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2024 Advocacy Statement & Core Areas

The 2024 Legislative Session convenes on February 7th. 

Appropriations Committee - 2024 Legislative Request  

2024 Advocacy Statement and Core Areas

Advocacy Statement:

Advocate for substantial, supportive, and sustainable investment in each of the core areas which provide meaningful and transformative services to youth through Connecticut’s network of Youth Service Bureaus.

Core Areas:

• Community Based Treatment and Prevention: As statewide youth referrals become more complex due to the growing prevalence of mental health, social-emotional, and behavioral issues, organizations across Connecticut have the persistent and increasing challenge of meeting the service needs of the youth in their communities.
• Fiscal Stability: Meaningful and ongoing funding and fiscal structural support for Connecticut’s Youth Service Bureaus.
• Diversion/Youth Justice: Advocate for youth to be served in the most appropriate way in their community whenever possible, support the use of a restorative approach and provide for sustainable funding to address the changes in the system statewide
• Data Collection: Refining data collection and use practices through more direct tracking of youth outcomes and program effectiveness. Finding opportunities to utilize data to better understand youth needs in the community and help direct the development of meaningful support. Data from the YSB/JRB Landscape Analysis pointed to the ability to best actualize the CBDS and provide the services identified in 10-19M when the YSB had extensive community partnerships. By providing YSBs across Connecticut with the resources necessary to grow their list of community partners and/or develop more direct services, youth throughout the state will have access to needed services.
• Resources and Support: Support staffing to ensure the realization of the Community-Based Diversion System which enables Youth Service Bureaus to provide delivery of the services detailed in the State Statute.

State Statute 10-19M mandates that “youth service bureaus shall be the coordinating unit of community-based services to provide comprehensive delivery of prevention, intervention, treatment and follow-up services”. A YSB may provide, but not be limited to the delivery of the following services: ((1) Individual and group counseling; (2) parent training and family therapy; (3) work placement and employment counseling; (4) alternative and special educational opportunities; (5) recreational and youth enrichment programs; (6) outreach programs to insure participation and planning by the entire community for the development of regional and community-based youth services; (7) preventive programs, including youth pregnancy, youth suicide, violence, alcohol and drug prevention; and (8) programs that develop positive youth involvement.)