A Broken Web: Improved Interagency Collaboration is Needed for D.C.’s Crossover Youth,
By Council for Court Excellence and Office of the D.C. Auditor
While much attention is being paid to youth crime rates in D.C., little is known about the circumstances of justice-involved young people. This report finds that one characteristic many share is involvement in the child welfare system due to parental abuse and neglect. This report examines how effectively the District – and in particular the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) -- serve young people who have had involvement in both child welfare and youth justice systems, that is, crossover youth.
The fundamental finding of the audit is that the District lacks a unified approach to addressing the needs of these vulnerable young people. D.C. leaders are unable to accurately identify the number and traits of crossover youth in our community, to coordinate the services being offered or supervision being provided, to target specialized programming for these youth, or provide appropriate resources for their families and caregivers.
The new report includes the following key findings:
There is no single unified source of public data related to crossover youth in the District, making it difficult to understand the number and needs of this vulnerable population.
CFSA and DYRS undercount the number of crossover youth in their care because they only count dual-jacketed youth, rather than youth involved in both agencies at any point in their lives. CFSA and DYRS identified only 8 crossover youth in FY 2023, while CCE analysis of court records indicated 93 youth at the end of FY2022 were involved with the delinquency system and had current or past child welfare involvement.
Crossover youth are essentially invisible to CFSA and DYRS; neither clearly recognizes this population in their current operating documents, systems, policies, or practices, and their rights as justice-involved youth are not clearly identified in the Bill of Rights for Children in Foster Care. This impedes the agencies’ ability to address the special needs and manage cases of these young people, and can leave youth in New Beginnings and other facilities unaware of their rights.
CFSA and DYRS do not sufficiently collaborate or communicate regarding crossover youth.
Some of the report’s recommendations include:
D.C. Council should ensure the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC) has sufficient authority and funding to analyze and report on crossover youth annually.
CFSA and DYRS should reestablish the “Crossover Youth Steering Committee” to identify, manage and serve crossover youth in their care.
CFSA and DYRS should identify and track crossover youth in their case management systems.
CFSA and DRYS staff should be trained on the unique needs of crossover youth. Additionally, parents and foster parents should receive training and resources to help identify and meet the needs of youth who are, or are at risk of becoming, crossover youth.
Washington, DC: Council for Court Excellence and Office of the D.C. Auditor, 2024. 125p.