WestCare Kentucky Young Fathers Mentoring Project

The FY 2015 Second Chance Act Strengthening Relationships Between Young Fathers and Their Children: A Reentry Mentoring Project helps ensure that the transition young fathers make from secure confinement facilities back to their families and their communities is successful and promotes public safety. This program will fund mentoring and comprehensive transitional services, emphasizing developing parenting skills, to offenders who are young fathers. The goals of the program are to reduce recidivism among young fathers; improve outcomes for young fathers, their children, and family members; and promote responsible fatherhood. The objectives of this program are to provide young fathers with supportive mentoring and transitional services in both confinement and in the community-based on and matched to their assessed risks and parenting needs that support their successful reentry.

WestCare Kentucky, Inc. will implement a reentry program designed to assist 100 young, incarcerated fathers who have a high risk of recidivism. WestCare Kentucky, Inc. will provide pre-release mentoring services with the support of local civic and faith-based organizations to assist young fathers transitioning from the Pike County Detention Center back into their communities. WestCare Kentucky, Inc. will utilize evidence-based models to support young fathers as they transition from incarceration to the community and help young fathers maintain healthy relationships with their children. While incarcerated, each participant will be assessed for risk of recidivism and the need for additional services, such as substance use treatment, mental health treatment, housing, and family counseling. Each participant will be matched with a trained, volunteer mentor. In addition, an individual reentry plan will be developed for each client. Staff and mentors will assist clients with referrals to community-based resources. The state of Kentucky is a recipient of the OJJDP FY 2014 Smart on Juvenile Justice: A Comprehensive Strategy to Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative, and OJJDP will work with the grantee to coordinate project activities with the Smart on Juvenile Justice reforms occurring in the state.

CA/NCF