Philadelphia Continuum of Care Project

The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice and Public Safety seeks to integrate juvenile justice system stakeholders, including youth and their families, into an assessment and planning process that will not only map intervention services and programs, but will create efficient and inclusive processes for accessing them, generating a comprehensive system of support for youth and their families. The purpose of the Philadelphia Continuum of Care planning project is to eliminate system redundancies and misaligned services, enabling strategic reinvestment of cost savings into additional diversion, prevention, and intervention programs to support youth success. Primary activities for the planning process will include: (1) Engage in an intensive intervention mapping process to identify strengths and gaps in preventative services and programs available to youth and their families throughout the system. This mapping process will focus on opportunities to enhance and increase community-based offerings. (2) Identify redundancies and opportunities to streamline services and programs, improving access and utility while also determining cost-savings and opportunities for re-investment. (3) Develop an implementation plan aligned with national best practices that supports the decarceration of youth and the build out of enhanced services for youth identified as being at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, or who are reintegrating, through a coordinated, collaborative strategy that also promotes safe communities. Expected outcomes are a plan with (a) Intervention asset map and gap analysis, (b) continuum of care plan with roll-out timeline, and (c) implementation and sustainability plan. The Service area is Philadelphia County. Intended beneficiaries are youth and their families, as well as providers seeking to improve how they serve their constituents. Subrecipients are Technical Assistance providers Drexel University, National Assessment Center Association, Juvenile Law Center, and Philadelphia Family Voices.