I Florida » Systems integration

Agency integration, 2016

• Child welfare

  Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)

  Centralizes child welfare administration services at the state level.

• Integration level

  Separate state-level centralized agencies

• Juvenile corrections

  Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)

  Centralizes administration of delinquency services at the state level.

Coordination, 2014

• Uses for coordination
• Does not use for coordination

• Data sharing

  Facilitated through the use of statewide information systems allowing for consistent data sharing between systems.

• Committees or advisory groups

  Multidisciplinary groups that often have regularly scheduled meetings to brainstorm ways to improve systems integration.

• Formal interagency MOUs

  Collaborative agreements to guide systems integration efforts

• Informal interagency agreements

  Commonly based on historical practice, mutual trust, and recognition of the need to collaborate in order to serve dual-status youth.

• Statute and/or rules

  Rules that mandate systems integration efforts

Summary

In Florida, data sharing between the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Juvenile Court about dual status youth occurs at the state level through formal and informal inter-agency agreements, monthly interagency committees that focus on dual status youth issues, and state statute. There are also examples of data sharing and coordination for dual status youth at the local level in Florida including local committees or work groups that focus on dual status youth issues, formal inter-agency collaborative agreements, local court rules to coordinate dual status cases, and dual status prevalence research.

Dual status youth are identified at intake through the use of a 'Notice of Related Cases' Form in court and through questions asked of youth as part of the risk/need screening tool, called the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT), administered to youth at intake. Sharing of case planning information between systems, inter-agency planning meetings, and joint case-level management meetings occur in some local jurisdictions to coordinate case management for dual status youth.

Examples of court coordination for dual status cases include consolidation of delinquency and dependency cases with one judge and specialized dockets for dually involved youth. In addition to these state and local coordination efforts there are also several jurisdictions in Florida that are working on special projects focused on dual status youth. The 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 17th Judicial Circuits are participating in Georgetown University's Crossover Youth Practice Model.

Reported data

Progressive data, 2014

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice maintains an interactive data dashboard which addresses the issue of the prevalence of dual status (dually served) youth. The resource enables online users to explore the characteristics of dual status youth be race and ethnicity, gender and offense level. The website also notably permits exploration by Florida County and by the type of disposition youth receive.

View the Florida DJJ-DCF Profile of Dually-Served Crossover Youth online tool >>