Crossover Youth Series
Written by Wendy Haight, PhD, Gamble-Skogmo Chair
In this third blog post, we will focus on lessons learned by professionals implementing the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) in five Minnesota counties. We interviewed 84 professionals involved in the implementation of the CYPM. They were judges, attorneys, and child welfare and juvenile justice corrections professionals charged with implementing the CYPM in their counties. We also included front line probation and child welfare workers.
How did professionals experience the implementation of the CYPM?
Overall, professionals commented on the importance of new procedures and legal mandates for sharing information across departments. These changes allowed them to promptly identify youth who cross over, track them in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, and share information with counterparts working in other, formerly siloed departments. Professionals also described that a broader range of services to youth and families was available with less duplication of services and more consistent, integrated and appropriate intervention plans. In addition, they described improved professional support and strengthened relationships with their counterparts working in other departments.
What were the struggles?
Professionals also noted some challenges. Positive changes in professional support were emphasized primarily by mid-level and higher-level administrators; that is, team leaders involved in systems change. At the time of our discussions, front line workers were less satisfied than team leaders that they had been adequately trained and supported in implementing the CYPM with youths and families.
Struggles described by professionals also varied by location. In the least populated counties, front line workers were included as team leaders, collaborating with management in training sessions and designing protocols and procedures. In such contexts, the experiences of administrators and frontline workers were more consistent and more positive. Counties also varied in how closely the CYPM aligned with other change efforts and ways of thinking about practice, as well as the nature of historic relationships between departments.
What are some lessons can we take from these experiences?
- Support the meaningful involvement of front line workers in system change efforts. Clearly, the success of any systems change effort, including the CYPM, ultimately depends on the ability of front line workers to deliver services with fidelity. Implementation of the CYPM requires specific attention to training and supporting front line workers. Equally important, the unique perspectives of front line workers can be invaluable in adjusting the model to local contexts.
- Focus on preparing local sites for implementation. The CYPM is a model or guide for systems change intended to be broadly useful. As we would expect, professionals’ experiences of implementation varied across contexts. More urban counties seemed to struggle more to involve, train, and support front line workers. Professionals also consistently referred to cultural/historical characteristics of their specific locales as facilitating or impeding their collaborative efforts (for example, relationships between collaborating departments as historically positive or contentious). Prior to attempting systems change, systematic assessment of the implementation site may be warranted to strategically build on existing strengths and anticipate barriers to change efforts.
For more information see: Haight, W., Bidwell, L., Marshall, J., & Khatiwoda, P. (2014). Implementing the Crossover Youth Practice Model in diverse contexts: Child welfare and juvenile justice professionals’ experiences of multisystem collaborations. Children and Youth Services Review, 39, 91-100.