The Juvenile Court which is located at 1801 Vine Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, hears the following cases involving juveniles:
(1) delinquency cases involving offenders under 18 charged with
misdemeanor or felony offenses, (2) dependency cases involving abused
or neglected children or incorrigibility, and (3) criminal cases
involving an adult offender and a juvenile victim, and (4) termination
of parental rights and adoption cases. The general information number
is 215-686-4000.
New delinquent petitions are filed by the Juvenile Court Delinquent
Intake Unit, which is housed at the Philadelphia Youth Study Center,
2020 Pennsylvania Avenue, and is open 24 hours a day, every day,
215-686-4814. Juvenile Delinquency Court and Probation case transfers
from other jurisdictions are processed by the Delinquent Intake Unit,
215-686-4814.
New dependent petitions, which usually are filed by the Law Department
of the City of Philadelphia on behalf of the Philadelphia Department
of Human Services, are submitted to the Dependent Court Operations
Office Room 312, 215-686-4119.
Private Criminal complaints against juveniles are submitted to the
Private Criminal Complaints Unit Room 233, 215-686-8370.
Parental complaints about incorrigible children are processed by the
Reasonable Efforts in Assessment, Access, and Prevention (REAAP) Unit,
Room 138M, 215-686-8328.
Truancy complaints are submitted by the Philadelphia School District
to the Truancy Project, Room 363D, 215-686-7572, which conducts formal
Truancy Hearings at school sites.
Adoption cases are processed by the Adoptions Unit, Room 332,
(215-686-4259).
Director of Court Listings, Kim Tobin (215-686-7733) schedules
delinquent and dependent trials and other hearings involving
juveniles.
Courtroom Operations (215-686-4244) provides court officers to
manage cases in the courtrooms.
The Nursery (215-686-4090) provides court-supervised
visitation.
The Training Unit (215-686-4035 provides for training for
juvenile probation officers and other staff.
The Record Room (215-686-4155) staff process and store juvenile
probation case records.
The Victim & Community Services Unit
(215-686-7056 or 686-7057) provides opportunities for juveniles on
probation to complete community service orders, to pay victim
restitution, and to understand the impact of crime on victims. Victim
services specialists work directly with victims of juvenile crime,
providing information and other assistance.
JACS System. In November of 2002 the Juvenile Automated
Computer System (JACS) went "live". JACS continues to grow
to meet the demands of the user groups. The system currently runs over
37 daily programs, 32 weekly programs, and 27 monthly programs. The
JACS programmers have been able to respond to a variety of special
requests to improve efficiency. Extracts are communicated
electronically to DHS, JCJC, and the Police on a regular basis. Since
the start of 2004, JACS has added screens geared to give details
involving drug arrests, which not only meets State charging mandates,
but has enabled the JACS programmers to design a report regarding
Juvenile Marijuana arrests; new screens have been created to enable
the DA and Court to more clearly reflect charges of Conspiracy and
Solicitation; the FSUM and CHIS screens were designed and now provide
the basis for a Social Inquiry; a report was developed to reflect
Outcome Measures for Juvenile Probation and most recently screens have
been developed to reflect Attorney attendance and suspension histories
due to repeated histories of Failure to Appear for assigned hearings.
The JACS programmers continue to work closely with JCJC on the JNET
and JTS projects. The JACS team continues to provide training to
users, MIS now provides the technical desktop support for JACS and the
JACS team responds to daily calls for assistance with the use of the
JACS software.
The Delinquent Intake Unit (215-686-4814) performs the following
functions for the Court: liaison to the police and the
prosecutor's office for the processing of new delinquent cases,
authorization of juvenile detentions, support services for detention
hearings, appointment of defense counsel for delinquent cases, liaison
to the Department of Human Services and to agencies providing
delinquent placement services, and initiation of new delinquent case
records.
The Medical Branch (215-686-4181) psychologist conducts Mental
Health Assessments for juveniles involved in delinquency proceedings.
The Mental Health Unit (215-686-4276) is the court liaison with
private psychologists and psychiatrists who provide evaluations of
delinquent offenders.
The mission of Juvenile Probation in the context of Pennsylvania's
Balanced & Restorative Justice Model of Juvenile Justice is to
serve the needs of the victim, offender, and the community in a
balanced manner in each individual case. The goals are accountability
to the victim and community, protection of the community, and the
development of competencies in individual offenders. The department is
responsible for the implementation of the Balanced & Restorative
Justice Model (BARJ) in the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice System. The
goal is to provide balanced attention to the protection of the
community, the imposition of accountability and the development of
competencies. Victims of crime, the community and the juvenile
offenders as well, should receive balanced attention from the juvenile
justice system and each should benefit from their interactions with
the justice system.
The services of the Philadelphia Juvenile Probation Department are
organized by geographical districts, specialized probation units, and
aftercare units that assign probation officers to individual
residential programs for institutional and aftercare services.
Geographical Districts:
Central 215-686-2837
Northeast 215-686-4141
Northwest 215-686-4204
Southwest 215-686-4099
Community Based Probation - 4601 Market Street (215-683-8201).
The Community Based Probation office located at 4601 Market Street is
an extension of the Philadelphia Family Court Juvenile Probation
Department at 1801 Vine Street. Its objective is to establish and
maintain collaborative relationships with parents, schools, police,
neighborhood groups, faith-based institutions, and others within the
West Philadelphia Community to promote safety and to more effectively
provide services to youths and families.
Community Based Probation - Harrowgate Plaza (215-685-9900).
The Community Based Probation office located at Harrowgate Plaza, I
and Tioga Streets, serves the communities of Kensington, Port
Richmond, Harrowgate, Fairhill, Hunting Park, and Juniata Park.
Juvenile Probation in conjunction with various city agencies such as
the Department of Recreation, Philadelphia Police Department, the
Department of Human Services, Philadelphia Anti-Drug / Anti-Violence
Network and other social service providers offers positive support for
youth under court supervision. Our objective is to serve the needs of
the victim, offender, and community in a balanced approach.
The School-Based Probation Unit (215-686-4200) places probation
officers in schools to work with probationers enrolled in the school.
The Juvenile Intensive Supervision Unit (215-686-4082) provides
intensive supervision to high-risk juveniles on probation.
The Police Probation Partnership, Electronic Monitoring Program
(215-686-4080) provides electronic monitoring services for juveniles
as an alternative to detention, work with police to apprehend juvenile
fugitives, and participate in the multi-agency Youth Violence
Reduction Project to prevent serious violent crime.
The Special Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) (215-686-7444)
formulates plans for delinquent children who are hard to place due to
their special needs.
The Girls Unit for Comprehensive Intervention Services
(215-685-9900) was formed to provide comprehensive services to girls
who are first time offenders on probation, consent decree or interim
probation, between 10-15 years old. Our Saturday Workshop Enrichment
Program makes us unique from the other juvenile probation districts.
We provide a holistic approach by having a monthly domain such as,
Emotional, Physical, Spiritual, Relational, Intellectual and Sexual.
There are workshops developed to address each theme centered on the
girls needs. The Saturday programs take place on the campus of Temple
University, between 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The girls are exposed to a
wide range of programs and instruction on gender specific target
issues.
The Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP) is a
multi-agency, anti-violence initiative that serves the most violent
areas of Philadelphia. YVRP began in 1999 and operates in the 12th,
24th and 25th Police Districts. The program provides intensive
services and supervision for high risk youth and young adults.
Parent Orientation Program (POP). This program provides an
introduction for all parents whose children have been placed on
probation. The program outlines expectations and responsibilities of
the youth, family, the Court and Juvenile Probation, while providing a
supportive forum for parents of delinquent youth.
Youth Connect II (215-686-7721) is a Youth Offender
Demonstration Project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor as an
intervention / prevention work program for adjudicated and at risk
youths.
Juveniles committed to a residential program are usually supervised by
probation officers who are assigned to the facility and work in one of
the following units:
The State Intensive Aftercare Unit (215 686-4042) services
juveniles in state Youth Development Centers.
The CRIP Unit (215 686-7776) services juveniles in Glen Mills,
St. Gabriels, Abraxas, and VisionQuest.
The Special Offenders Unit (215 686-4148) services juveniles in
sex offender & psychiatric programs.
The Aftercare Unit (215 686-7960) services juveniles in the
remaining delinquent institutions.
The Director of Court Services, Maria Strauman (215-686-7786)
manages grants, and develops new programs, interagency initiatives,
statistics, and reports. She also coordinates caseflow management and
the implementation of Model Court practices in the Dependency Courts.
Pre-Hearing Conferences. To better serve all of the dependency
courtrooms, Family Court utilizes two full-time Pre-Hearing Conference
Rooms. In the Philadelphia Frontloaded Dependency Court Model, every
court case begins with a Pre-Hearing Conference that involves all
parties and is moderated by a facilitator. An assessment of the
problems causing the child abuse or neglect is made. Expectations of
the court are explained and responsibilities are delineated. A
representative from Behavioral Health is present to assess Mental
Health and Drug / Alcohol needs. In many cases, agreements are reached
and the facilitator submits recommendations to the Court on
placements, visitation, behavioral health evaluations, and services.
Addressing these problems at the outset holds out hope for family
preservation or reunification. The Pre-Hearing Conference Coordinator
assures that conferences are scheduled in a timely manner, that
counsel is appointed for all relevant parties, that conference cases
are distributed evenly to the courtrooms. The Coordinator also
notifies Behavioral Health of upcoming listings so that they are able
to prepare for each case. Besides the parent(s), legal guardian(s) and
witnesses, conference participants include representatives from the
Department of Human Services, the Office of the City Solicitor, the
Defender Association Child Advocate Unit (or Court Appointed Private
Counsel for Child(ren), Private or Court Appointed Counsel for
parent(s), legal guardian(s), Behavioral Health Professionals, and a
Good Shepherd Mediation Facilitator.
Frontloaded Dependency Court Process. Philadelphia's
Dependency Court has successfully implemented the elements of the
Frontloaded Model of Case Processing. Prior to the initial hearing all
attorneys are appointed, all parties are provided with a copy of the
petition through timely notice, and the parents and children are
contacted by their counsel. Immediately prior to the initial hearing,
the afore-mentioned Pre-Hearing Conference is conducted. As a result,
many cases arrive at the first adjudicatory hearing as agreements,
thus cutting down on court time. Additionally, by front-loading
services, children proceed towards permanency at a faster rate.
On Site Dependency Behavioral Health Services. Behavioral
Health and Drug and Alcohol services serve all dependency courtrooms.
Master's level clinicians, from the Behavioral Health System
Family Court Unit, staff the Pre-Hearing Conferences. Prior to the
conference, they research the treatment histories of family members
named in the Dependent Petition. At the Pre-Hearing Conference, they
are then able to identify behavioral health needs, arrange for
evaluations and treatment for family members and make informed
recommendations to the Court, avoiding unnecessary duplication of
services. Clinicians provided 766 substance abuse assessments and
arranged for 800 psychological evaluations during 2003. They are
currently monitoring approximately 980 clients who are receiving
mental health services.
On Site Clinical Evaluation Unit. Through the support of the
City's Behavioral Health System the Dependency Court has on-site a
Clinical Evaluation Unit that assesses family members for drug and
alcohol problems, refers them to treatment, and provides the Court
with progress reports for subsequent hearings. Currently they are
managing the cases of over 1000 people in drug treatment. Although
frontloading is always preferable, referrals for evaluation and
treatment also come from judges in subsequent hearings and the
Behavioral Health and Clinical Evaluation units respond accordingly.
The integration of behavioral health services into the Dependency
Court in Philadelphia has drawn the praise of national child welfare
experts. At a Child Welfare conference in Washington in June, 2003
several speakers cited the Philadelphia Court Model of providing early
access to treatment services as one of the most promising programs in
the field.
Dependency Court Special Programs and Projects. The Dependency
Court has special court programs for teens and young adults aging out
of foster care and for children free for adoption to expedite the
adoption finalization. The court has also begun to concentrate efforts
on children who have been in placement for at least 15 of 22 months.
For those children, there is a need to proceed expeditiously with
either Termination of Parental Rights or Permanent Legal Custody. The
Court works closely with the Department of Human Services in
developing programs to respond to the needs identified. The Court also
invites collaboration from provider social service agencies, legal
service agencies and the private court-appointed attorneys in raising
standards and practices for the representation of children and parents
in Dependency Court. Additionally, best practices training is provided
to other Dependency Courts in Pennsylvania under the federal Court
Improvement Project.
The Dependent Court Operations Unit (215-686-4119) processes
and stores dependent case petitions and enters the data on new
petitions into the automated database.
The Dependency Court Improvement Project is a federally-funded
initiative to improve the proceedings and outcomes of dependency
courts. The project committee is chaired by the Honorable Flora Barth
Wolf.
Adoptions
Branch (215-686-4259). The Adoptions Branch staff is
responsible for the filing, processing and listing of all termination
of parental rights and adoption finalization matters. Final Adoption
decree is also issued by the Adoption Branch. The Adoptions Branch
staff processes Registrations of Foreign Birth and Gestational Carrier
cases. Searches are conducted for adoptees seeking to locate their
biological parents
Accelerated Adoption Review Court (AARC) is a specialized
courtroom dedicated to examining cases where parental rights have been
terminated, however, the adoption has not been finalized. To further
accelerate the adoption process, Adoption Branch personnel use a
system of aggressive case management designed to assist in expediting
these cases to finalization. By having all parties in attendance at
the hearing, the impediments that are prohibiting the finalization of
the adoption are resolved.
Court Nursery. In April, 2000, new procedures and regulations
were implemented to enhance the reporting component of this Supervised
Visitation initiative. Each family has a folder with their
court-order, sign-in sheet and incident report. The Nursery Request
Form was developed to insure that the Presiding Judge receives nursery
reports prior to the next scheduled court date. Those involved with
the program are pleased with this reporting mechanism. An innovative
component of Sunday visitation is the collaboration between Creative
Arts Therapists, The Please Touch Museum, The Department of Human
Services and Family Court to provide art, music and dance movement
therapy to our families involved in supervised visitation.
Reasonable Efforts in Assessment, Access and Prevention (REAAP)
Unit (215-686-8328). The REAAP Unit is a component of the Children
and Youth Division of Family Court and serves as a prevention program
which services families and children who voluntarily access the Court
for assistance. Involvement in REAAP is initiated by contact from a
parent or guardian requesting assistance for a child they are raising.
Assessment of what is causing the problematic behavior (i.e., truancy,
incorrigibility) is conducted by REAAP Social Workers. Appropriate
service is provided by Department of Human Services funded programs
and is linked to the family and child. The agencies that provide
service are: Big Sisters, CAACY, Crime Prevention Association,
Congreso de Latino Unidos, Inc., CORA, and George Junior Republic.
Functional Family Therapy. In April, 2001, a dynamic new
component was added to the REAAP Unit intervention. Pursuant to the
award of a Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)
grant, this Blueprint for Violence Prevention program was implemented
to augment our REAAP intervention. Family Court has collaborated with
the Temple University School of Psychiatry to deliver a specific
therapeutic intervention in the homes of our REAAP clients.
Parent Project. The Court, in junction with the Department of
Human Services has initiated a 10 to 16-week parent training program
designed specifically for parents of strong-willed or out-of-control
adolescent children. The curriculum teaches concrete identification,
prevention, and intervention strategies for the most destructive of
adolescent behaviors (poor school attendance and performance, alcohol
and other drug use, gangs, runaways, and violent teens). Parents
attend and learn in a classroom setting, to manage teen behavior
problems at home. An activity based 180-page workbook, "A
Parent's Guide to Destructive Adolescent Behavior," is
available only to program participants. Parents meet one time per
week, two to three hours per session, for between 10 - 16 weeks.
Parent support groups are formed using the UCLA, self-help support
group model. Program orientation: behavior modification.
Project START (Stop Truancy and Recommend Treatment) Unit
(215-686-7572). Truancy Court services the entire school district. Our
best success is with children ten years of age or younger and give
them priority listings. In addition, representatives of Family Court
and from Department of Human Services and the School District meet
monthly to assess the project's operation.
