Innovative Approaches to Youth Rehabilitation: Development and Implementation of a Weekly Progress Report 

• In Event: Leveraging Data for Informed Evaluation and Decision-Making: Successes and Challenges

Abstract

Following the implementation of the Secure Youth Treatment Facility (SYTF) in Santa Clara County, the Probation Department's research team sought to evaluate behavior change among youth participants. Conceptualizing behavior change as an indicator of responsivity to treatment programming, we aimed to measure how youth were applying skills acquired through treatment (i.e., emotional regulation, assertive communication, etc.).  Triangulating this information with data on treatment dosage, program completion, and pre/post assessments, the department seeks to provide robust appraisals of youths’ progress toward their rehabilitation goals and better inform judicial decisions.  

To develop the tool, we solicited feedback from relevant staff and stakeholders to adapt a preexisting form and incorporated behavioral indicators that would be scored weekly in a variety of domains, such as pro-social skills and engagement in programming.  The “Weekly Progress Report” incorporates goal setting, motivational interviewing and gives youth an opportunity to earn points.  Weekly Progress Reports are scored by staff and reviewed with the youth, fostering the counselor-counselee relationship, while providing stakeholders with consistent, easily digestible data about youth behavior.  This paper will discuss the challenges and successes encountered during the design and pilot of the Weekly Progress Report.

Authors

• Kristin Keller, County of Santa Clara Probation Department

• Kim Ho, County of Santa Clara Probation Department