DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION NUMBER: JCPC 4.3 PAGES: 5 APPROVED BY: DATE SIGNED: 01/03/06

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1 DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION NUMBER: JCPC 4.3 PAGES: 5 SECTION: Clinical Treatment Programs SUBJECT: Counseling Programs APPROVED BY: DATE SIGNED: 01/03/06 RELATED NCAC CITATION: N/A RELATED LEGISLATION: N.C. Gen. Stat. 7B-2506, Dispositional alternatives for delinquent juveniles. RELATED STANDARDS: N/A INDEX AS: Individual Counseling; Group Counseling; Family Counseling; Substance Abuse Counseling PURPOSE: To establish minimum standards for the design, implementation, and operation of Clinical Treatment Services funded by the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC). POLICY STATEMENT: Clinical Counseling programs shall provide professional level assessment and treatment intervention services to juveniles and their families as outlined in an individualized service plan. I. OPERATION NOTE: Clinical treatment services in this section include individual, group, family and substance abuse counseling. A. Frequency and Length of Stay: Juveniles shall receive face-to-face services no less than once every two (2) weeks. There shall be contact with the juvenile s primary custodian (parent/legal guardian) at least once every 30 days while the juvenile is receiving services from the program. B. Target Population: Juveniles between the ages of six (6) and 17 years, in need of services to address and correct emotional and/or behavioral concerns that cause the juvenile to be engaged in or at-risk of delinquent behavior.

2 Page 2 of 5 C. Capacity and Juvenile to Staff Ratio: Capacity of counseling programs is dependent upon the intensity level of the service being provided and the clinical staff time available. For each full-time, direct service staff member, at least fifty percent (50%) of work time should be spend in direct service. Group counseling sessions are limited to no more than eight (8) juveniles per session with a trained facilitator, and may be expanded by five (5) juveniles for each additional trained facilitator. Group counseling sessions shall include a co-facilitator. NOTE: Intensity Level: High Intensity service is greater than three (3) hours of direct service per week, per juvenile. Medium Intensity Service = three (3) hours or less of direct service per week per juvenile. E. Referral Source: Priority shall be given to referrals from Juvenile Court Counselors. II. REFERRALS, ADMISSIONS AND TERMINATION PROCEDURES A. Referrals: The program shall receive a written referral form for juveniles to participate in the program. All JCPC funded programs shall develop a written referral form to address individual program and juvenile needs and provide copies of this form to the referral agency. The referral form shall indicate the reason for referral and the concern(s) to be addressed. The referral form must be placed in the juvenile s file. B. Admissions: Programs shall develop admission criteria covering age and gender appropriateness, the primary reasons for which juveniles are considered for admission and any applicable admission restrictions. All JCPC programs shall: 1. Provide a response to referring agencies regarding their admission decision within 10 business days of the referral; and 2. Provide a participation agreement, if the juvenile is deemed appropriate for the program, that is developed and signed by the program provider, juvenile, and parent(s)/legal guardian(s). All elements of the agreement should be dictated by the specific needs of the juvenile. This agreement shall include: a) Program guidelines, requirements, and projected completion dates of the program; b) Conditions of behavior management and supervision; c) Treatment components; d) Measurable and objective treatment goals; e) Informed consent of parent(s)/legal guardian(s) for participation in the program; f) Specific requirements of the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) and each family member (if applicable); and g) Consequences for non-compliance. C. Terminations: Programs shall develop termination procedures, including a written termination form and policies governing documentation of a juvenile s termination from the program. A termination form must be completed for all referred juveniles detailing

3 Page 3 of 5 the activities, results and recommendations. Within seven (7) business days, a copy must be submitted to the referring agency, parent(s)/legal guardian(s), and placed in the juvenile s file. The program shall not terminate any juvenile from program services, for reasons listed below under 2. (b), (c), or (d), without prior direct oral or written communication with the referring agency. The termination form shall include: 1. The last date of program contact; 2. The reason for termination: a) Successful Completion: Indicates a high level of juvenile participation in program activities. b) Satisfactory Completion: Indicates an acceptable level of juvenile participation and behavior improvement even though the juvenile did not complete all program activities and did not meet all behavior goals. c) Unsuccessful Termination: Failure to meet specific goals and requirements described in the participation agreement or make sufficient progress in the program. d) Non-Compliance Termination: Unexcused absences or refusing to participate in treatment activities; 3. The names of persons and agencies receiving notice of a juvenile s termination; and 4. The name of the program staff person completing the documentation. D. Termination Service Plan: At a minimum, the program, juvenile, parent(s)/legal guardian, juvenile s court counselor, and/or other referring entity should be involved in the development and implementation of an aftercare plan prior to the termination of the juvenile. III. STAFFING A. Clinical Oversight: Each full-time staff member providing direct service must have regular clinical case oversight and supervision of no less than two (2) hours of supervision per month by no less than a Master s level clinician. B. Qualified Clinicians, who may either be employed by or contracted through a Contract for Professional Services (Form JCPC/PO 001) with the program, shall only provide those services they are trained and certified to provide. 1. Program Managers: Program Managers must possess at least a Bachelor s degree in a Human Service or related field, or a four (4) year degree in any other field with at least two (2) years experience as a direct service professional in a juvenile serving agency. It is the responsibility of the Program Manager to: a) Ensure that the program meets all appropriate standards and licensing requirements; b) Maintain sufficient information to allow for the determination of program effectiveness;

4 Page 4 of 5 c) Cooperate with Department Area Consultants during monitoring and evaluation activities; and d) Complete a JCPC Program Agreement (Form JCPC/PA 001) including all Sections (I VIII) that provide basic program information, a line item budget, and statement of provisions compliance. 2. Clinical Treatment Staff: Must have at least a Bachelor s degree in a Human Services field related to the type of clinical therapy and treatment delivered, and receive ongoing clinical supervision. Certain clinical treatment staff may be subject to professional licensure/certification as required by the N.C. General Statutes [See JCPC Program Operational Requirements, policy JCPC 1.1]. 3. Volunteer Program Staff: Programs may use professional or community volunteers to assist or augment services provided by paid staff. The program shall: a) Develop a job description for all volunteer positions; b) Ensure that a completed Program Volunteer Application (Form JCPC/EA 001) or Data Sheet (JCPC/EA 002), including four (4) references are provided for each volunteer; c) Screen each applicant and determine that the volunteer possesses credentials/skills/experience commensurate to the requirements of the job description; d) For volunteers involved in supervision or transportation of juveniles programs must: (1) Obtain a criminal background check; All potential volunteers must receive a criminal background check prior to contact with any juvenile in the program. This background check must provide a clear record of any criminal convictions. Any criminal activity that would be a direct conflict with this program type or with providing any service to juveniles shall eliminate an applicant/volunteer from consideration. (2) Obtain a current driver license history, and (3) Check and document references e) Provide an orientation to the program and training appropriate to the job function. C. Staff and Volunteer Orientation and Training 1. Each JCPC funded program must provide its staff and volunteers with orientation and training within 30 days of employment to include policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the program and Department. Written documentation of the program orientation and training on policies must be available to the JCPC and/or Department upon request.

5 Page 5 of 5 2. Programs must provide training that will lead to the continued personal and professional development of the staff and volunteers. Volunteers shall complete pre-service training specific to the program type prior to direct service delivery to juveniles. 3. Programs providing treatment services shall employ staff who are eligible by degree or credential to provide such treatment, or who receive clinical supervision by someone who is eligible to provide such treatment. All professional and volunteer staff who lead program activities that require special skills or certification must be trained in the skills necessary for each particular activity. 4. Direct service staff shall participate annually in at least 12 hours of professional continuing education in an area related to the service type provided. IV. ATTACHMENTS: NONE NOTE: The Program Volunteer Application (Form JCPC/EA 001), Data Sheet (JCPC/EA 002), Contract for Professional Services (Form JCPC/PO 001), and JCPC Program Agreement (Form JCPC/PA 001) are available at