YOS's Multi-Pronged Approach to Youth with Problem Sexual Behaviors

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.

Youth Outreach Services (YOS) and Cook County's multidisciplinary team will prevent sexual re-offending by adolescent sex offenders and youth with sexual behavior problems in Cook County, Illinois, promote healing, and provide services for victims and families. YOS will serve 32 interfamilial and/or coresidential child victims and youth offenders ages 10–18 per year. YOS will use Multisystemic Therapy with a Problem Sexual Behavior adaptation (MST-PSB), which is an intensive family- and community-based treatment program that addresses the sexual behaviors of juvenile offenders and provides family interventions delivered at home. YOS will also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for PSB (CBT-PSB), an intensive group family model in which caregivers participate in simultaneous therapy weekly in addition to therapy with their child. Further, YOS will continue to work with city and suburban children's advocacy centers to treat victims. This applicant received previous funding from OJJDP in 2016, which allowed YOS to expand this partnership to work with juvenile court to treat youth with PSB through diversion. The target population for this funding will be youth offenders between the ages of 10 and 17.5 who reside in Cook County and have been identified as pre- or post adjudicated for inappropriate sexual behavior with a child who has close connections to the offender. Additionally, YOS is currently offering male youth cohorts only due to the high demand and availability of more young men with PSB in the Cook County system. YOS’s goals include expanding the program to add female groups as well as Spanish-speaking groups. CA/NCF