FWSN: Putting Families First
Status offenses are not crimes but problem behaviors like truancy, running away, out-of-control behavior and “immoral conduct.” Connecticut legislation calls status offenders “Families with Service Needs (FWSN)” and sees 3,600 to 4,000 of these cases each year. Historically, more than half of FWSN youth end up in the juvenile justice system as delinquents. After recent reforms, these numbers are decreasing.
FWSN children need support-not incarceration. Reforms implemented in 2007 moved the system toward family engagement and community-based services. Connecticut is working to identify high need youth and families earlier, and provide a wider array of programs and services to address their needs and improve their behaviors before they lead to delinquency referrals.
Two ways to make that early identification and intervention more effective:
- Implement efforts to reduce truancy, the cause of 50% of FWSN referrals. Schools need the tools to quickly determine the cause of the child's absenteeism and work with the family to ensure regular attendance. Although recommended last year, there has been no state funding to address truancy.
- Ensure equal access to services for all Connecticut families. The law calls for families to be given information about programs already available, like Youth Service Bureaus, Boys & Girls Clubs, faith-based initiatives, etc. Families with high, immediate needs are entitled to assistance at a Family Support Center, which will help the family access services like family mediation, educational advocacy, mentoring, crisis intervention, and intensive, in-home therapies. The Family Support Centers can also refer to respite beds in the state. Though state law requires that every family in Connecticut has access to a Family Support Center, there are currently only 4 across the state-leaving out youth and families in 130 of Connecticut's 169 communities.
What You Can Do
Join the YES Campaign and call on legislators and other leaders to:
- Implement concerted efforts to reduce truancy, especially in school districts with the highest truancy rates.
- Fund six additional Family Support Centers so that every Connecticut community is served.
- Require strong, meaningful collaboration between state agencies with responsibilities for children.
Do you want to say YES to Connecticut's youth and help spread the word?
Contact Jacqueline at the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance at 203-579-2727 or jacqueline@ctjja.org to join the effort. Visit our website at www.ctjja.org.