This is an archive of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP's) electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance. The information in this archived resource may be outdated and links may no longer function. Visit our website at https://www.ojjdp.gov for current information.
July | August 2016

News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention seal

The June 17, 2016, meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention highlighted the activities of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) and featured a discussion on strategies to sustain progress and interagency collaboration. Administrator Listenbee chaired the meeting, which was held in Washington, DC.

Michelle Boyd, Ph.D., and Sarah Oberlander, Ph.D., of the Division of Children and Youth Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, described IWGYP’s philosophy and primary areas of focus:

  • Coordinating Council meeting participantsCoordinating Council meeting participants included, from left to right: Sarah Wattenberg, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Richard Morris, U.S. Department of Labor; Jeff Slowikowski, OJJDP; Administrator Listenbee, OJJDP; Brent Cohen, Office of Justice Programs; Helen Kanovsky, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Karen Morgan, U.S. Department of Defense; Rachel Frier, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
    Creating and supporting a federal interagency website on youth: youth.gov.
  • Identifying and disseminating effective practices that support youth.
  • Promoting enhanced collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels.
  • Developing an overarching strategic plan for federal youth policy.

The presenters emphasized the importance of positive youth development (PYD), as it helps ensure that youth have strong, positive, and stable connections to family, peers, school, and supportive adults. IWGYP has developed a positive youth development research agenda to increase knowledge about PYD, fill research gaps, and bridge research and practice.

Following the IWGYP presentation, Administrator Listenbee moderated an open discussion on sustaining interagency relationships, and council members reported out on the sustainability efforts of their agencies and organizations. Discussion centered on the need to forge alliances, combine resources, and share best practices, knowledge, and expertise in a consistent and intentional way.

 

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the federal government operated under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The council's primary functions are to coordinate federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs relating to missing and exploited children. The council is made up of 22 members—13 ex officio and affiliate members and 9 practitioners. The ex officio members are: the Attorney General; the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, and Labor; the Assistant Secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Affiliate members are the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of HHS. The nine juvenile justice practitioner members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Majority Leader, and the President of the United States.

Resources:

Watch a webcast of the June meeting.

Meetings of the Coordinating Council are open to the public. Visit the website to learn more about the council and read meeting minutes.