The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) identified Ohio as the eighth state to receive Comprehensive Strategy in 1998. Through the Ohio Department of Youth Services, OJJDP provided federal trainers to help implement the strategic planning process in selected communities. Mahoning County was identified as one of the five pilot Ohio sites to participate. Others include Butler, Cuyahoga, Lucas, and Stark counties.

Comprehensive Strategy is spearheaded by Mahoning County Juvenile Court in conjunction with the Mahoning County Family and Children First Council.

Partnerships for Success

Because Comprehensive Strategy counties experienced such success, Governor Bob Taft wanted to offer that same planning and technical assistance to additional Ohio counties. Unfortunately, the original federal initiative was no longer available.

In 2002, Governor Taft and the Ohio Family and Children First Council rolled out this opportunity to ten additional counties under a new name Partnerships for Success. They include Allen, Columbiana, Gallia, Greene, Licking, Muskingham, Richland, Ross, Seneca, and Warren counties.

To continue the Partnerships for Success initiative, Governor Taft announced the selection of five additional sites in both 2003 and 2004. Year 2003 sites include Fairfield, Hocking, Madison, Trumbull and Wayne counties. Recipients in 2004 are Champaign, Geauga, Clark, Wyandot, and Summit counties. Also, Erie, Ottawa and Sandusky counties received State Incentive Grants, and as a result, have chosen to participate in Partnerships for Success. Combining the Comprehensive Strategy and Partnerships for Success sites, a total of 28 counties have received assistance to create plans, building better communities for youth and families.

Training and technical assistance for Partnerships for Success is provided by The Ohio State University Center for Learning Excellence who monitors new counties as well as assists the pilot sites.

How Does it Work?

FOUR PHASES

Throughout 1999, Mahoning County worked to answer the following questions:

• In our community, what are our greatest risk factors that lead to delinquency and violence?
• What is being done to address these risks?
• Is needed intervention available, timely and effective?
• As a community, how do we make decisions about services for youth?
• How do our community systems interact?
• How can these systems best support one another, and our youth and families?
• How are we addressing our most serious youth offenders?
• What are the gaps in programs and services?
• What more needs to be done?

By answering the questions, Mahoning County worked to develop its strategic plan to better assist youth and families while reducing adolescent problem behaviors.

Community Planning Team

In 1999, Mahoning County mobilized the largest Community Planning Team in the nation!

Representatives from all facets of the community comprised our 120-member team:

• Juvenile justice
• Law enforcement
• Social services
• Education
• Media
• Faith community
• Ethnic and minority groups
• Civic organizations
• Health
• Youth