PREVENTING DELINQUENCY: THE FORGOTTEN GROUP Kathy Levene, Associate/Early Intervention Director Jamie Sutherland, Youth Outreach Worker Child Development Institute

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PREVENTING DELINQUENCYTHE FORGOTTEN GROUP
Kathy Levene, Associate/Early Intervention
DirectorJamie Sutherland, Youth Outreach Worker
Child Development Institute
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THE FORGOTTEN GROUP HIGH RISK LATENCY-AGED
(5-11) CHILDRENThree Key Questions Are there
services for these children and families in our
communities? Is there a proven need for such
services? Are there effective programs?
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QUESTION 1Are there adequate and specialized
services for high risk boys and girls those who
are vulnerable to antisocial outcomes - in our
communities?
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• SEAMLESS OR PATCHWORK SERVICES

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SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
EARLY YEARS
LATENCY
ADOLESCENCE
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SOME REASONS FOR THIS NEGLECTNumbers of
latency aged children recognized as being
seriously in trouble are relatively
smallProblems are usually not
intrusiveNormalizing early problems (e.g., boys
will be boys) Pathway of early starters not
well understoodThreats are usually not
immediate
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FORGOTTEN GROUP

• QUESTION 2
• Is there a proven need for services?
• See Loeber Farrington, 2001

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A FACT WE CANNOT IGNORE (Loeber, Farrington,
Petechuk, 2003)

• Strong evidence indicates that there are seven
  years of warning before a juvenile becomes a
  serious, violent offender.

• Those who ended up in court for serious offences
  at age 14.5
• ?
• Minor problems (age 7)
• ?
• Moderate serious behavior problems (age 9.5)
• ?
• Committed serious delinquency offences (age 11.9)
  
• ?
• Serious violent offences (age 14.5)

• Use weapons
• (including guns)
• Become a gang
• member
• Engage in substance
• use

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What are key early risk factors for
delinquency?Are there risk factors that are
related to gender?
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EARLY ASSESSMENT OF RISK

• CDI creation of two early risk assessment tools
• Assess risk for future involvement with the
  juvenile justice system
• Research based, gender sensitive approach

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EARLY ASSESSMENT RISK LISTS FOR BOYS GIRLS

• Version 2 EARL-20B (2001)
• Leena K. Augimeri
• Christopher J. Koegl
• Christopher D. Webster
• Kathryn S. Levene
• Debra J. Pepler
• Margaret M. Walsh
• Version 1 EARL-21G (2001)
• Consultation Edition
• Kathryn S. Levene
• Leena K. Augimeri
• Debra J. Pepler
• Margaret M. Walsh
• Christopher D. Webster
• Christopher J. Koegl

Translated/Adapted Norway ? Sweden ? Finland
Netherlands ? New Zealand National Demonstration
Site Project Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
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FORGOTTEN GROUP

• Do these factors act as WARNINGS for future
  delinquency?

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FORGOTTEN GROUP

• Not for all children who display early risk
  factors follow a negative path but
• over the 7 years of warning they become
  increasingly resistant to change
• as many as 75 do become involved with the
  juvenile justice system
• chronic youth offenders account for half of all
  crime including serious property crime violence
• See Loeber Burke, 2006 Loeber Farrington,
  1998

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IF WE KNOW THAT 1. We can identify risk
factors that contribute to young children
becoming engaged in gang and antisocial
activities.2. There is a lack of specialized
services for this forgotten group
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3. THE NEXT STEP is to provide effective
prevention programs for these at risk children
and their families.
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FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE Applying the Elements
of What Works with Children Under 12 Years of Age
in Conflict with the Law
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A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO RESPONDING TO
CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW
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STOP NOW AND PLAN SNAP

• Specialized manualized programs for high risk
  latency aged children and their caregivers
• Gender sensitive programs
• SNAP is based on children and caregivers learning
  strong self control and problem solving skills
• SNAP Parenting focuses, as well, on caregivers
  practicing effective parenting approaches
• Based on research and replication in other sites

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CORE AND DEVELOPING PROGRAMS

• SNAP Outreach Program (ORP)/SNAP Parenting
• SNAP Girls Connection (GC)/SNAP Parenting
• ____________________________________
• SNAP for Youth
• SNAP for Schools
• SNAP for Native Communities

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TRAINING

• TRAINING AND CONSULTATION
• EARL-20B
• EARL-21G
• SNAP ORP
• SNAP GC
• SNAP PARENTING
• For information about training and
• materials, contact Nicola Slater
  ccco_at_childdevelop.ca
• www.stopnowandplan.com.
• National Crime Prevention Centre
• www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/
• res/2008-pcppeng.aspx
• Goal
• To prevent offending and re-offending in children
  under 12 years of age

SNAP Resource Kit developed with support from
the National Crime Prevention Centre, Justice
Canada, 1999
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SNAP A Canadian Model
Longest Sustained Evidence Based Program for
Children Under 12 Years of Age in Conflict with
the Law (Est. in 1985)

• Recognized as an Evidence Based Model
• Childrens Mental Health Ontario (2002)
• National Crime Prevention Centre (2008)
• Child Welfare League of Canada Outstanding
  Achievement Research Evaluation Award (2004)
• Helping Americas Youth Level 1 (Whitehouse)
• Office of Juvenile Justice Department of
  Prevention Model Guides Exemplary
• Highly recommended/endorsed
• SNAP Program is the best program in the world
  for child delinquents (Farrington, 2006)
• Most fully developed intervention for child
  delinquents to date (Howell, 2001, 2003)
• SNAP Fewer juvenile delinquents, fewer
  criminals (Canfield, 2007)

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EXTENDING OUR REACH SNAP AFFILIATE SITES
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SNAP LICENSES AFFILIATE SITESN 80

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THE END!
Thank you!