Treatment Resources for Youth (TRY) provides an array of services to youth ages 11-24 throughout Baltimore City. Most of their referrals come from schools, with the remainder coming from the Departments of Juvenile Services and Social Services, the Baltimore City Police Department, community organizations, and families. TRY’s interventions focus on the mental and behavioral health needs of its clients and their families. Most of the services TRY provides as a YSB, are substance abuse services. TRY, employs a myriad of tools to help manage clients’ behaviors, address substance abuse, and to engage clients in appropriate educational or vocational activities. TRY had growth in partnerships over this last year. Staff are encouraged to attend trainings relevant to populations served to ensure use of up-to-date practices.

With the implementation of Family League’s action plan TRY served 56 participants in the 3^rd and 4th quarters. The target number of participants is 100 for the fiscal year.  Of the 56 participants served in the second half of the year. Of the 56 participants 2 were referred for community-based services.  While TRY did experience challenges achieving the targeted annual number of participants prior to the end of FY 2019 due to the delayed start of programming, it was only do to a protracted contracting process in the 1^st quarter.

In the 3^rd and 4rth quarter, the following services were delivered: Information and referral; substance abuse assessment and referral; substance abuse treatment; formal and informal counseling; community outreach and prevention education. Of the 31 formal counseling cases, 100% of participants received service plans before the 4th session; and 100% of youth receiving formal counseling services who did NOT commit a juvenile offense (DJS intake) during the course of counseling and 90 days thereafter

While contracting presented delays, the major challenge with service delivery TRY continues to encounter challenges with retention of clients--those who are referred for the first time as well as those who are referred numerous times.  The lack of sanctions for this population and inadequate supports and resources (e.g. inpatient SUD treatment, housing resources) to address their needs make it difficult to fully engage this population. TRY addresses these barriers by regular follow-ups, flexibility in scheduling, and remaining a consistent, caring and reliable resource

An additional challenge pertains to individuals who do not begin services with a minimum score of 20 points will not be counted as success at the end of their services although they may show improvement that significantly impacts their functioning because CAFAS only measures improvement in increments of 20 points or more.  However, this does not take into account individuals who are having some difficulty in functioning but are not necessarily experiencing significant impairment.

In the first two quarters of fiscal year (FY) 2019, there were several performance measures that were below their respective targets: the two “how much” performance measures focused on formal counseling and referrals/linkages to community-based services and the two “better off” performance measures focused on the CAFAS assessment. Performance was below target due to a delayed start of services for FY19.

An action plan was implemented to ensure that targets were met in FY19. This included providing TRY with tools and guidance for creating projections and budgeting appropriately to ensure funding will exist for the remainder of FY 19.  Developing plans to increase referrals to and engagement with community-based services. Ensuring that participants are receiving formal counseling on a consistent basis in order to reach the target for CAFAS improvement. Acting as a partner to engage participants from a restorative approach using evidence-based practices and programming to achieve positive outcomes.

 With implementation of this plan we saw an increase in one of the “how much” performance measures focused on formal counseling cases with 56% of the cases occurring in the 3^rd and fourth quarters. In addition, the “better off” performance measures focused on the CAFAS assessment also increased to 25% for the second half of the year.

In the second half of the year TRY experienced many successes, including two young people finding employment in the third quarter and several receiving academic honors. In quarter four the 17-year-old male referred for substance abuse treatment subsequent to being involved in the juvenile justice system obtained part-time employment at the Baltimore Zoo. Elementary age students enrolled in Life Skills Training, an evidenced-based prevention program, participated in three outings to enhance their social interactions and expose them to activities they had not previously enjoyed; these students also earned an end of year celebration to highlight their academic achievements. In addition, four young ladies in one Life Skills group achieved honor roll the last 2 quarters; it was their first time on honor roll!

Youth Services Bureaus are community-based, non-residential organizations that provide formal and informal counseling, case management, and crisis management services to youth. They serve a critical function in Baltimore by working to keep at-risk children and youth connected to the schools and communities.

The target population includes youth ages 11-24 who are engaging in or at-risk of engaging in high-risk behaviors. Individuals are referred from a number of sources, including the Department of Juvenile Services, Juvenile Court Early Intervention Program, Baltimore City Public Schools, Department of Social Services, Baltimore City Police Department, Addiction Assessment Unit, community organizations, group homes, parents, and self-referrals.