OJJDP Family Listening Sessions: Executive Summary - Office of ...

Chapter 1. Family Listening Session: March 29, 2011
Overview
The family listening sessions were a result of a partnership between the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Center for Youth Justice. The goal of these
sessions was to allow OJJDP to learn firsthand about the experiences of system-involved
families and to explore ways to improve family engagement to ensure better outcomes for
children and youth. OJJDP convened the first of four sessions in New Orleans, LA, on March 29,
2011. The Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) collaborated with
OJJDP to select and invite specific families to share their experiences because they have or have
had a child involved in the system.
Session Format
The session began with brief introductions by family members and staff from OJJDP and FFLIC.
Session facilitators assured family participants that no names or other identifying information
would be used outside the room or in the summary report. Family members were asked to
respect that confidentiality in regard to others in the room. Further, family members were
advised that the session would be recorded for note-taking purposes only and that OJJDP would
be producing a document in association with this listening session.
In the interests of time and brevity, facilitators framed questions in a manner that objectively
directed the family members without impeding the sharing of information regardless of its
relevance to the questions posed. The session’s success was contingent on all of the family
members being afforded an opportunity to share their experiences. In turn, they were asked to
provide direct, succinct responses.
The full list of questions, found in appendix A, served as background information and as a tool to
clarify comments shared throughout this report and to inform and guide the questions posed to
family members during the family listening session.
Below is a summary of the participants’ responses.
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