Delaware News


Delaware Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services Honored with Two National Awards

Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families | Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services | Date Posted: Wednesday, August 14, 2019



For Immediate Release                                                                                     Contact: Joseph Smack

Wednesday, August 14, 2019                                                                    (302) 633-2501 or 893-8930 (m)

Joseph.smack@delaware.gov

 

Delaware Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services Honored with Two National Awards

 Stevenson House Detention Center recognized for reducing confinement & Ferris School best group performance in Kids Got Talent contest

 Wilmington – The Delaware Children’s Department, Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services was recently honored with the prestigious Barbara Allen-Hagen Award for improving the conditions of confinement and the quality of life for youths in secure placements. The award is given in three categories: juvenile correction facilities, detention/assessment centers, and community residential programs and are judged on exemplary commitment to Performance-based Standards to best serve youths, families, and staff.

One winner in each category was selected and honored at the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators and Performance-based standards Awards Night in Boston, MA on August 2, 2019. Stevenson House Detention Center in Milford was selected as the winner in the detention/assessment center category for effectively reducing confinement by modifying the behavior management system in the facility. System improvements at Stevenson House have reduced the use of isolation from an average of 131 per month in 2017 to 11 per month in 2019.

“Being recognized nationally for the work the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services does every day to improve the lives of youth in our care is exciting and validates that we are on the right track in helping these adolescents and their families achieve better outcomes. Superintendent Kenney and her team at Stevenson House have done outstanding work to change the culture of the facility so that it benefits not only the youth we serve, but also our staff,” said Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families.

Performance-based Standards is a data-driven improvement model grounded in research that challenges youth correction, detention, assessment and community-based facilities and agencies to treat all youths in custody as ‘one of our own.’

“Stevenson House is honored to accept the Barbara Allen-Hagen Award,” said Katie Kenney, superintendent of Stevenson House Detention Center. “The entire staff should be commended for the hard work that has been put forth to improve our facility. We recognize that the changes we have made and continue to put in place were huge shifts in how we operated on a daily basis, however, we have seen the positive results and will continue to move forward.” Kenney concluded.

Ferris School for Boys was also honored for winning the group performance category of the Performance-based Standards ‘Kids Got Talent’ contest. The competition had over 62 submissions from facilities across the nation. The Ferris School entry, an original music video “What You Know,” was fully written and produced by students Jamir Goldsborough, Isiah Lecompte, and Zyaire Martinez. The winning video was created through a new music program initiative at Ferris School that was developed by supervisors Richard Booker and Joshua Fields. “This was an amazing opportunity for our students,” said John Stevenson, Director of the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services, “We are very proud of their accomplishment in winning this national talent contest and that their hard work has been noticed.”

The winning performance video may be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oUgzf83q5OjlAdsY-qoXZGTIhuWd3mai/view

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have behavioral health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit https://kids.delaware.gov

For more information on Performance-based Standards, please visit their website at www.pbstandard.org

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Delaware Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services Honored with Two National Awards

Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families | Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services | Date Posted: Wednesday, August 14, 2019



For Immediate Release                                                                                     Contact: Joseph Smack

Wednesday, August 14, 2019                                                                    (302) 633-2501 or 893-8930 (m)

Joseph.smack@delaware.gov

 

Delaware Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services Honored with Two National Awards

 Stevenson House Detention Center recognized for reducing confinement & Ferris School best group performance in Kids Got Talent contest

 Wilmington – The Delaware Children’s Department, Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services was recently honored with the prestigious Barbara Allen-Hagen Award for improving the conditions of confinement and the quality of life for youths in secure placements. The award is given in three categories: juvenile correction facilities, detention/assessment centers, and community residential programs and are judged on exemplary commitment to Performance-based Standards to best serve youths, families, and staff.

One winner in each category was selected and honored at the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators and Performance-based standards Awards Night in Boston, MA on August 2, 2019. Stevenson House Detention Center in Milford was selected as the winner in the detention/assessment center category for effectively reducing confinement by modifying the behavior management system in the facility. System improvements at Stevenson House have reduced the use of isolation from an average of 131 per month in 2017 to 11 per month in 2019.

“Being recognized nationally for the work the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services does every day to improve the lives of youth in our care is exciting and validates that we are on the right track in helping these adolescents and their families achieve better outcomes. Superintendent Kenney and her team at Stevenson House have done outstanding work to change the culture of the facility so that it benefits not only the youth we serve, but also our staff,” said Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families.

Performance-based Standards is a data-driven improvement model grounded in research that challenges youth correction, detention, assessment and community-based facilities and agencies to treat all youths in custody as ‘one of our own.’

“Stevenson House is honored to accept the Barbara Allen-Hagen Award,” said Katie Kenney, superintendent of Stevenson House Detention Center. “The entire staff should be commended for the hard work that has been put forth to improve our facility. We recognize that the changes we have made and continue to put in place were huge shifts in how we operated on a daily basis, however, we have seen the positive results and will continue to move forward.” Kenney concluded.

Ferris School for Boys was also honored for winning the group performance category of the Performance-based Standards ‘Kids Got Talent’ contest. The competition had over 62 submissions from facilities across the nation. The Ferris School entry, an original music video “What You Know,” was fully written and produced by students Jamir Goldsborough, Isiah Lecompte, and Zyaire Martinez. The winning video was created through a new music program initiative at Ferris School that was developed by supervisors Richard Booker and Joshua Fields. “This was an amazing opportunity for our students,” said John Stevenson, Director of the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services, “We are very proud of their accomplishment in winning this national talent contest and that their hard work has been noticed.”

The winning performance video may be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oUgzf83q5OjlAdsY-qoXZGTIhuWd3mai/view

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have behavioral health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit https://kids.delaware.gov

For more information on Performance-based Standards, please visit their website at www.pbstandard.org

###

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.