youth on their caseload.

 

Dual Status Youth Liaison Responsibilities

The DSY Liaison is appointed by the Human Service Zone director to oversee local communication and partnership across agencies, facilitate cross-training, and work to ensure an improved experience for youth and families. The responsibilities of the DSY Liaison include:

• Serving as a point of contact for dual status youth notifications.

• Developing a clear understating of the DSY practice and protocol.

• Clarifying policies and practice to agency staff.

• Attending any trainings and being the local champion on DSYI.

• Participating in quarterly DSY workgroup meetings on practice and protocol

• Ensuring that child welfare agency staff and juvenile court officers have a full understanding of their role and responsibilities when working with dual status youth.

 

Human Service Zone Staff Responsibilities

Human Service Zone child protection workers or case managers will be informed by the DSY Liaison that a youth on their caseload has matched as dual status. The DSY Liaison will send the assigned Zone employee an email indicating they are to engage with juvenile court to discuss the dual status case within 48 hours of notification. The responsibilities of the Human Service Zone assigned worker include:

• Reviewing the state’s child welfare management information system, FRAME, program dates and other case specific information that led to the child being identified as DSY.

• If the case action was most recently opened in FRAME under CPS, IH or FC, the Zone worker will contact the juvenile court.

• If the case action was most recently opened in juvenile court, the juvenile court officer will be contacting the Zone’s assigned worker.

• Facilitating a conversation with the juvenile court officer to discuss the youth to share pertinent information.

• Determining if a referral to Family Centered Engagement (FCE) is necessary. Further detail regarding the intent and purpose of the FCE meeting can be found in policy section 607-05-35-25-10-05 or within the DSYI Protocol online.

• Reviewing the goals of the current plan.

• Attending FCE meeting, if applicable.

• Monitoring the case and scheduling of the follow up meeting (if the case was most recently active with child welfare, then either the CPS worker or case manager assigned will schedule the follow up meeting) within 30 days of the initial FCE meeting to review the plan developed as a result of the meeting and determine whether the plan needs to be changed.