Community Partnerships and Programs

Education and Employment Training (EET) provides support for education success, Job Readiness Training, and subsidized work experience to eligible court- involved youth. EET helps court-involved young people, ages 15-19, to achieve educational and employment success.  Education and Employment Specialists work with young people all throughout King County. EET accepts referrals and works with young people year-round. ​

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If you are interested in enrolling in or referring to EET, please contact the youth’s assigned Juvenile Probation Counselor to assess eligibility and to make a referral.​

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Barrier Removal and Personal Development: Youth receive comprehensive, individualized assessment, collaborative goal setting, support and assistance with removal of barriers such as transportation, lack of identification or a social security card​
• Support with Education: Education and Employment Specialists help youth explore educational resources, and assist with enrollment, making connections to appropriate resources and programs, providing incentives for attainment of milestones.​
• Job Readiness Training and Employment: EET helps youth with resume writing, application and interview skills, job retention skills, and service learning and career exploration projects.​

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CONTACT

Diane Korf, Juvenile Program Services Supervisor, (206) 447-3020, Diane.Korf@kingcounty.gov.

The King County Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Program oversees the King County CSEC Task Force. The mission of the Task Force is to ensure the safety and support of commercially sexually exploited children and to prevent further exploitation. The CSEC Task Force was first convened in April 2013 and has expanded to include representatives of over 120 different organizations and agencies over the last seven years. Historically, commercially sexually exploited children were arrested and charged with the crime of prostitution. The goal is to right that historical injustice and address the issue of CSEC from a survivor-centered perspective. The Task Force provides services, training, and advocacy in the King County area. We partner with governmental organizations, NGOs, community groups, and survivor-led organizations to provide resources, services, and training on the issue of CSEC to the wider community. ​

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To make a CSEC referral for direct services, please call the Community Based Advocate @ 1.855.400.CSEC (2732) available 24/7 or email CommunityAdvocate@YouthCare.org.

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HIGHLIGHT

Free CSEC training are offered year-round and online in King County. Thousands of individuals have been trained in CSEC identification, engagement, and service referral since April 2013. For more information about trainings and programming, please visit our Task Force website HERE.

Trainings currently available: ​ Responding to the Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Youth; And Boys Too; Engaging and Serving Youth Using Motivational Interviewing; Engaging Men to End Commercial Sexual Exploitation; At the Margins: The Sex Trafficking of LGBTQ+ Youth; Understanding and Responding to Running Away Behavior in CSEC; Survivor Centered Programing; Queer Like Me.

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CONTACT

Kelly Mangiaracina, King County CSEC Policy and Program Manager, (205) 601-5563, Kelly.Mangiaracina@KingCounty.gov.

Juvenile Court Services partners with community organizations that offer one-to-one mentorship and group mentorship, which is highlights peer-to peer cohort values. Mentors develop caring, consistent, positive relationships with youth and support mentees to build connections to resources through one-on-one and group activities. Mentors are local, community-based providers who want to make a positive difference in a young person's life. Mentors work with juvenile court and other community stakeholders to help youth overcome identified challenges or barriers to their success. Mentors maintain contact with their mentees weekly by phone, social media, in person, and in groups. ​

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The approach to mentoring our partners use is “Credible Messenger” mentoring, which is a transformative approach to working with justice-involved or at-risk youth. Youth are matched with specially trained community members (often previously incarcerated citizens) with relevant life experiences. Credible Messengers are from the same communities with the same lived experience as those they serve. Credible Messenger mentors are not volunteers; they are paid professionals who experience a deepening of their own commitment to transformation and growth as they are present in the lives of youth. The mentorship program offers opportunities for young people to engage throughout King County. ​

Referrals are accepted year-round for youth who are both court involved and at risk of being court involved. ​

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HIGHLIGHT

To learn more about the approach to mentoring that juvenile court uses, please visit the Credible Messenger Justice Center HERE.

CONTACT​

Robert Gant, Community Partnerships Manager, (206) 477-0041, rgant@kingcounty.gov​

Programs to meet the changing needs of youth and families, to help them build the skills to address current challenges, and to move forward with therapeutic support are offered by Juvenile Court Services and in partnership with community providers:

Click HERE for information on:

• AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING (ART),
• FUNCTIONAL FAMILY THERAPY (FFT),
• MULTI-SYSTEMIC THERAPY (MST), and
• STEP-UP.

THE BOBBE J. BRIDGE RESOURCE CENTER ​

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Meaningful, community-centered connections for young people are critical to their success.  The Bobbe J. Bridge Resource Center helps ensure youth and families have access to information, programs, and opportunities that support their needs and goals. The Resource Center partners with non-profit organizations and community members to provide coordinated assistance to youth and families in one central location at the Children and Family Justice Center. The Resource Center hours are Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Anyone can access services during these times.  These following organizations offer services onsite or in partnership with the Resource Center:

• Boys and Girls Clubs of King County
• Community Passageways
• Consejo Counseling
• Federal Way Youth Action Team ​
• Guided Pathways ​
• Phenomenal She ​
• POCAAN​
• Reconnect to Opportunity ​
• Seattle Goodwill
• SENECA​
• Somali Family Safety Task Force
• Southwest Youth and Family Services​
• Team Child ​
• The 4C Coalition ​
• Therapeutic Health Services WA​
• Within Reach WA ​
• Youth Eastside Services ​
• YouthCare ​

HIGHLIGHT

• In an effort to increase virtual access and minimize barriers, the Youth Support Resources site provides information about youth & family resources in King County. Resources may be filtered by type of service, age, and desired travel distance. To access the Youth Support Resources site click HERE. If you would like to add or update information to this resource database please e-mail SCResourceCenter@kingcounty.gov.  

• The Resource Center hosts the Clothing Shop, an onsite boutique-style clothing shop, where youth can shop for free, well-curated, new or gently used items of clothing to wear to their next job interview, court appearance, award ceremony, graduation, or other special occasion. Click HERE to learn more about The Clothing Shop.

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CONTACT

The Partnership for Youth Justice (PYJ), established by Washington state law as part of the diversion system in 1978, operates under the authority of King County Superior Court. The mission of the PYJ Program is to provide an alternative to the formal court system for youth alleged to have committed certain classifications of criminal offenses.

These youth have been determined to be eligible for diversion by the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.  Traditionally, they have appeared before the Community Accountability Boards (CABS), which interview and assign dispositions within administrative and statutory guidelines. These nine CABS serve communities within the county. The selection of CAB members begins with nominations of concerned, dedicated citizens, and community providers. Each prospective volunteer is carefully screened, oriented and trained by staff before serving on a CAB.

The key role of the CAB as a community is to balance the needs of victims, communities, and at-risk youth. The goal is to restore each of the parties fully as possible, from the effects of the alleged crime, while also building skill development and addressing risk factors. This approach is rooted in restorative practices, healing interventions, collaboration, and Community Engagement. CABs can and do have enormous positive impact on young people and their families. They provide an excellent and effective form of early intervention that helps to uplift and support young people in their community.

As part of King County Juvenile Court Services (JCS) evolution with Partnership for Youth Justice (PYJ), we are reimagining how we support young people within our community, by shifting to what we call, Juvenile Therapeutic Response and Accountability Court (JTRAC) and expanding our Community Accountability Boards (CABS) program to seek partnership with school districts to support the overall well-being of students prior to any potential engagement with the Criminal Legal System. As part of this referral process engagement is completely optional for youth and families and involves absolutely no involvement with the court, thus addressing the school to prison pipeline.

Our approach is rooted in Trauma-Informed care practices and healing, which focuses on early screening and support, Community Centered Connections, and Positive Youth Justice & skill development. Our belief is that early identification of behavioral challenges and/or truancy issues presents the opportunity to create a web of support that honors the dignity, agency, belonging, and safety for all young people. This partnership will help young people develop the tools and skills needed to achieve success.

If you are interested in learning more about the Partnership for Youth Justice Monitor position and/or applying, click here.

If you are interested in learning more about the Partnership for Youth Justice Advisor position and/or applying, click here.

If you are interested in applying to be a Community Accountability Volunteer click here. Language options are available on top right corner of the linked application.

If you are interested in knowing where CAB meetings are currently occurring in our community click here.

 HIGHLIGHTS

• Increase Skill Development
• To impress upon the youth that the community is concerned with his/her conduct.
• To facilitate resolution of the presenting problem
• To stimulate and maximize the opportunity for citizen participation.
• To provide and connect support and information on resources available in the community to assist young people and their families.
• To create a pathway to develop a sense of pride between young people and the community they reside.
• To increase the young person’s awareness of the relationship between their behaviors, alleged offense, and those effected by his/her actions.
• To provide balanced and restorative justice to the community, victim, and the young person.
• To relieve court congestion, save taxpayer dollars, and minimize disproportionality among youth of color in the system. 

CONTACT

David Elliott, Partnership for Youth Justice Program Specialist, (206) 263-0748, PYJ.Group@kingcounty.gov.