FWSN-advisorybd-repo.. - The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

Another goal of FAP was to reduce the number of PINS children placed in out of home
care both pre and post disposition. “During the first six months of 2002, ACS records
show that judges issued 343 remand/placement orders in PINS cases. From January
through June 2004, the number of remands/placement orders declined to 272.” 24
Members of the FWSN Advisory Board traveled to Orange County, New York to learn
more about the programs operating in that jurisdiction. The programs, called “Family
Keys” and “Community Connections” are operated by the Southwest Key Program.
Southwest Family Key is a private, non-profit agency that receives funds from the
Orange County Department of Social Services. (For a full description of the Family Keys
program see Appendix V)
The Family Keys program, which began in 2003, provides services to families who have
filed a PINS petition. The Department of Probation refers a family directly to the Family
Keys Program. Family Support Caseworkers from the program meet with the family to
assess needs and work with the family to de-escalate crisis and mediate disputes.
Southwest Family Keys Program Report for 2005 states the following, “Because of the
services Family Keys offers, 1219, 95% of total youth serviced have been diverted from
probation and court involvement.” 25
The program was expanded in 2004 to provide services to youth and families involved
with the Family Court as a result of a PINs petition having been filed for runaway.
The program report conveys the following outcome data: “Because of the services that
the Family Keys Runaway Program offers, 36 youth, 84% of total youth services, have
been diverted from probation and out-of–home placement.” 26
In 2005, the Southwest Family Keys opened the “Community Connections Program.”
The program is designed to provide a structured continuum of care for children as an
alternative to out-of-home placement. The program has three distinct components: The
“Intensive Youth Services” (IYS), “Evening Support Services” and the “Independent
Living Skills Program”. Each of the programs has distinct features.
The “Orange County Community Profile Needs Assessment” conducted by the county in
2006 reported the following:
“As a result of the change in the PINS law and through Vera Institute of Justice’s
assistance, Orange County dramatically changed the existing PINS system. Through a
collaborative effort involving the Youth Bureau, Probation, Social Services and Mental
Health, the new system responds without delay to parental complaints and provides a
24 Ibid, 12
25 Southwest Key Program, Inc. Program Report, Orange County Family Keys, Community Connections
2005.(New York, 2005) 6
26 Ibid, 6
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