SUPPORT, RESOURCES and COMMUNITY

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RESOURCES

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The greatest struggle a parent can have when their child is in the criminal justice system is finding resources that help empower and guide their decision making. We commit to continually searching for organizations that provide support and resources to our families.

“I am convinced that knowledge is power – to overcome the past, to change our own situations, to fight new obstacles, to make better decisions.”

– Ben Carson

LOCAL RESOURCES

Community Youth Services

(Information listed below is taken from the agency website)
(360) 943-0780
Community Youth Services is a local organization that works with youth in a variety of different areas. One of those areas is the Juvenile Court and Detention Transition Program (JCDT). JCDT is a voluntary program designed to provide Rehabilitative Case Management Services to youth who are in Juvenile Detention facilities that are experiencing mental health challenges. The JCDT Program assists with discharge planning from detention facilities that link youth and their families to appropriate community-based resources. The overarching goal of the JCDT program is to reduce recidivism and to reduce further involvement in the Juvenile Justice system.
Juvenile Diversion is another service Community Youth Services provides. Diversion is “a community-based corrections program committed to the philosophy of Restorative Justice, which balances the needs of the victim, community, and offender. Youth, 8-17 years old, charged with their first or second misdemeanor(s) or certain Class “C” felony level offenses are eligible for Diversion as an alternative to the formal Juvenile Court system. Youth are referred by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Victims are contacted and invited to choose their level of participation in the Diversion process”. 
Youth Build is a program for young people, ages 16-20. They can earn their high school diploma or GED and get hands-on training in the Construction or Medical Career fields.  Youth Build offers hope and a second chance to overcome obstacles. Throughout the program, youth become part of a team and build lasting relationships with other students and staff.  Staff is committed to helping youth reach goals in the classroom, job site, and life – all while earning up to $3000! 

Catholic Community Services

(Information listed below is taken from the agency)
360-790-7505 
Catholic Community Services provides behavioral health services and supports to individuals up to 21 years of age with complex behavioral health needs and their families.  Services include access to psychiatric services and in-home therapy.  
Catholic Community Services also provides crisis stabilization services, designed to help children experiencing mental health crisis remain in their homes and avoid psychiatric hospitalization.

Behavioral Health Resources

(Information listed below is taken from the agency)
360.704.7170
BHR’s Children, Youth, and Family Services are considered a strengths-based, comprehensive program designed to work in collaboration with families and other community providers. The website states that their highly trained clinical team specializes in providing age-appropriate mental and behavioral health services for individuals and families struggling with a variety of issues such as depression, grief and loss, trauma, anxiety, behavioral problems, and ADHD.

Family Education Support Services

(Information listed below is taken from the agency)
360-754-7629
Family Education Support Services believes that strong families begin at home and that by strengthening families, they help to create a thriving community. They support families by offering a variety of parent and caregiver education and support programs in the South Puget Sound area. Services are targeted to those who care for children, including parents, relative caregivers, foster parents, early childhood educators, community partners, and others. They also offer direct services to children.

Together

(Information listed below is taken from the agency)
360-493-2230
TOGETHER! is a nonprofit organization founded to serve youth and families in the South Sound with a mission to advance the health and well-being of all young people.  They have created an excellent, comprehensive guide of agencies and services in our area, which are geared towards their mission. If you would like a printed copy, you can call them at 360-493-2230 ext. 112  or download an electronic copy by clicking on the link.  

Child Care Action Council

(Information listed below is taken from the agency)

Families who are experiencing homelessness can access child care subsidies through the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program.  To obtain assistance in applying for the WCCC program, Child Care Aware of Washington (CCA of WA) is the go-to resource for families. Call CCA of WA Family Line toll free at 1-800-446-1114 and select an option in the phone tree that will transfer them to the homeless call center experts or visit their website.

Families can also contact the Department of Social and Health Services directly to apply for WCCC at 1-877-501-2233.

Child Care Action Council offers parent education through events, classes, play groups, and home visitations throughout the Olympic Peninsula Region.

Intercity Transit

Effective January 1, 2020 there is a five-year zero-fare project that allows passengers to use all Intercity Transit bus services and Dial-A-Lift services at no cost.

Family Support Center

http://fscss.org/

Thurston County housing assistance, emergency supplies, and individualized support for homeless families with children.

Eviction, help with utilities, help with basic needs or navigating other community resources.

24-hour emergency shelter: 1-844-628-7343

 

Health Care Authority

In Episode 6 of our podcast Unyielding, I discuss that if you live here locally in Thurston County, you may want to check out the Washington State Health Care Authority website for mental health services for your child

Their website state that behavioral health (mental health, substance use disorder (SUD), and problem gambling) services are available to children, youth, and young people from birth through age 25 and their families. This page will help you learn how to pay for and get services. 

 

 

National Resources

Family Lives

Family Lives, based out of the UK,  provide a booklet on their website which covers how to talk to young children about the incarceration of a family number.  For most families, it is challenging to figure out the best way to speak to younger siblings about the legal issues or incarceration their brother/sister is facing. While this booklet is not specifically tailored to that particular situation, it provides useful insight and could be helpful in best practices. 

Navigating The Juvenile Justice System

The Juvenile Law Center
NAVIGATING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
A Guide for Parents of Youth with Disabilities to help parents better understand the juvenile justice process, particularly how it works for a child with a disability. Please note that this guide provides legal information about the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania. While the process may be different in the state in which you reside, it’s clearly written and loaded with great information. It’s definitely worth taking the time to read through.

Displaced Anger

In Episode 4 of our podcast Unyielding, I briefly mention displaced anger. If you would like to learn more about it this blog from Heartmanity provides more information on it as well as suggestions on what you can do if it’s a challenge you are facing. Remember If someone’s anger makes you feel physically unsafe, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for help.

5 Minute Journal Prompts

Journaling is one thing that people either love or can’t stand the thought of. In Defining Strength, Episode 7 of our podcast Unyielding, I talk about using journaling prompts as part of daily practice to build inner strength. Challenge yourself this week to take just five minutes a day to silence the distractions, get still and give the voice inside yourself an opportunity to be heard. Permit yourself to tuck that journal away somewhere safe or even tear out the page and destroy it. Whatever brings peace.

Here are some journal prompts to get you started… Five Minute Journal Prompts

Core Values List

When we make decisions based on our emotions, what our kids want, what other people think, or even what the experts say, these decisions are circumstantial, and they often leave us questioning if we did the right thing. Were we too firm where we should have given a little leniency? Were we trying to please our children instead of preparing them? But, when we use our values as the foundation of our parenting decisions, it’s much easier to find the answer we are looking for while staying true to what we know is important.

People get their values from many different places. Some come from our families of origin, some from society, and others from religion. They are part of our unconscious, the programming that’s always running in the background that we never seem to notice. The building blocks of who we are and every decision we make. 

Use this Core Value List* to help you choose your Big 3 and begin using them to guide you in making decisions aligned with what you know is best for your family. 

Listen to Episode 17 of Unyielding on the Podcast Tab for more information.

 

*Credit to scottjeffrey.com 

 

The Atlantic

The Atlantic posted an online conversation in which readers describe the painful and complicated feelings of having a brother or sister behind bars. This could prove to be helpful for parents/family members to read different sibling perspectives. It’s heartbreaking but also serves as a reminder that our families are not alone in this struggle.

The National Juvenile Defense Center

The National Juvenile Defense Centers mission is to promote justice for all children by ensuring excellence in juvenile defense. Their website contains information that could help families better understand the flow of the juvenile court process and court terminology.

Ban the Box

Ban-the-box laws prevent employers from asking candidates whether they have ever been convicted of a crime on a job application. Some ban-the-box laws also prohibit employers from learning about possible criminal convictions until after the interview or even a conditional job offer. Ban-the-box is currently regulated at the state level. For more information check out this article on the National Employment Law Project’s website.

Parenting Teens

This article Parenting Teens Causes Stress: Here’s How to Prevent It from the website Your Teen takes a look at the way relationships and marriage often undergo stress from facing the challenges that come with raising a teenager. The article reads “The breakneck pace of change during adolescence gives couples little time to ponder choices as a team, and personal differences can make it difficult to come to a consensus.” It goes on to give several strategies to help prevent marital tension.

Feelings Wheel

Here is The Feelings Wheel I talked about in Episode 7 of our podcast Unyielding. It’s a great tool that can be used to help people identify and communicate what they are feeling.  The center is labeled with primary emotions. The outer rings contain secondary emotions linked to the primary ones.  It’s a helpful way to get answers when you’re flooded with emotions, and you are thinking to yourself, “What is even happening right now?!” Take a look at it. It’s actually pretty cool.

Credit to the Gottman Institute.

The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto

Sometimes it’s challenging to know how to respond to a situation. We are flooded with emotions and pulled in different directions. I love to use the document below as a tool whenever I find myself spinning in the cycle of trigger/response.  Reading through it helps recenter me.

Print it out and post it somewhere you’ll see it regularly. Read it while you brush your teeth in the morning or before bed. Better yet, use it as a template to create your parenting manifesto by filling in your responses to the prompts below:

  • Above all else, I want you to know _______. You will learn this from me when I __________.
  • I want you to engage in this world from a place of ________. You will learn it when you see me ______.
  • We will practice ______ in our family by ________.
  • I will teach you _______ by practicing ________ with myself first.

Do you get the picture? This practice helps us shift away from their actions onto our influence. The more we can turn our focus away from our child’s journey and onto our own, the more we will regain a sense of control over our lives and truly begin to operate from a place of power. The most significant impact you can make in your child’s life centers around showing up as the best version of yourself. Stabilize yourself first, and then you will naturally bring stability into your child’s life.

Credit to Brene Brown.

Wholehearted_Parenting_Manifesto

How Detachment Can Be Loving For All

In this blog post by Dr. Wayland Myers, he defines loving detachment, how it’s an act of love for others and ourselves and how to know when to detach lovingly. I discuss his blog in Episode 20 of Unyielding. I cannot stress enough what an incredible resource this is to print out and use again and again.

Click Here: Loving Detachment

Credit to Dr. Wayland Myers.