Juvenile Justice Services
At Connections, Inc. we believe every young person has unique assets to contribute to their home, school, and community. Our youth and family centered approach to behavior change strives to honor their strengths, recognize youth contributions, and customize supports to meet their individual and family needs. Consequently, we strive to offer trauma informed services which enhance criminogenic protective factors, assure community safety, and lead youth to create a hopeful plan for their future.
Behavior Consultation (HB Casework referral): Our behavior consultation services seek to identify and address the complex reasons youth commit acts of violence or criminal activity. We first seek to develop meaningful relationships with the youth we serve in order to best understand their hopes, dreams, needs, interests, fears, motivations and family culture. We then determine which evidence based instructional approach will most likely enhance the youth’s life skills and social functioning. In consideration of their IYAS results, probation recommendations and court mandates, we may then seek to develop their skills in identification of feelings; anger and emotional regulation; how to give and receive feedback, criticism and praise; problem-solving; decision making; controlling assertive behavior; learning to resist negative peer pressure and develop pro-social peer interactions; address substance use and abuse issues; build and promote healthful coping skills; or facilitate positive community connections and employment in an effort to develop long term natural supports.
Day Reporting: Our Day Reporting service supports youth ages 13-18 who are court mandated to participate in this level of supervision and/ or are unable to attend school full time on campus. Using a cognitive behavioral approach to change, our daily schedule focuses upon educational achievement and addressing protective and risk factors for criminogenic behavior. Our students participate in evidence-based psycho-educational instruction and benefit from links to community volunteerism and employment.
Home Based Case Work: Case management supports assist the referred adolescent and their family with gaining access to services and supports to assure their overall health, safety, and stability. Specifically, we assist youth and families to identify safe housing, employment, health care, food security, teen parenting supports and to locate other community-based programs to encourage their use of natural supports and facilitate longer term independence and resilience.
Home Based Therapy: Our State of Indiana licensed therapists offer structured, goal-oriented therapy for children and families affected by community violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect in their natural home environments. In addition, this service can help address other concerns such as: substance abuse, mental health issues, family dysfunction, and youth behavioral issues.
Psycho-Educational Groups (Virtual or In Person): Our certified facilitators lead evidence based weekly psycho-educational courses such as Seeking Safety to address trauma, coping skills and PTSD symptomology, Aggression Replacement Training, the Matrix Model for Adolescent and Adult Addiction Treatment, and the Nurturing Parenting Education program for Teens parents
Transition from Restrictive Placement (TRP): TRP services assist young people with re-entry to their homes and communities after placement in a residential treatment facility or commitment to the Indiana Department of Corrections. Transition from Restrictive Placement services strives to improve overall participant functioning and secure positive attachment to their home, school, and community upon their return. We assist in the implementation of a comprehensive youth and family centered transition plan both before and after release to facilitate successful outcomes with their natural supports.
Truancy Termination: Truancy Termination support is primarily structured to address behavioral health issues which lead to truancy or expulsion from school. Targeting youth ages 12-18 who have been suspended, expelled, or refuse to attend school, intensive services will be offered to identity and address the factors leading to these outcomes.
Tutoring and Literacy Education: Individualized and group tutoring services are offered in virtual, office, and school-based settings with a goal to raise the academic performance of school aged youth. We assist students to earn high school credits and/ or meet or exceed grade equivalent standards established by the Indiana Department of Education. Literacy instruction is also available for youth ages 4-18. Connections, Inc. tutors speak both English and Spanish at a minimum to reduce any ESL barriers.
Youth Mentoring: Our youth mentoring service assists adolescents with juvenile court involvement to enhance their life skills, educational outcomes, and social functioning. Mentoring is an evidence-based strategy we implement to reduce youth violence, reduce recidivism, reduce depressive symptoms, increase self-esteem, increase academic achievement, and improve peer relationships. Our Mentors also focus upon the healthy emotional development of youth through consistent psycho-educational instruction., links to meaningful prosocial activities and offering crisis response support as needed.
Youth Gun Violence Prevention Partnership: Connections, Inc. is also humbled to be an invited member organization of the Project Life partnership which has been identified by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as a Promising Model Program. Project Life is a court-mandated program designed to help educate youth, ages 14 to 18, and their families about the medical, legal, and social consequences arising from acts of gun violence. This intensive program is led by the Marion County Indiana Prosecutors Office; in collaboration with Connections, Inc., Marion County Superior Courts- Juvenile Division, Marion County Public Health Department, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children, and the Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.