Bureau of Youth Services Conference
YLT Youth Panel – Audience Responses
May 2, 2017
Bureau of Youth Services Conference – May 2 – YLT Youth Panel
Audience Responses
1. I will build the relationship with youth before jumping into paperwork or required steps per agency policy.
2. Involve youth more in the decision making process and try to get the court system to be more understanding and supportive.
3. As a youth justice supervisor, I am going to reach out to youth to make sure they are getting what they need from their social workers.
4. Think about how to make sure policy requires assessments of possible abuse and neglect of youth who enter YJ system.
5. Re-evaluate polices at DMCPS (Milwaukee) regarding how case managers/supervisors engage the youth in their permanency planning and case planning (change of placements).
6. I will persist in seeking input from the kids I work with.
7. I will take this info back to the shelter and share with staff that couldn’t attend. I will use youth examples when encouraging other youth.
8. Make sure youth have a voice when possible in social worker changes.
9. Take more time to get to know youth and their stores and ask how I can help them in a trauma informed way. Be a better youth advocate.
10. When I am training staff: Really emphasize the point of getting to know your youth – who they are, what they want and need, what their goals are outside of what they need to do because they are in the system.
11. I will take the time to really get to know the kids that I work with and not rely on past reports.
12. I will take what you have said and bring it with me as I work to become a social worker. I like to hope that I will be a good one!
13. Listen – to youth; Learn – about them; Laugh – with them.
14. Take the extra time to really get to know the individual instead of going off what the paper says – be reminded to not judge individual by the crime; do more explaining and educating.
15. I have been a Big Sister for 15 years, have been a foster parent, and adopted a foster child 24 years ago. The presentation is pushing me toward opening up my home again in the same way.
16. Keep working to include youth voices in decision-making.
17. Listen to each of my youth’s own personal story and ask them how I can make that situation better.
18. Always remember that what I do can impact someone or their family’s life; take time and think through decisions and let the youth have a voice.
19. Work to make treatment plans more individualized and not just standard requirements. Get youth input and get to know them so they can get the most out of their time working with you.
20. I will get to know the youth I am working with. I will try to understand each story and life experience.
21. I will be authentic in my interactions and get to know kids. It’s more than just their case and their story. Wait, I do that. I’ll ask kids these questions – what has been hard/bad difficult in the system. What has helped? What can I do better?
22. Encourage staff to think and act with unconditional care to youth. “I will never give up on you.” “I believe in you.”
23. More fully consider the disconnect between good policy in an office compared to reality on the ground. Take the time to solicit input from those who will be most affected – and do so right from the beginning. Seriously consider going back to school for social work to have a more direct impact.
24. I appreciate each and every one of you sharing your thoughts and feelings. I will put more effort in being constant, consistent and caring by taking more time to ask the question, “What happened?”
25. I will focus on the kids I work with as individuals and ask more often than tell. Please know that I want the best for every child I work with and that we care about the outcome. Thank you!
26. Listening to the youth tell their story vs. what’s on paper or from other worker’s perspective.
27. I’m going to work harder to educate foster families on the needs of youth, with hopes that they become more willing to be great supports to youth in their care.
28. Continue to be invested in retention causes and solutions to help families from having way too many social workers.
29. I will keep in mind that each child I work with has a story and each child responds differently to the things in their life. Everyone deserves to be understood.
30. I will advocate for more youth voice in my work and I will push for creating an opportunity to being young advocates together to make change.
31. Always get to know youth as individuals and really LISTEN to their story.
32. Focus more of my policy work on bringing youth voice to court partners – judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, so that they will make better decision and listen to youth more.
33. Support youth – system partnerships to solve problems. Example: If a county is overusing detention as a sanction/punishment, support youth in helping find other local solutions.
34. I facilitate AODA and Lifeskills at the MKE detention center and one thing I am going to change is ask the girls what topics they want to talk about and what they want to gain from me personally. How can their stories impact one another and their future decisions?
35. Provide more information to the youth about the system and how it pertains to them. Provide the youth with other options and obtain their input on potential options for them.
36. Learn more about how juvenile justice system is supposed to work.
37. When working with youth and kids sometimes all they want is for you to just listen. I will take time to LISTEN to my youth/teens.
38. Bring more youth voice into the JJ process system. Prioritize learning about youth and who they are into our intake process and all aspects of our work. Value the youth voice as an expert on themselves and what they need.
39. Constantly remember that kids (people) are a product of their environment. Therefore, don’t make assumption based off their paperwork or other’s opinions.
40. Find more ways for youth to have their voices heard and to be given choices rather than just be told what will happen.
41. Slow down – spend more time talking with the youth and getting to know them. Ask them what they want and really make an effort to consider that when making recommendations.
42. Don’t let the crime define who you are as a person! (for the youth). I will really listen to the youth and treat each one as an individual because they matter!
43. I would like to find a balance between intervening/ helping sooner, without intervention being something punitive.
44. More thought/time to determine why youth is acting out. Determine if a consequence is appropriate and, if so, use a consequence that makes sense. Be sure youth understands what’s happening and why.
45. Advocate for the system to change to allow for time and build up resources so that juveniles are treated as individuals and not a number.
46. Review having a youth panel at state conference. Have youth speak at national youth conference.
47. Interview the youth about the services they are receiving – what’s good, what’s not, and what we could be doing differently to help them.
48. Not so much read the casefiles to get to “know” the youth, but rather have a conversation with them first.
49. Listen; take time to understand; not read the report first; no mhms!
50. Educate youth more about court (not leave it up to their attorney), reality of their situation and allow them to help determine their consequences/rule of supervison – listen to what they will believe help them.
51. Ask more questions. Dig deeper and spend more time getting to know them.
52. I will put down the notebook and actively listen to what the youth on my caseload want me to know about them – no judgement – no distractions.
53. Make a greater effort to really get to know my clients and seek their input as to how I can further help them meet their goals and objectives.
54. Always listen first. Always know that a person is much much more than what is documented about them or a piece of paper in a file.
55. Stop blaming the victims.
56. More one on one time with the youth; get a youth panel at the youth service center.
57. Work harder – Work smarter.
58. Build relationships before asking questions. Focus on the person not the process.
59. Put a panel together back home.
60. I work for a workforce development board and I’m going to incorporate youth’s voices by having youth who were in or are in the program to give feedback.
61. When my youth get in trouble, suspended, runaway, ask why and not assume bad intentions or assume it was their fault.
62. Be more attentive to youth.
63. Have one on one time with the youth I work with.
64. Although choices can’t always be what everyone wants, I will make a conscious effort to make sure youth understands why choices are made and hear their needs/wants to reach a compromise. Making sure youth fully understand what and why things happen. Advocate and empower!
65. I thank you for sharing your stories. I will work harder to ensure I’m taking the time to listen to the youth and involving them in as many decisions as possible.
66. Be an agent of change. Continue to offer positive support and listen to others more; especially the youth I’m serving. Advocate and create awareness for other professionals that everyone has their own stories.
67. Listen more to juveniles about their stories and why they did what they did. Think about alternative consequences rather than secure detention or shelter care.
68. Give youth more of a voice – listen!
69. I will work to help assure that youth have a voice in their decisions that are made in their case.
70. Listen more to youth. Be a familiar and consistent face to youth.
71. Continue caring and getting to know the youth I work with. Make sure they feel like I care. Thank you.
72. I will take more time to listen to the kid’s view point on their reasons for making poor choices.
73. Meet youth first! Listen first before reading/ listening to other people tell me about the person. Hear youth voices!
74. I will remind all staff that I support how important it is to listen to a youth’s story, educate youth as to the realities of their situation and options and empower them to find their own voice to make choices that are right for their situation. Great presentation!!
75. I will be more present (physically, emotionally, verbally, mindful) when meeting with the youth I work with.
76. Make a conscious effort to look at each person as an individual and not an offense.
77. Give youth more of a voice!!
78. Changes I want to make – 1. I want to dedicate more time getting to know each youth on an individual level; 2. Be more consistent with visits and meetings; 3. Get to know the real “why” they do what they do.
79. Show new case managers skills to support youth.
80. Keep bringing youth voice to the table; encouraging all agencies to have a leadership group or at least a way to provide feedback to those how make the rules.
81. Develop better relationships with the youth I work with.
82. In training foster parents make sure they understand how important it is to listen to and allow youth to have a voice. Allow continued relationships with siblings.
83. I’d like to become a youth mentor in some capacity in my community of Madison, WI.
84. I plan to take more time to get to know every youth I work with and not give up when they don’t want to open up the first or second time I meet them. To really understand where he/she is coming from and how I can help and support them to be the most successful person they can be.
85. Continue to talk as a youth justice group – about how to implement and MAKE the needed changes.
86. Advocate more for youth. Know everyone has their own story. Be mindful of each individual’s situation and help support and empower.
87. Focus on listening to the youth and including them in their own journey. They are the experts of their lives.
88. Get to know the real youth – not just based on case file/ legal history. Be real. Give choices in decision-making. Ask their perspective.
89. I will remember the 4 C’s. Making each meeting/session incorporate the first 3 to build results instead of consequences. I will remember that results need to be what the youth wants it to be, not “the system’s” ideas of results.
90. Get to know a child/youth’s story personally from them before reading a paper file. And use the paper file to know where they came from, not where they are going.
91. Make sure I am getting to know the youth and listen to what they want and make goals with them not just for them.
92. Get to know the youth before you pass judgement.
93. Not believe what I’ve read about a youth but get to really know the youth by taking the time to have those conversations.
94. I will get to know – listen to each youth I come in contact with – not just read what is on paper about them.
95. Explain why and what court is for. Really listen and not judge. Be consistent with youth. Don’t give up.
96. Always continue to make time to check in on the youth I am working with aside from my monthly contact to see how they are doing and to see if there is anything they need help with.
97. Get to know the kid. . . not the crime. –JJ social worker.