In 2008 the Balanced and Restorative Justice Implementation Committee revised their Strategic Plan to add the goal, "To develop a family involvement focus within the balanced and restorative justice model". Following the addition of that goal, a workgroup was formed with membership from both juvenile justice and family advocacy to address this issue and ultimately led to the development of the Family Involvement in Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System monograph. That workgroup was raised to Standing Committee status in 2010 as recognition that family engagement remains one of the cornerstones of the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy.

Enhancing family engagement in the juvenile justice system has been a priority of the Chiefs' Council since 2008. The Committee's work is capturing state and national interest as they work to identify practices that support family engagement throughout all stages of the juvenile justice system, as well as develop original and Pennsylvania specific resources where needed.

The committee recently completed two large projects. The first was holding three regional forums (Chester, Lycoming, and Mercer Counties) to discuss the Monograph's findings and recommendations. Over 250 probation officers, providers, family advocates and family members of youth involved in the system attended the Forums and discussed ways to achieve better results for kids and families. The other project was an original curriculum on family engagement for probation officers delivered to PO's from 5 counties. The intent is to take the feedback received from the training and, once finalized, provide the training to other probation offices throughout the state using a juvenile justice/family advocate team approach. Currently also in development, and awaiting approval, is a Family Guide to Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System. This document will assist families as they navigate through the JJ system, educating them on the process, people they will meet, steps in the system they will face, and things they can do to achieve better outcomes for their children.

Moving forward, following the publication of the Family Guide, the committee will be working on interfacing with the PA Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy, identifying at each stage how families can play a key role. We are always looking for new members. There are currently 34 members on the committee and we meet every three months at the Child Welfare Training Center in Mechanicsburg, PA. If you'd like more information or are interested in joining the committee please contact Sue Christner, Deputy Director, Lebanon County Probation Services, at Susan.Christner@lebanoncountypa.gov.