Topic: Parenting Classes

Question: I am inquiring about starting up some parental classes as part of our teen Court program. Do you have any info that can help me? We are working with Safe and Drug-Free School Consortium of Franklin County.

Responses from Coordinators:

Round Lake Area Teen Court
Julie Pawl
Director, Teen Court Programs
NICASA
31979 N. Fishlake Road
Round Lake, IL 60073
Phone: (847) 546-6450
Fax: (847) 546-6760
jpawl@nicasa.org

We tried parenting classes for offenders in Teen Court. We never made it a requirement b/c we felt that if the parent did not comply with attendance, we did not want the youth to suffer the consequences. We made the parenting class an option and would reduce the number of community services hours for the youth if the parent attended the class. Only a handful of parents attended and was not enough to keep the parent class going. (We held the parent class at the same time and location that the youth HAD to attend their class.

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Brown County Teen Court
Wayne Pauluk
Teen Court Coordinator
1 South State
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: (507) 233-6620
Fax: (507) 233-6649
wayne.pauluk@co.brown.mn.us

We do not have parent classes. We do have classes for offenders on alcohol abuse and the impact of driving while intoxicated. Both of these require the parent to attend also. This way the teen & parent get exactly the same information, and it should help them talk to each other about the subjects.

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Orange County Juvenile Peer Court
Gwen Vieau
Executive Director
Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange Co.
17875 Von Karman, Ste 100
Irvine, CA 92614
Phone: (714) 440-6757
Fax: (714) 440-6710
gvieau@crfoc.com

We don’t do parenting classes, but the Orange County Bar Foundation does them here in O.C. We used to require that Peer Court parents attend the class as part of their sanctioning process, but we no longer have this requirement (by the County of Orange).

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Wayne County Teen Court
Martha Howe
Teen Court Coordinator
P.O. Box 11557
Goldsboro, NC 27532-1557
Phone: (919) 735-1432
Fax: (919) 734-9994
wctc_nc@hotmail.com

One of the programs our Teen Court partners with is Parents Anonymous. Nationally this program is noted as one of the "premier family strengthening program." This program is unique in that the entire family goes to the meetings. They are given a light meal and then seperate. Parents go together, teens in another group and small children with their age group. The 12 -17 group empasizes personal accountability, decision-making, anger management, individual responsibility, and non-violent conflict resolution. The youth and their family must attend 3 consecutive sessions (they meet once a week). The program has received wonderful reviews here in our county. The parents find out that their teen is not quite as bad as they thought and others are having the same problems. They seem to enjoy it! The youth find that their parents are not any worse and maybe not as hard as others. It is a little more difficult for the youth to accept this program but most come out smiling. We have had 5 cases given this program as part of thier sentence.

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Margaret Fisher
mfish130@cs.com

You may get multiple listing on this source, but Street Law has a good program called Parents and the Law (PAL), see www.streetlaw.org

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Jones County Teen Court
Dothula Baron
Program Director
c/o Dispute Resolution Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 39
Pollocksville, NC 28573
Phone: (252) 224-6601
ddsc@intrstar.net

We require every offender and his/her family to go through RAP, a life skills class for youth and their families. It is based on the premise that young people often get in trouble because of poor communication and conflict resolution skills. We cover values clarification, behavior and consequences, listening, feelings, anger management and negotiation. It is a wonderful program. The challenge is getting the parents to participate.

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Autauga County Teen Court
Martha B. Ellis
Director
696 Silver Hills Drive
Prattville, AL 36066
Phone: (334) 358-4900
Fax: (334) 358-4909
teencrt@bellsouth.net

We are implementing Scott Sells Difficult Adolescent model. However, in order to use this model you must be trained at the Savannah Family Institute. Scott has researched for several years and spent two of those years in his basement trying to determine what went wrong in therepy sessions. It is a fantastic model. Also, you do not have to be a licensed counselor to implement the parenting class. He has trained JPO's and other in the program. You can contact his office at www.difficult.net for information.

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Midvale Youth Peer Court
Lori Silcox
Director
8068 South Roosevelt Street
Midvale, UT 84047
Phone: (801) 280-3520
Fax: (801) 256-9569
lsilcox@bigplanet.com

I have found that many organizations in our community already offer parenting classes, such as the Boys & Girls Club, the City, local Churches and schools. We have decided to refer our parents into the existing classes and utilize our time towards teaching skills development classes to the youth. My favorite parenting class is the one based on Love & Logic and it is the most common one taught here. Also the Boys & Girls Club sponsors a Parents Anonymous group each week were parents can get together and talk about the good and the bad aspects of parenting.

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Pima County Teen Court
Adelita S. Grijalva
Program Manager
Pima Prevention Partnership
Teen Court in the Schools
345 East Toole Avenue, Ste. 104
Tucson, AZ 85701
Phone: (520) 884-8799
Fax: (520) 884-8820
adelita_g@yahoo.co

As part of Pima County Teen Court's mandatory sentence, the workshop Basic Training is assigned that both parent and teen must attend (detailed information and an example will be provided at the National Conf in Arlington). This workshop discusses Juvenile Law, taking responsibility for one's actions, as well as the consequences and what each teen and parent has learned from the arrest. The format and the faciliation of the workshop is relatively simple once it's been observed. If a teen has been arrested for Minor in Possession of Marijuana, Alcohol or other Dangerous Drug, then both Parent and Teen must attend our Substance Abuse Prevention Workshop. This workshop is contracted through a local agency simply because our staff does not have expertise in substance abuse workshop facilitation that the local agency staff does. If a teen is sentenced to attend a Peer Mediation Panel, then the parents of both the victim and Teen Court participant are required to attend the mediation. As with all of our sentencing appointments, the scheduling occurs right after the hearing so the parent and teen hear all of the same information and are able to then sign a contract.

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Brevard County Teen Court
Sid Ladow
Teen Court Coordinator
c/o Office of the State Attorney, 18th Circuit
2275 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. D
Viera, FL 32940
Phone: (312) 617-7294
Fax: (312) 617-7511
sladow@statty18.brevard.fl.us

We have a three hour Law Information class that is mandatory for all the Teen Court defendants and their parents. The first two hours are taught by an Assistant State Attorney, an Assistant Public Defender, a bailsbondsman and a Police Officer. Each speaker takes about 25 minutes. They get a 10 minute break halfway through the three hours. The theme of the first two hours is "The cold hard facts of life". The last hour is taught by two convicts from the local jail and the Corrections Officers. That theme is "If you don't like mom's rules at home, you sure ain't going to like the rules up here". The convicts are brought into the classrooms in handcuffs and leg irons. We usually have both a male and a female convict. The classes are taught at the local community college one night a month. We have the defendants sit up front and the parents to the rear. The class is the backbone of our diversion programs and has been very successful.

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Columbus County Teen Court
Dan Miller
Teen Court Program Director
Whiteville Police Department
117 East Columbus Street
Whiteville, NC 28472
Phone: (910) 642-5111, ext. 132
Fax: (910) 642-5113
ccjuvrst@hotmail.com

I got a very good resource guide in the mail the e-mail address is www.activeparenting.com

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Lawrence County Teen Court
Marlene Todd
Teen Court Coordinator
P.O. Box 227
Deadwood, SD 57732
Phone: (605) 578-2065
Fax: (605) 578-2112
teencrt@mato.com

We had a class titled "Parent/Teen Communications". Our program paid a licensed counselor to facilitate this class. We ran it for a year on a monthly basis. Out of approximately 50 teens, we had two mothers show up. This class was a sentencing alternative for our teen court but the court system utilizes our classes as well. Every teen and parent was instructed that the class needed both the teen and the parent present. The teens were responsible and showed up, but the parents had too many other obligations. We always ran the class without the parents, but you can imagine how much taken away from there when the parent was absent. We no longer offer that class due to the non-participation by the parents. Our teen court or our juvenile courts have no authority to order and hold accountable the parent.

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Winnebago County Teen Court
Shirley Zahn
Program Coordinator
504 Algoma Boulevard
Oshkosh, WI 54901
Phone: (920) 236-1119
Fax: (920) 303-3030
szahn@co.winnwbago.wi.us

We do not have any parent classes associated with our Teen Court. I would consider adding this, since I have facilitated parent programs before. I am hesitant, however, due to the purpose/focus of teen court. Teen Court is designed to be a short-term, preventative program focused on the teens. If there are significant family issues, they should probably be dealt with outside of Teen Court, since the intervention is designed to be brief. I would be worried about families becoming "dependent" on Teen Court staff; and then they would have to be referred elsewhere in as little as two months.

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Salt Lake Peer Court
Kathleen Zeitlan
Program Director
645 South 200 East, #101
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 322-1815
Fax: (801) 322-4498
slpeercourt@yahoo.com

Salt Lake Peer Court collaborates with the Salt Lake School District's Safe & Drug Free Schools' program in providing classes for parents and teens in a number of different areas. "Insight Tobacco, Drug & Alcohol," "Anger Insight," "Truancy Class," and "Parent/Teen Survival Class" are all programs developed and taught by the school district and they are all free. Salt Lake County Youth Services also provides classes for teens as well as their parents and are also free. We educate the Peer Court student volunteers as to what classes are available and they require the referred youth to attend with their parents. They explain the programs to the parent and youth in the courtroom so they have a clear understanding of what is expected and can agree to attend. If the parent does not agree or it is a hardship for them to attend (single parent working evenings, for example), alternative requirements can be made. Overall, parents report back that the classes are worthwhile in the evaluations we have them fill out. We find that most parents appreciate the support and education these classes provide. If the classes are done well, even the parents who are not very enthusiastic about attending say it was worth their time.  In the past, we developed a class called "Conflict Resolution" for parents and teens whose primary language was Spanish. We used bilingual facilitators who were trained mediators. The school district's classes are now taught in Spanish also, so we no longer do our own.

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Teen Court of Grant County
Rebecca LaFleur
Director
P.O. Box 2812
Silver City, NM 88062
Phone: (505) 538-8085
Fax: (505) 538-8085
lafleur@zianet.com

Teen Court of Grant County (New Mexico) requires an educational program geared to the offense. For traffic offenses it is a Danger Awareness Program (3 hours taught by a law enforcement officer); for offenses like trespass, criminal damage, and shoplifting, the class if Personal Enrichment Principles, a four-hour, 2-night program with activities, videos and discussion with includes self-esteem issues and accountability; for fighting, battery or public affray, we require a 6-hour, 3-night Conflict Resolution Program. The defendants pay $15 to the instructor when they attend. For alcohol and drug offenses we require the youth and parent attend an 8-hour, four night Alcohol Awareness Class (no fee, instructor is paid by DWI Prevention). We work closely with our JPPO and these programs are open for JPPO referrals as well. We are in the process of planning a two-hour program for JPO defendants which would explain the JPO process (and how teen court fits into that continuum). Parents would be required to attend.

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LaPine Teen Court
Mary Fleischmann
Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 2035
La Pine, OR 97739
(541) 536-5002
Fax: (541) 536-5766

My teen court doens't mandate parenting classes as we have no jurisdiction of parents completing. Since I do intakes with families I can let them know what is available, and the court does make recommendations, but we cannot mandate. The types of parenting classes available in my community are ones like"the Strengthening Families" series, which assists parents and youth together with communication skills, problem solving skills, and getting along. There are also classes available in regards to parenting styles, child development and youth temperament. The referalls for these resources are made through the Program Coordinator (me), and also use other agencies who provide various kinds of resources.

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Cass County Youth Court
Jason Bergstrand
Youth Court Coordinator
c/o Lutheran Social Services
1325 11th Street So.
Fargo, ND 58103
Phone: (701) 271-3253
Fax: (701) 235-7359
Jbergstrand@issnd.org

All of our education classes have a parent component to them. Some require the parents to be involved in the class for part or all of the sessions.

1. The chemical awareness class is a total of 6 hours parents are involved the entire time with their child.
2. Anger management classes is a total of 16 hours parents are involved the entire time but in their own class. Periodically the two groups get together during the coarse.
3. Keys to Innervision (cognitive restructuring program) is a total of 16 hours and parents are involved the entire time but in their own group. The parent class is different then the youth class but both are required to attend.
4. Theft Prevention Seminar is a total of 4 hours and parents are involved the last hour.
5. Tobacco Awareness is a total of 3 hours and parents are involved the last hour.

Research has shown us that when parents are involved in their child's education it makes a big difference in the outcome. Kids are less likely to re-offend because parents know the information covered at classes and they can then follow up with it. Having parents involved provides for more opportunity for greater communication between them and their child. It also allows for subjects like: rules and expectations at home and enabling to be covered. When parents are not involved these issues can not be covered successfully. It’s true we have some parents think that they are being punished for their child's mistake but the court does not see it that way and we tell the parents that. If parents do not attend they are referred back to Juvenile Court. It’s only been an issue 1 time in nearly 500 cases.

I forgot to add that our Youth Court does not conduct any of the education programs at this time. We refer all the kids to various agencies within our community to complete the classes. There is a fee required for all the classes the range for fees are $50-$75.

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Knox County Teen Court
Lolita Junk
Coordinator
c/o American Legion Auxiliary
55 West Tompkins
Galesburg, IL 61401
Phone: (309) 345-3800
Fax: (309) 345-3897
knoxteenct@misslink.net

Parents are required to be with their teens three times when they are accepted in our program: 1- for the initial interview, 2- the night of the trial, 3- attending a mandatory 2-3 hour "Basic" program conducted by a family therapist at Catholic Social Services. Anyone who receives a Substance Abuse Evaluation must also accompany the youth to that session.

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