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Lauren Keating, a guardian ad litem, lists reasons why a student may be truant at a conference last week hosted by the Department of Children and Families. Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
There are many reasons a student may be truant, from homelessness and poverty to having to care for a physically or mentally ill family member, to substance abuse, to bullying.
Sometimes kids skip school to avoid feeling bad.
Helping to address whatever the underlying reasons students are truant was the central focus of a Youth Justice Summit, with a theme of “Truancy: A Refreshing Perspective” hosted last Friday by the Department of Children and Families.
More than 100 social workers, attorneys in the juvenile defender’s office, judges, advocates, law enforcement officials, and educators gathered at the annual summit last Friday, held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, to share ideas on how to better serve youth and help them stay in school.
“When we’re working with young people, we tend to focus in on them and their issues specifically – what’s wrong with the kids?” began Annie Blackledge, the first speaker at the May 22 event.
“What have they done?…We need to look at our own profession, to look at our own work and talk to our young people,” stressed Blackledge, who is an education director with Casey Family Programs.
She shared her own story, describing herself as an alumnae of the foster care system. Her early career experiences, helping students that had dropped out work towards a high school equivalency diploma, helped her gain an understanding of what troubles even students that do hit benchmarks of success.
Having an adult or adults in a young person’s life who has high expectations of them is critical, said Blackledge.
She said her discovery came about during her get-togethers with other foster care alumni as an adult, where they share stories of how they got through it.
“The one thing that we all share in common regardless of age, race, time spent in foster care…All of us had at least one person in our lives who thought more of us than we thought of ourselves and I can’t tell you how important those high expectations are; we have to believe our young people are capable,” stressed Blackledge.
In a slideshow presentation, she revealed some other truths of what it means to be a student that’s given up on school.
Dropouts are far more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system and are more likely to be homeless.
Looking closer at that kind at the numbers can be another way to further reach out to vulnerable students, specifically those who are at risk. Blackledge suggested mining data to find patterns that may lead to areas to focus on to help youth more.
“You can predict which kids are struggling and which kids are bound to drop out down the line,” she said.
Following Blackledge to speak was Mitchell Barron, director of Centerpoint Adolescent Treatment Centers, Vermont’s largest provider of integrated adolescent treatment and support. Though his experiences over two decades of working with young adults were different than hers, he echoed many of the same points – expressing concerns that truancy was a measurable early-warning sign, and urging adults to support kids and act as lifelines to troubled students.
Barron recounted an experience in 2011 when a group of legal workers from the Burlington Courthouse came by Centerpoint to better understand what community services were available to young offenders.
On the visit, Barron asked a judge what single problem was keeping the judge up at night.
“He said, ‘Truancy,’” recalled Barron.
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Merrick Grutchfield, a guardian ad litem, puts down her group’s ideas at a Youth Justice summit convened by the Department of Children and Families. Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
The complicated, heartbreaking situations that landed in the courtroom, involving young people, such that, “He felt to a degree, helpless…at wit’s end in some of these cases,” Barron said.
Kids miss school frequently because of three recurring, fundamental themes: “To feel better, to avoid feeling bad, and to stop feeling bad,” he said.
“We need to help kids feel better, we need to help kids.” Instead of landing in a punitive cycle of what he termed “blame and shame,” he said building students up with a feeling of accomplishment can break the loop. Shame can lead to a dark downward spiral, otherwise, he said.
He added that developing healthy attachments with adults who believe in them is a big step.
“We know what makes the difference is relationship affiliation and attachment,” said Barron, who claimed he’s never met a truly “bad kid.”
“Kids are kids are kids…[they] are trying to make their way in the world and our job is to help them…They’re not bad kids..they’re kids, so by definition they’re great kids – making poor choices,” said Barron.
He urged those working with struggling young people, “Instill hope; without hope, everything is a wash. I don’t care how good your case plan is, I don’t care how good your treatment plan is.”
Honorees Awarded
Two awards were presented as part of the 2015 Youth Justice Summit program.
The David Jaques Memorial Award for Excellence in Youth Justice was presented to Judge Alison Arms, who joined the Franklin County Juvenile Treatment Court in September, 2014. “Judge Arms has created trusting relationships with the youth and their families. She takes the time to individualize every youth and listens to their stories,” said Lindy Boudreau, the juvenile justice director of the Family Services Division at DCF.
The second award, the Family Services Youth Justice Award for Moving the Practice Forward, was given to Larry Reed, Family Services Supervisor for DCF, who’s worked in the Rutland office for 23 years.
“Larry is very thoughtful about every youth’s needs and carefully considers this when developing a treatment plan,” Boudreau said.
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