This is a Pilot Program being implemented first for the Westfield community. The Westfield Mayor initiated this Program by forming a group to study ways to help at-risk youth in the Westfield community. This group was then expanded into a committee in the spring of 2009 to initiate this program. The committee overseeing this program consists of the Westfield Mayor and Chief of Police, Hamilton County Judges, Westfield-Washington school counselors, representatives from the Hamilton County Probation Department, representative from the LEAPP Program (Linking Early Adolescent Prevention Programs) and representatives from the faith-based community.  Since the formation of the committee, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office has been added along with other interested citizens in the Westfield community.

In creating this Program, the committee first reviewed existing programs in Hamilton County to determine whether new programs would need to be created or whether existing programs could be utilized with modifications. The committee also traveled to Oakland County, Michigan to observe and review their successful programs for at-risk youth, which have been in existence since 1953. 

It is the hope of the committee that this Program will expand in the very near future to all Hamilton County schools and to other school districts throughout the State of Indiana.

PROGRAM GOAL

The goal of the Program is to identify youth in the Westfield Community who are in need of assistance or at risk for becoming part of the growing juvenile and criminal justice system. Evidence based programs and preventative services are provided to these children and their families in order to promote and encourage these children to remain in school and lead a productive life. By offering this assistance, it is the hope of the Program that incidences of delinquency, status offenses, and neglect will be reduced.

At-risk children will be referred to this voluntary Program by parents, teachers, police, and school counselors. Referral information will be provided to a youth assistance program contact person who will evaluate each child and his or her family to determine their specific needs and to develop a plan for their services. 

PHASES

In the fall semester of 2009, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office established the Westfield-Washington School District Project A.C.E.S. (Attending Class Equals Success). This project focuses on encouraging and supporting students to be responsible and maintain regular attendance in school so that prosecution for educational neglect or truancy will not need to be initiated.

• The Courts will expand their own existing LEAPP Program (Linking Early Adolescent Prevention Programs) to provide wrap-around services for children and families based upon their evaluation and needs. Such expanded Program will include, for example, casework services, family education, skills building, recreation, after-school programs, youth recognition, and youth involvement.  
• New services will be developed or existing services will be modified based on school needs, such as the Response To Intervention (RTI) initiative from the State or community needs.
• During the year, the program will create a website so that children and families may be able to see what programming is being offered from the library, school, parks program, 4-H, churches, and other community-related programs.

In the spring semester of 2010, the Courts established a tutoring and a mentoring program. The goal of this program is to help children remain in school and reach their highest potential. Tutoring will provide assistance in the classroom setting but, equally important, mentoring will provide assistance for their lives outside the classroom. With assistance in these two areas, children who may be at risk today will be given the opportunity to grow up to be productive citizens tomorrow and perhaps give back to their community. The tutoring and mentoring program will reach out to the community to seek the following individuals to offer their time and talents:  

•  Honor students and athletes in the school system from the higher grades who can tutor and assist students in the lower grades; 
• Adult individuals in the community, including young adults and retired teachers, who would help tutor and/or mentor children. Mentoring would require donating a minimum of one hour per week for each child. 
• Business individuals who would help students to prepare for college and certain careers.