Children who come to the attention of the juvenile justice system are a challenging and underserved population. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help juvenile justice professionals understand and provide trauma-focused services to these youth. These resources include tools and materials for building skills and increasing knowledge about childhood trauma to help judges, attorneys, law enforcement, probation officers, frontline residential staff, mental health personnel, and caregivers understand and respond to the needs of traumatized children. In addition to the NCTSN resources highlighted below, Justice System Professionals can learn more about creating trauma-informed Justice Systems in the Trauma-Informed Care section of this website.
Provides an overview for juvenile justice staff on how to work towards creating a trauma-informed juvenile justice residential setting.
Helps programs who work with justice-involved youth better understand the steps to take to recognize and respond to the trauma-related needs of youth, family members, and staff working in the justice system.
Provides judges with useful questions and guidelines to help make decisions based on the emerging scientific findings in the traumatic stress field. These bench cards assist judges and court-appointed professionals doing mental health assessment of children.
Describes how young children, school-age children, and adolescents react to traumatic events and offers suggestions on how parents and caregivers can help and support them.
Defines child traumatic stress. This fact sheet gives an overview of trauma, describes traumatic stress symptoms, and ways children may be impacted.
Helps juvenile justice agencies support children and youth during and after natural disasters. This toolkit is for juvenile justice staff, supervisors, and administrators who work with and on behalf of children, youth, and families who experience a natural disaster.
Provides prosecution attorneys with knowledge about a trauma-informed approach to prosecution.
Offers juvenile justice professionals ways to care for themselves during the pandemic. This fact sheet includes questions to ask when monitoring stress as well as do’s and don’ts for strengthening resilience and caring for yourself and others.
Offers front-line juvenile justice staff ways to effectively support one another during the pandemic. This fact sheet provides information on how to deal with disagreements, frustrations, critical incidents, and other challenges front-line workers have at work.
Offers administrators and supervisors guidance for dealing with the challenges currently facing juvenile justice settings due to the pandemic.
Offers juvenile justice professionals information on supporting justice-involved youth and families during the pandemic.
Offers helpful questions about safety that judges, legal professionals, and court personnel can ask themselves regarding their work and their personal lives.