NCJ Number
210096
Journal
Policy & Practice Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 42-46
Date Published
June 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper describes Clark County's (Las Vegas, NV) development of a new automated tracking system for juvenile offenders that is designed to provide the information on each juvenile required to determine the nature and effectiveness of the juvenile's case management.
Abstract
The need for a new system of case tracking came from the recognition by juvenile justice professionals that the current system could not provide the essential information needed to determine a juvenile's needs, the services that have been and are being provided, the effectiveness of these services, and the current status of the juvenile and his/her family situation. To meet its needs, the Clark County Department of Family and Youth Services (DFYS) decided to replicate Oklahoma's KIDS system, the first statewide automated child welfare information system in the United States. Modifications of the KIDS system were required to support the DFYS plan, and the new system was named Family TRACS. The system includes for modules called "Receive," "Assess," "Deliver," and "Educate." The Receive module includes all the functions associated with a youth's initial contact with DFYS. The Assess module includes all the functions associated with determining what services, if any, are required from DFYS or the community. The Deliver module includes all the functions related to case planning, court reporting, community referrals and involvement, resource directory, and institutional service for both juvenile justice and child protection agencies. The Educate module helps workers identify what services are working, redirect resources from those services that are not working, identify who else is providing services to maximize impact, and change a practice when information indicates another approach might be more effective. A fifth module, "Central Support," includes all the business and human resource functions that support the department. Currently, the first four of the five modules are in place. 1 figure