The state hopes to reduce the dependency on “out of home” juvenile justice options in rural communities in Michigan. They are offering grants to help troubled youth with special services and to stay close to home.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is looking for proposals from agencies in rural communities to help them provide in-home youth services for their counties. This would replace the need for ordering youths to residential facilities... and getting juveniles help... closer to home.
Derrick McCree is the division director for juvenile justice for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. He said the program is supplemental to other treatment and not meant to be confused with tethering programs throughout the state.
“What we're putting in place now are treatment options. Tethering is basically an in-home detention option. What we're proposing here in this grant, is that the evidence-based model to provide services and treatment to the families and youth not just in home, like detention,” McCree said.
Those services include what is called “multisystemic therapy” or “MST”, Multisystemic therapy for problematic sexual behaviors or what is also called "MSTPSB" and "Strategic" family therapy.
“Those models are evidence-based models that are prescribed clinical to client ratios that give a low ratio so that the therapist has like, a balanced distribution of their time, and the interventions are more frequent. But essentially what they are, are fidelity models that have been proven through research that are effective to help youth and families navigate through some adverse circumstances,” McCree explained.
Funding comes from $500,000 in state general fund dollars received by the MDHHS Division of Juvenile Justice. The grant intends to serve communities of 75,000 or less. Go to EGrAMS-mi.com and select “About EGrAMS” link to find out more.
