Often times our intensive support and involvement in the lives of our Transitional Aged Youth population begins with Case Management as part of our Juvenile Violence Prevention Program.

Sunset Youth Services has developed a comprehensive Juvenile Delinquency and Violence Prevention Program that features both Case Management and Campus Mentoring. Case Management has been a cornerstone program at Sunset Youth Services since its establishment, helping transform the lives of more than 1,000 juvenile offenders over the past 19 years. Our Case Management program has a remarkable track record of success: last year, over 90% of our youth offenders receiving our ‘Attachment Community’ style Case Management services avoided committing an repeat offense – a remarkably low recidivism rate for this population! [Compare with that only 15% of youth in the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center avoid recidivism.] Sunset Youth Services’ Case Managers serve as an advocate, mentor and educational resource to youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System. Case Managers provide youth with healthy alternatives to destructive behavior, positive life coping skills, conflict mediation techniques, and critical thinking strategies in order to prevent violence and delinquency. They meet with youth at least 1 to 3 hours weekly, helping to defuse crisis, maintain stability and ensure youth are safe, healthy and thriving. Case Managers also advocate for youth in court hearings, form collaborative case plans with probation officers, and serve as a liaison with every institution that affects the life of the youth.

Once out of the juvenile justice system and no longer in need of traditional case management, our Transitional Aged Youth still have personal goals and need support moving forward. In our Transitional Aged Youth Support Services Program, we are working and supporting our youth in setting goals for themselves. We discuss success or failure in meeting specific life goals, and we work with them on following their individual plan of action without getting lost. Where appropriate, we assist them with understanding what it means to raise a child and the immense importance of good parenting practices. We work on getting these young adults into job and skill training programs, acting as an interface between services and supporting them throughout the process so that they are able to ‘stay the course’ and reap maximum benefit. We also assist our young adults in accessing educational resources, researching specific possibilities through community contacts, and then walking them through the process to facilitate their success.

The ‘support’ we give is not just client/provider support, but also a broader family relationship. Our support continues regardless of where the intensity of need is for them to continue being successful. For those that do actually live at home, by mere virtue of relationships, we end up providing support services to their entire families. Languages include English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Arabic.