Clinical Services of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections (Department) are part of the Institutions Division and are made up of clinicians and social workers who help juvenile offenders in Department custody in ways, such as developing treatment plans, providing counseling, and arranging for various service needs.
Upon being committed to the Department, a case manager, called a Juvenile Service Coordinator (JSC), is assigned to the juvenile offender. The JSC contacts the family for information and planning of the juvenile offender’s needed treatment. From the beginning of custody with the Department, plans for the eventual release from custody are discussed. It can be very helpful for a juvenile offender’s motivation to do well in the treatment program, if they know what the plan is for their return to home or other living arrangements.
During the first few weeks of custody, the juvenile offender is in the Observation & Assessment (O&A) phase. During O&A, the juvenile offender is assigned a clinician who conducts an evaluation to better understand the juvenile’s treatment needs and develop a service plan with goals designed to help them improve educationally, in family functioning, and other needed areas. It is important for parents to participate in the O&A staffing during which goals are reviewed, potential location of treatment is identified, and plans for returning back to the community and home are discussed.
After O&A, the juvenile offender is placed in either a state facility or a facility with which the Department contracts.
The JSC assigned to the juvenile offender remains involved in coordinating service delivery throughout custody, but plays a particular role in helping arrange the needed treatment support when the juvenile offender is preparing to return to living in the community. Involvement as a parent or caregiver throughout the juvenile offender’s custody is vital for the juvenile offender’s progress.
Department clinicians are in each of the state facilities to provide individual counseling, as needed, and also family counseling when the proper progress in the treatment program has been reached.
The JSCs and clinicians are supervised by a Clinical Supervisor and the Clinical Supervisors are supervised by the Superintendent for the region. The Clinical Service staff members seek active parent involvement in each phase of the juvenile offender’s custody with the Department.
Practical things a parent can do to stay involved and be of support to the juvenile offender during their treatment are communication through telephone calls during the times allowed, personal visits at approved times, participating in person or by telephone in monthly progress meetings (called monthly staffings) and encouraging the juvenile offender to accomplish their educational and treatment goals, and participation in family counseling.