Criminal Justice Programs
      Juvenile Justice | Functional Family Therapy

Juvenile Justice
The Youth and Family Services Program sustains a number of agencies that provide services to youth and their families involved in or are at high risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system. The primary goal is to prevent youth from entering or re-entering the justice system. Another significant goal is to reduce disproportionality of youth of color in the juvenile justice system. The Youth and Family Services Program works in partnership with King County Superior Court-Juvenile Division to refer youth to these programs. Services offered by these agencies include counseling, case management, outreach, alternatives to secure detention, and referrals to other social and health services. Two programs focus on providing services to youth of color and one program primarily works with girls in the justice system.

Functional Family Therapy
The King County Department of Community and Human Services, King County Superior Court-Juvenile Division, and Reinvesting in Youth established a strong working relationship in the provision of best practice interventions designed to both reduce recidivism and improve the functioning of youth and their families. The Youth and Family Services Program supports six community-based agencies to provide Functional Family Therapy.

Family Functional Therapy (FFT) is an outcome-driven prevention/intervention program designed for youth aged 11-18 who are at risk for, and/or presenting with, delinquency, violence, substance abuse, and a range of disruptive behaviors. The program requires as few as 8 - 12 hours of direct service time with youth and their families, with the most extreme examples completing treatment within 26 hours. Services are generally provided in homes, at clinics, in juvenile courts, and at time of re-entry from institutional placement. Services are based on a five-step curriculum: 1) Engagement; 2) Motivation; 3) Assessment; 4) Behavior change; and 5) Generalization.

FFT has been empirically proven to:

• Effectively treat youth with maladaptive behaviors, including drug abuse
• Improve school performance
• Reduce dependence on social services
• Reduce recidivism
• Prevent younger children in the family from future interventions
• Prevent adolescents from entering the adult criminal system
• Transfer treatment effects across treatment systems.

Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center-Youth and Family Services (lead agency) 15001 8th Avenue SW PO Box 66086 Burien, WA 98166 206-243-5544 http://www.rdcc.org (external)	Auburn Youth Resources 816 "F" Street SE Auburn, WA 98002 253-939-2202
Kent Youth and Family Services 232 2nd Avenue, Suite 201 Kent, WA 98032 Phone: 253-859-0300 www.kyfs.org (external)	Renton Area Youth and Family Services 1025 S 3rd Street Renton, WA 98055 425-271-5600
Southeast Youth and Family Services 3722 S Hudson Street Seattle, WA 98118 206-721-5542 E-mail: seyfs@uswest.net	Southwest Youth and Family Services 4555 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA 98106 206-937-7680 E-mail: info@swyfs.org www.swyfs.org (external)

Contact Information
Maure Carrier, Program Manager
King County Youth & Family Services
401 5th Ave, Suite 510
Seattle, WA 98104

Updated:  Aug. 17, 2007