Advocacy Teams

An Advocacy Team is a group of people who come together to support a multi-system involved youth and his or her family. Advocacy Team Coordination has shown promising effectiveness in reducing legal involvement, improving school and family functioning, and reducing the number of housing transitions.

Advocacy Team Coordination considers the family as a whole and utilizes a team approach to develop strategies that build upon the strengths of the youth, the family, and the community. The goal is to increase the youth and family resources to help themselves and rely less on treatment and court professionals. The teams are family-centered, meaning the family defines what is important and prioritizes needs and services. Because an Advocacy Team is comprised of individuals outside of the court system, it continues providing support even after court involvement ends.

Advocacy Teams frequently are used to support youth enrolled in the Juvenile Drug Court and the Juvenile Treatment Court.