The RFK National Resource Center works with local and state jurisdictions to achieve systemic reform on behalf of dual status youth – young people involved with both the child welfare and youth justice systems – and their families. Utilizing a tailored and collaborative approach, we guide youth-serving systems and multi-disciplinary partners in identifying, implementing, and sustaining policy and practice reforms that enhance system performance and make a positive impact on children, families, and communities. In partnership with the jurisdictions we serve, our work is conducted through a commitment to adolescent development science, best-practice methods and approaches, and evidence-based treatment and services.

Benefits of Dual Status Youth Reform

Research confirms that dual status youth experience a higher likelihood of future delinquency, a rapid trajectory deeper into the youth justice and/or child welfare system, high rates of complex trauma, and troubling behavioral health and education outcomes. The RFK National Resource Center’s intensive, technical assistance framework supports achievement of multi-system alignment in policy, procedure, and protocols. The resulting cross-system collaboration produces measurable and sustainable practices and youth outcomes featuring:

  1. Routine early identification of dual status youth
  2. Diversion from formal processing at earliest opportunity
  3. Engagement of families/caregivers and connections to prosocial familial and community supports
  4. Regular multi-disciplinary team meetings that produce a collaborative crisis intervention plan
  5. Agreement on and measurement of dual status youth outcomes that include:
  • reduction of recidivism
  • placement/home stability
  • behavioral health stabilization/improvement
  • family/caregiver engagement and involvement, and
  • educational engagement or achievement

What We Do & Who We Work With

Click here to learn more about our work focused on Addressing the Needs of Commercially and Sexually Exploited of Children (CSEC).

Our intensive Dual Status Youth Technical Assistance (DSY TA) Initiatives are tailored to each community and facilitated by experienced consulting staff to guide each jurisdiction through a collaborative exploration of data, practices, resources, and legal considerations ultimately aiming to design, implement, and sustain meaningful reforms. Our DSY TA initiatives are typically conducted during a 12-15 month period and integrate multiple on-site visits.

  • Child Welfare Leadership/Management
  • Youth Justice Leadership/Management
  • Judges, Youth/Family Court Leadership
  • Attorneys (e.g., District Attorneys, Public Defenders)
  • Data Analysts (Child Welfare, Youth Justice)
  • Education Representatives
  • Behavioral Health Representative
  • Youth/Family Representatives
  • Community-Based Practitioners
  • Policymakers

Our DSY TA framework has been successfully implemented across 38 diverse jurisdictions, including state and local entities as well as Tribal communities. Click here to learn more our partnerships and the communities we serve.

Dual Status Youth Reform Resources

The work is advanced by several publications (available in our Online Resource Library) that delve into research, best practice, and frameworks that can be applied by jurisdictions seeking to improve outcomes for dual status youth:

Guidebook for Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare System Coordination and Integration: A Framework for Improved Outcomes, 3rd Edition

Janet K. Wiig and John A. Tuell, with Jessica K. Heldman; Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Actions Corps, 2013

Dual Status Youth — Technical Assistance Workbook, Updated Edition

Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice, 2021

Achieving the Possible on Behalf of Dual Status Youth

John A. Tuell and Jodi Martin; Journal of Community Justice, Volume 33, Number 01, Fall 2023

Visit our Online Resource Library for additional publications and tools on Dual Status Youth Reform.

Click here to access examples of:

  • Bench Cards
  • Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for Data & Information Sharing and Cross-System Coordination
  • Data Planning in the DSY Initiatives – WorkGrid
  • Introduction to Process Mapping
  • Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Referral and Report Forms
  • Management, Resource, and Training Exercises
  • Dual Status Youth Initiative Site Manuals