Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Developing Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success

Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court (the Court), along with its partners Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. (Third Sector) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), will plan and design a Continuum of Care initiative called Care First Cuyahoga (CFC).  With the support of Third Sector, the Court will create a county-wide continuum of care for youth (ages 12-17) and their families involved with or at-risk of involvement with the Cuyahoga County juvenile justice system.

Project activities include completing an asset map, gap analysis, and a cost-savings assessment. The project also will facilitate a CFC planning process and deliver a comprehensive community plan to address racial disparities in accessing diversion, alternatives to incarceration, and holistic community-based support. Expected outcomes captured in the community plan include quantitative and qualitative insights from youth, families, and practitioners, and a detailed CFC implementation plan.

The project’s target beneficiaries are justice-involved youth or those at risk of involvement, particularly Black youth living in low-income communities with disproportionally high juvenile arrest rates. When CFC is fully implemented, a variety of government agencies and community-based organizations will work collaboratively, so that youth and their families gain access to individualized youth development and family support in their own neighborhoods from community organizations they trust. This, in turn, enables youth and their families to build stable lives in safe communities, without the need for costly, mandated system involvement.