Impact on youth

Counties in Colorado provide a matrix of services to help at-risk youths and prevent a raft of future problems.

Boulder County interlaces such services among an 11-agency collaboration catching at-risk youths in a web of care that leads to better outcomes and safer communities. After 14 years of dedicated, results-driven work, Boulder County IMPACT was named the 2012 Colorado Collaboration Award winner by the Colorado Nonprofit Association.

“They’ve been very effective in combining efforts of government agencies and also nonprofits to effectively serve youth at risk so they do not become part of the justice system as adults,” said Renny Fagan, president and chief executive of the Colorado Nonprofit Association. The association supports Colorado nonprofits through education, training and advocacy in the Legislature.

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Boulder County IMPACT, or Integrated Managed Partnership for Adolescents and Child Community Treatment, serves juveniles at risk of being removed from the home because of criminal behavior, mental-health problems or other home welfare issues, said Susan Caskey, executive director of the organization.

IMPACT blends staff resources, funding and services among its partner agencies in a rich, sharing model, Caskey said. The organization served 850 youngsters last year with 70 percent of the youths entering IMPACT through the juvenile justice system.

“We spend eight hours a week as a collaborative, talking about specific kids and families and coming together to bring all the agencies’ expertise and provide options,” Caskey said. The team identifies underlying causes of criminal behavior and then prioritizes the right intervention. For example, a student entering the system for drug use might face underlying issues at home, such as a lack of food, safety or other basic needs — issues that must be addressed for treatment to be effective.

“For any of us, it would be very hard to focus on therapy if we weren’t eating,” Caskey said.

It’s a consistent, cohesive, priority-driven approach to intervention that creates less confusion for youths and families and doesn’t feel as overwhelming, she said. Rather than being inundated with expectations from separate agencies, participants get a consistent message across the board. It’s a system that works, too, with Boulder County committing youths to out-of-home placements at a lower rate than the rest of the state.

From 2004 to 2011, data collected by IMPACT and the state of Colorado showed commitment rates in Boulder County fell to nearly one-third the Colorado rate, said Caskey. IMPACT collaboration doesn’t just save children from detention, she said; it also saves money. Boulder County accounts for about $1.3 million in annual expenses for committed young people compared with the estimated $4.3 million it would cost Colorado if the county mirrored statewide patterns.

IMPACT’s collaborative model has received national recognition, too, Caskey said, and inspired Colorado state legislation. House Bill 1451 provides incentives to counties creating similar collaborations, she said.

The Colorado Collaboration Award, in its second year, comes with $50,000, Fagan said. IMPACT plans to use the money to improve results through research-based intervention and constant vigilance when weeding out what doesn’t work and nurturing what does.

“We are always evolving and not trying to fit families to services that don’t really fit them,” Caskey said. Research shows early intervention and prevention reduce incarceration rates, and IMPACT plans to incorporate more of each into its plan.

Jacalyn Whittington is the director of student services for the St. Vrain Valley School District. She coordinates the majority of services outside of traditional education, such as truancy and drop-out prevention resources, gifted and talented programs and special education. For the past three years Whittington has represented the school district on IMPACT’s collaborative board. She brings 35 years of experience in education to the table and believes in the organization.

“I’ve never worked in a school district that has had this type of collaboration,” Whittington said. “It’s what all educators strive for but don’t know how to be a part of.”

Other counties in Colorado and other states strive to do what Boulder County IMPACT has been doing for years, she said.

The consistent, inter-agency collaboration’s unified message focuses on students’ strengths rather than punishing their weaknesses, Whittington said, calling it something that produces more effective outcomes and long-term student success.

“It’s really kind of an overwhelming experience just to see people dedicating a significant portion of their time outside of their regularly assigned job and looking at not just to what do I need to be responsible for, but what is the greater good, the bigger picture,” Whittington said.

Research shows that even a short time in jail increases the chance of recidivism, she said, while keeping youths out of jail and in school means a safer community in the future.

“When we have well-educated kids, they are going to give back to our community when they finish high school because they are engaged in it and attached to our community.”