CENTER FOR SEX OFFENDER MANAGEMENT
The Effective Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders in the Community
A Training Curriculum

 A Project of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

 

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Section 5: Supervision
2 Hours

TOPIC: SUPERVISION

The Importance of Collaboration and Working Closely with Treatment Providers and Other Key Stakeholders

All of this highlights that the successful community management of juvenile sex offenders—and the responsibilities that go along with it—cannot rest solely on the shoulders of supervision officers. There’s no way that juvenile probation and parole officers can do it alone, regardless of how skilled, hard–working, and committed they are. As we mentioned in the Introduction section, multidisciplinary collaboration is critical for juvenile sex offender management—particularly in the context of community supervision.⁵

For those of you who are supervision officers, who might be some of your collaborative partners? Why are they important partners? And how can they support your supervision efforts as you work with youthful sex offenders?

(ALLOW FOR AUDIENCE RESPONSES).

When working with juvenile sex offenders, multiple individuals and agencies can be valuable partners for supervision officers:

• Treatment providers
• Parents and caregivers
• Victim advocates
• School personnel
• Youth mentors
• Members of the faith community
• Other volunteers
• Employers

The stakeholders we’ve talked about here fall into two broad categories. First, there are “system actors,” such as treatment providers who have clearly defined roles in the juvenile sex offender management process. And second, there are others whose roles may be more informal, such as parents or caregivers, school personnel, youth mentors, and members of the faith community.

In light of the data that indicates that our outcomes are much better when we combine supervision with treatment services, let’s spend a few minutes talking specifically about collaboration between supervision officers and specialized treatment providers. A little later on, we’ll discuss the development of community support networks that include individuals such as parents and school representatives. Here are some specific ways that officers can partner with treatment providers to support a rehabilitation–focused or success–oriented philosophy to managing juvenile sex offenders.⁶

• First and foremost, juvenile supervision officers can take on the role of a case manager. Perhaps more than anyone else in the system, they come to know these youth and their families very well, and they also tend to be familiar with the various programs, services, and resources in the community. As such, they can be an excellent referral source and service broker, and can serve as the critical link between community treatment providers and the youthful sex offenders and their families. In addition, because of their role in the juvenile court or juvenile justice system, supervision officers have the unique ability to bring together all of the other important stakeholders for case planning purposes.
• Once treatment needs are identified and appropriate referrals have been made, supervision officers should make every effort to communicate with treatment providers on an ongoing basis to stay abreast of the progress (or lack thereof) of the youth on their caseloads. Officers in some jurisdictions convene regular case staffings to share information with providers about client improvements and challenges, and to problem solve around tough cases. This is also important because what a supervision officer sees during a home visit or a routine office contact, for example, may be very different from what the treatment provider sees in the treatment setting. And some of the information that is obtained during those respective contacts may be important and helpful information for the other professionals involved in the case.
• Another strategy that supervision officers employ is to take a direct role in supporting juveniles’ participation in treatment. If officers are clear from the get–go with the youth and their families that they expect regular attendance and that they will have frequent communications with therapists about how things are going, it sends a strong message about how important treatment is. They can have discussions with youth about what they are working on in treatment and can follow up with them to ensure that their treatment homework is completed. In addition to giving supervision officers a helpful window into the clinical work that is taking place, this can also provide them with opportunities to help youth practice what they are learning in treatment when they encounter “real world” difficulties or challenges.
• Being maximally supportive of specialized treatment requires supervision officers to be familiar with and understand what treatment is all about. To accomplish this, some officers visit treatment programs to observe the treatment process and to talk with the providers about where the youth whom they are supervising “are” in the treatment process. And at the same time, this sends a clear message to the youth that the supervision officer and the treatment provider are part of a team, which can help reduce the potential for “splitting” or triangulation. You should be aware, however, that the practice of having supervision officers in treatment groups is fairly controversial in the sex offender management field. Primarily, it becomes an issue when supervision officers take on the role of a co–facilitator. It is usually less problematic if supervision officers “visit” the groups occasionally; and in those instances, it is recommended that the treatment providers and officers work together to schedule these visits in advance to minimize disruption, obtain permission from group members regarding these visits, and clarify the role of the supervision officer for the youth in the group.⁷

Collaboration between supervision officers and treatment providers appears to be fairly common practice in the management of juvenile sex offenders. Recent survey data from programs nationwide highlight some of the ways in which supervision officers and specialized treatment providers are working together.⁸ In more than 90% of community–based juvenile sex offender treatment programs across the country, supervision officers and treatment providers report sharing information on a regular basis. And supervision officers were reported to be visiting treatment groups in about 40% of community–based and institutional programs. Only in rare cases did programs report that probation and parole officers co–lead treatment groups.

So the good news in this national data is that supervision officers and treatment providers seem to recognize the importance of collaborating when working with sexually abusive youth which, in turn, can facilitate a success–oriented approach to supervision.

For the supervision officers in the room, I’d like you to think of a juvenile sex offender who is on your caseload. It could be a youngster who has had great difficulties with supervision and treatment, or someone who has done quite well. When was the last time that you:

• Spoke to his treatment provider about his progress?
• Reviewed a progress report from the treatment provider?
• Discussed with the youth what he is working on or learning in treatment?
• Helped a youth apply some of the skills or techniques he has learned in treatment to “real life” situations?

If you said “recently”—like yesterday or last week—you’ve probably already recognized the value of engaging in a collaborative and rehabilitative–oriented approach to supervision. If you said “never”—or “I can’t remember”—then I’d encourage you to consider how collaborating with treatment providers might make your work with juvenile sex offenders and their families more effective.

That brings us to the end of the first section. In sum, we know that relying on surveillance, deterrence, and punishment as the sole approach to supervision is not likely going to give us positive outcomes with youthful sex offenders. Instead, the contemporary research indicates that we can have better results when we embrace a more balanced, success–oriented philosophy and approach. Knowing the risk factors and needs that exist for youth and their families—and making sure that these issues are addressed adequately—can help to reduce the likelihood of future difficulties, which means that community safety will be enhanced. And all of this is contingent upon multidisciplinary collaboration.