Strengthening Interventions in Philadelphia for Adolescent Sex Offenders and Youth with Sexual Behavior Problems

The Supporting Effective Interventions for Adolescent Sex Offenders and Youth with Sexual Behavior Problems assists communities in developing comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches to provide a continuum of intervention and supervision services for adolescent sex offenders and youth with sexual behavior problems; and treatment services for their victims and families/caregivers. This program is authorized by Pub. L. No. 116-6, 133 Stat. 13, 115.

Joseph J. Peters Institute (JJPI) proposes to create a coalition of partners who will provide services to youth with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB), victims, and families in Philadelphia in order to create an environment that reduces reoffending and promotes healing. JJPI proposes to deliver Problematic Sexual Behavior-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT) services both as an outpatient service, located at their service site in Center City Philadelphia, and as a community-based service, taking referrals for and assessing youth and their families at their homes and in schools. JJPI believes this hybrid clinic-community model will reduce barriers to treatment for the most at-risk youth, while also making this new service sustainable as a billable outpatient service through Medicaid-eligible clients. The creation of the hybrid Program Coordinator/Clinician position will allow funding for the provision of treatment offsite. Through the proposed intervention, the applicant plans to build on its success delivering Multisystemic Therapy for Problem Sexual Behavior (MST-PSB) services by training up to four additional clinicians, allowing for the creation of another MST-PSB team that will work in partnership with Philadelphia’s Juvenile Probation and Family Court to identify more referrals into Public Health Management Corporation’s MST-PSB programming to help youth with PSB and prevent reoffending, thus expanding the number of adolescents who can receive this intervention in Philadelphia. The applicant will also provide evidence-based practices to youth presenting with PSB before they become involved with the juvenile justice system by launching a school screening program in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and local publicly funded charter schools, which serve approximately one-third of public school students in Philadelphia. CA/NCF