Pflugerville

  Neighborhood

  Conference                          Overview

  Committees

 

The Neighborhood Conference Committee (NCC) program consists of local citizen groups, acting under the authority of the Travis County Juvenile Court Department to serve as an arm of the Court.  Committee members are volunteers, who live or work, in one specific community (zip code).  The Committee provides an informal and voluntary procedure to help families resolve legal problems within their communities.  The Committee holds separate interviews with the youth and parents in an attempt to gain a complete picture of the family’s life and learn about the possible causes of the criminal act.  The Committee then determines what sanctions are appropriate for the offense committed and for each specific family and creates a contract that everyone signs.  Everything that happens at the conference is confidential.  Entering into a contract with the Committee is not an admission of guilt.  Participation is voluntary.

 

The NCC process is designed to help families resolve difficult problems and make juveniles accountable for their behavior without holding a formal hearing before the Juvenile Court.  The conferences are held in a convenient site in the neighborhood during the evening in order to allow youth to stay in school and parents to work.  The cost of going to court is also avoided.

 

Both parents and youth are placed under much pressure today.  It is often difficult to know where to turn for help.  The NCC is one way for communities to draw together resources that can help troubled families.  We believe that some of the circumstances, which lead to or result in delinquency, can be prevented if families have the support of a larger community and the knowledge of its resources.  If a family decides not to participate, or if they decide to participate but are unable to carry out the contract, the matter is returned to the District Attorney’s Office to file petition in Court.

 

Pflugerville

  Neighborhood

  Conference                          NCC Process

  Committees

 

·        TCJC does intake screening using these criteria:

 

First-time offender at Juvenile Court

 

                        Reside in the Pflugerville School District

 

      Misdemeanors (no offense involving weapons)

 

·         DA reviews case for legal sufficiency.

 

·        NCC Screening Panel reviews each legally sufficient case to determine if they are appropriate for the neighborhood approach.  The panel to review cases includes the NCC Coordinator 9HHSD) and representatives from TCJC, DA, and APD.

 

·        Cases are scheduled to be heard Monday through Thursday nights with teams of 3 to 5 people.

 

·        The team interviews the youth and parent(s) separately to gather as much information as possible in order to create the most effective resolution to that case.

 

·        A contract between the family and the interviewing team is signed that night or at a follow-up meeting.  If the family does not agree to the contract or later fails to conform to the contract terms the case is returned to the DA’s office, which files a petition in Court.

 

·        The part-time case manager works with the families and monitors the case for contract compliance.

 

Pflugerville

  Neighborhood

  Conference                  NCC Roles and Responsibilities

  Committees

 

Conference Committee Member

A Conference Committee member is a person who is interested in and concerned about youth.  The member’s role is based on the idea that the community can and should respond to a youth’s problems.  Members, through an interview session, are able to impress upon youth and parents that the community is concerned with the youth’s behavior and its effect on the community.  Serving on a committee is an on-going learning experience, which is supplemented with feedback, general meetings, and workshops.

 

Committee Members need to have certain qualities in order for this program to work effectively.  Listening and communication skills are essential in order for members to evaluate what is in the best interest of the youth, family and community.  Members need to have a non-judgmental attitude towards individuals being interviewed.  They need to have a sense of commitment to helping youth grow as individuals and to their development as members of their community.  To acquire these skills they need to have a willingness to learn from other people’s suggestions and comments.

 

Members are expected to:

a)      Attend all assigned conferences (1 night every other week) and general meetings (1 night every 6 weeks).  If unable to attend a conference, the member needs to find a substitute and notify the case manager of the change.

b)      Assist the case manager with monitoring of cases.

c)      Volunteer for other tasks related to the organization of the Committee.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

1.      Fill out a volunteer application

2.      Pass a criminal background check

3.      Complete 9 hours of volunteer training

 

For more information please call:

Erik Olson, the NCC Community Coordinator at 708-4580 or

Judy Allen, NCC Subcommittee Chairperson at 251-6756 (home)

 

 

CASE MANAGER

                This position requires that a person be well organized and task-oriented.  The manager is responsible for processing all cases referred tot his conference committee, maintaining records/schedules, monitoring the family’s compliance with the contract, and submitting reports to the coordinator.  The case manager is expected to accomplish this work with considerable independence.  The amount of kind of skill, time, and energy involved requires a dedicated individual.  Most work is done during the evenings and on weekends.  Other responsibilities include:

 

a)      Receive and log in case referrals from the screening panel

b)      Contact the juvenile and parents immediately to arrange an appointment

c)      Maintain files on all cases dealt with by the Conference Committee

d)      Monitor juvenile’s compliance with the contract agreed upon by the Conference Committee, juvenile and parents.  This includes logging all contact with the juvenile, collecting any relevant paperwork from juvenile and/or other information to document juvenile’s compliance with the contract.

e)      Meet regularly with the community coordinator.

f)       Keep an up-to-date membership list and advise the committee members of the general meetings.

g)      Upon termination of Conference Committee involvement, return file to the community coordinator.

h)      Serve as a liaison between the Coordinator and the Conference Committee.

i)        Maintain a positive working relationship with community agencies, instruct committee members on referral procedures, and advise on appropriate resources.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

1)      Fill out a volunteer application and job application.

2)      Pass a criminal background check.

3)      Interview with the NCC Community Coordinator and members of the Justice Council.

4)      Complete 9 hours of volunteer training and attend additional meetings.