Juvenile Justice Fund

Judge Sanford "Sammy" Jones Memorial
	Special Spotlight: Judge Sanford Jones Memorial *The Man and his Mission.* It has only been a few weeks since our community was devastated and our hearts were forever broken when The Honorable Sanford Jones– our beloved “Sammy” - died tragically in a small plane crash on May 15, 2009. Judge Jones was a kind man, a sharp lawyer, a generous person, a fair judge, and a friend to everyone he met. Read more...

The Fulton County Juvenile Court is the largest Juvenile Justice Center in the Southeast and has jurisdiction over most children under age 17 who are charged with violating any criminal law, as well as children under age 18 who are alleged to be deprived (neglected or abused) or status offenders. Fulton County Juvenile Court receives over 12,000 new cases and schedules over 30,000 hearings annually. A “case” may include as many as ten children in one family. Court Services Initiatives (CSI) include sponsored activities within Juvenile Court that need JJF support.

Current Court Services Initiatives Projects include:

Judge Jones Youth Assistance Fund
The Judge Jones Youth Fund provides necessities such as glasses, camp fees or tutoring services for children in need that come through the Fulton County Juvenile Court. Referrals are made directly from Judges and other professionals working in the court.

The Youth Assistance Fund is maintained through the generous support of the Juvenile Court employees and JJF staff. This year we have jointly set a goal to secure 100 employee pledges, each in the amount of $5.00 per month, to raise $6,000 for the Youth Assistance Fund.

For more information on the Judge Jones Youth Assistance Fund, or to make a pledge, please contact:

Mrs. Tonnisha LaSalle
Court Services Liaison
404.224.4916
Tonnisha.LaSalle@FultonCountyGA.gov

May 13, 2008 - Project Ready, Set, Go! site visit by the Department of Health and Human Services
(from L to R): Tonnisha LaSalle, DeAnne Hayes, Cheron Crouch - Program Manager,
Stephanie Williams, Theresa Lemus - HHS Performance Management Liaison,
Kim Shellman-Borna, Wanda Scott, Alison Wong, Rodney Wilson, Heidi Reese-Anderson

Ready, Set, Go! is an extension project of the Fulton County Family Drug Court Program whose primary goal is to increase permanency outcomes for children. Ready, Set, Go focuses on identified transition and aftercare services to reunite and support children and families affected by substance abuse in Fulton County.

More than 6,000 reports of child abuse and neglect are reported to Fulton County Child Protective Services annually, and more than 3,500 of those reports become deprivation cases filed in the Fulton County Juvenile Court. At least seventy percent (70%) of these cases involve substance-abusing parents or custodians. The most commonly abused drug by these family caregivers is cocaine, followed by marijuana, and methamphetamine, which is currently deemed metro Atlanta’s fastest growing drug problem (U.S. DEA Georgia Web Page 2007).

Through the Fulton County Juvenile Court Family Drug Court program, Project Ready, Set, Go aims to address seven specific needs to increase the well-being of, and improve the permanency outcomes for, children affected by methamphetamine and other substance abuse in Fulton County. To achieve this goal, Ready, Set, Go provides transition and reunification readiness support services prior to treatment completion and post-treatment placement support services for children and parents in the form of Education/Literacy, Employment, Therapy (Individual and Family, Children and Parents with additional specialized Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Counseling), Housing, Drug Treatment, Regular Visitation, and Aftercare/Support Groups. Services are provided in three phases: (1) Transition (Pre-Graduation Readiness Services), (2) Aftercare (Post-Graduation Comprehensive Service Set), and (3) Connection Services and Support. Ready, Set, Go seeks to increase the graduation rate of the Family Drug Court program, minimize the relapse rate of parents, reduce reunification times for families, and increase interagency and systems collaboration in providing services to parents and their children in need.

The Permanency Center, located on the first floor of the Fulton County Juvenile Court building, is a recent project of the Juvenile Justice Fund (JJF) modeled, in part, after the Reunification Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Center houses services and support to increase permanency outcomes for children in foster care.

With more than 70% of Juvenile Court deprivation cases involving substance abuse, one program housed in the Permanency Center is JJF’s Project Ready, Set, Go! The program is a five-year $2.5 million dollar federally funded program for parents enrolled in Fulton County Juvenile Court’s Family Drug Court. The program provides transition and aftercare services and support for families affected by substance abuse.

JJF’s Family Visitation Centers program also operates at this site, as JJF collaborates with the Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to directly serve DFCS Family Preservation cases in this space.

The Permanency Center construction was funded through a $100,000 grant from the Humana Foundation, through its 2007 Atlanta Benefits program, and a $20,000 Community Builder’s Award from Home Depot. Initial furnishings have been provided through community donations and discounts from Spectra Contract Flooring, Underpriced Furniture, and H.J. Russell and Company.

The center provides a “homelike” environment and contains the following features:

Project Ready, Set, Go! Goals

Goal 1: Increase Family Drug Court Graduation Rates
Objective 1.1: Increase services and support during treatment (mental health, literacy, employment, and housing).

Goal 2: Improve Reunification Readiness Support and Transition Services for Parents
Objective 2.1: Provide focused and individualized supportive services to parents by administering the Family Readiness Needs Assessment to determine what services and support are needed.
Objective 2.2: Formulate a Readiness Transition Plan for parents.
Objective 2.3: As appropriate, increase visitation to prepare for reunification and to increase protective factors.

Goal 3: Improve Post Graduation Aftercare Services for Parents
Objective 3.1: Increase services and support following graduation including the provision of mental health services, education/literacy, employment, housing, and post substance abuse treatment support.
Objective 3.2: Utilize the Program Manager to coordinate and manage all post-graduation services and support for twelve months after graduation utilizing the Ready, Set, Go! Plan for each family.
Objective 3.3: The Peer Counseling Coordinator will develop an innovative Family Drug Court Peer Connection so that graduates will have sustained contact and support. The plan includes weekly Alumni meetings and/or activities and workshops and annual Retreats.

Goal 4: Improve Reunification Readiness Support and Transition Services for Children
Objective 4.1: The Program Manager and CASA will coordinate a Comprehensive Service Set for each child.
Objective 4.2: The Family Visitation Centers Coordinator will devise and implement an appropriate family visitation plan to include transportation for children, staff to supervise visits as required, observation reports, and court testimony as needed.

Goal 5: Improve Post Reunification Support Services for Children
Objective 5.1: The Program Manager and Youth Track Coordinator will develop and implement a Child Track Curriculum to coincide with parent aftercare treatment and services.
Objective 5.2: The CASA will make regular visits to the homes of reunified children and prepare ad submit monthly case reports on each child’s status, progress and needs.

Goal 6: Improve Community Knowledge
Objective 6.1: Train CASA workers on intervention and treatment needs for methamphetamine use and other substance abuse affected children and families.
Objective 6.2: Develop an Alumni Speakers Bureau to increase awareness and support for the Ready, Set, Go Project.
Objective 6.3: Conduct training on assessment, intervention and treatment of children and families and methamphetamine.

Goal 7: Increase Housing assistance for Family Drug Court Graduates
Objective 7.1: Conduct a housing feasibility to identify barriers and best practice for increasing housing assistance for Family Drug Court graduates.
Objective 7.2: Design a Family Drug Court Housing Assistance Plan.
Objective 7.3: Implement a Family Drug Court Housing Assistance Plan.

Fulton County Juvenile Court Judges
Honorable Chief Judge Belinda Edwards	Honorable Presiding Judge Bradley Boyd	Honorable Judge Judge Phillip Jackson
Honorable Judge Juliette Scales	Honorable Judge Judge George Blau	Honorable Judge Judge Charles Hodges

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