The Missouri Juvenile Justice Association (MJJA) has awarded the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri its Excellence in Programming Award for the circuit’s Team Support Approach model.

The award was presented at the President’s reception at the spring MJJA conference. Cathy Horejes accepted the award on behalf of our circuit.

The Team Support Approach (TSA) model brings key people together for youth on official court supervision to discuss a youths’ strengths and needs, identify and provide resources, and make strength-based plans that will provide for the youth’s safety, repair harm to the victim or community, and bring accountability through strengthening competency skills while ensuring community safety. The family decides who the key people are that they want to include. These could be relatives, coaches, religious figures, and others.

The goal of the TSA is to involve families and their support systems, community members, along with caregivers, service providers and agency staff in all decisions regarding planning options and to ensure a timely network of support for children and the adults who care for them. The focus of the TSA meeting is to ensure the safety and well-being of the youth and community while preserving the family unit. When possible, the family and community’s strengths are used to form treatment plans that will enable children to safely remain home with appropriate services. When this is not possible, plans are made that reflect the least restrictive placement possible for each youth that will keep the child and community safe as well as preserve and nurture the child’s familial and community connections.

Among those working with Horejes in developing the model were Harmena Frierson, Jack Murphy, Jeanette McAllister-McDonald, Ken Mayo, Chris Fahy, and Jean Beil.