CCUSA Trauma Informed Youth Mentoring

The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 2 (Multi-State Mentoring Program) provides funding to support mentoring organizations in their efforts to strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring activities within local chapters or sub-awardees (in at least 5 states but fewer than 45 states) to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse(specifically opioid abuse), truancy, and other problem and high-risk behaviors. FY 2018 funding will address the factors that can lead to or serve as a catalyst for delinquency or other problem behaviors in underserved youth, including youth in high-risk environments. Programs are encouraged to target their mentoring services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth; children of parents on active military duty; children of incarcerated parents; youth with disabilities; youth with opioid/substance abuse problems; and youth in rural communities. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub L. No. 115-141, 132 Stat. 348, 423.

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), the membership association for local Catholic Charities agencies, will use grant funds to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed mentoring services to youth through a collaboration of 20 Catholic Charities agencies that will implement this program in 16 states. The purpose of this program is to prevent juvenile delinquency, truancy, drug use, gang involvement, and other high-risk activities by fostering resilience through the development of healthy attachment, self-regulation, and competency in the mentees. CCUSA has the capacity to serve as the national intermediary for this network, acting as fiscal agent, passing through no less than 90 percent of the funding and providing program monitoring, training, reporting, and technical assistance to its subgrantees. The CCUSA Multi-State Mentoring Program is intended to assist youth ages 9–17 who have experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences, including serious illness, accidents, intense bullying, natural disasters, separation from loved ones, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, domestic violence, community violence, living in poverty, terrorism, and flight from home as a refugee. The CCUSA Mentoring Network, adhering to the elements of effective practice for mentoring, recruits and trains adult mentors to provide at least 8 hours monthly of one-on-one mentoring to at-risk youth for at least 12 months. Individual mentoring is supplemented with periodic group activities and case management for the youth, including access to supportive resources. Mentees’ caregivers are involved at every stage of the mentoring relationship. Each of the agencies seeking a subgrant is a faith-based social service agency recognized as a leader within its community with a well-established history of public/private partnerships. Each has longstanding relationships with schools and/or after-school programs in its area, while some are connected to child welfare agencies and/or juvenile court. These networks and strong coalitions equip agencies with an expanded base of other referrals to benefit clients. CCUSA member organizations have a long history of providing a full menu of supportive services for children and families, including case management, counseling, emergency financial assistance, and asset development. Case management is a fundamental component to the service delivery of Catholic Charities and each agency has a process for engaging caregivers, completing a needs assessment and a service plan, match monitoring, and support and community resource identification. CA/NCF