Building Supportive Communities for At-Risk Adolescents

Adolescents at greatest risk for problem behaviours - such as substance abuse, delinquency, school dropout, and early pregnancy and parenthood - often face a disconnected, territorial system when they enter school- or community-based programmes. How can we overcome the fragmented and categorical nature of traditional youth services? The authors recommend an integrated service delivery system to address the comprehensive needs of adolescents and their families. The programmes profiled in this book fill the gaps within the traditional service delivery network, providing a mix of educational, counselling, recreational, vocational and leadership training activities. These programmes, which use service integration as both an agency philosophy as well as a set of service delivery strategies, are the mortar that holds the diverse elements of a service system together. The book represents the rationale for such programmes and synthesizes the extensive literature on adolescent risk and positive youth development, presenting a conceptual framework for risk in adolescence that emphasizes early detection and protective factors.
Nine innovative programmes, tracked over four years, are described in detail, particularly with regard to the critical ingredients for their effective implementation, continuation and survival. Key chapters address cross-cutting issues - programme models, funding approaches and programme evaluation. It provides a picture of the operations of the US's premier youth-serving programmes and presents practical information about methods of implementing, funding and evaluating comprehensive service integration.