The Idaho Legislature and Governor approved allocating $6.5 million in FY23 to implement eight new Safe Teen Assessment Centers across the state through grant funding. The investment was recommended by the Idaho Behavioral Health Council. 

In June 2022, the Bannock County Juvenile Justice Department was awarded a $1.28 million Safe Teen Assessment Center grant from the Idaho Department of Juvenile Justice.

The grant will cover the cost of certain training, screening tools, technology and software, furniture, and the implementation of a data system to monitor intake demographics. The grant is written to ensure the center is sustainable based on the current resources available in the community.

Bannock County will be responsible for funding utilities and maintenance of the Center. Upon completion of the first year of operation, counties in District 6 and School District 25 may offer funding for screening tools and data systems.

The Family Resource Center will be located at 130 N. 6^th Avenue in Pocatello.

The site has been used as an additional parking lot for the public to access the courthouse and for Bannock County employees.

Satellite offices will be established in surrounding counties to ensure equal access for rural families.

The Bannock County Procurement Department facilitated the open bidding process by inviting licensed architects and Construction Managers/General Contractors to submit qualifications for evaluation. The County then entered into contract negotiations with the company that received the highest qualification scores. 

Architect: Booth Architecture of Pocatello

Construction Manager/General Contractor: Headwaters Construction Company of Teton Valley

Planning and implementation efforts began on July 1, 2022. Construction began on {DATE} with the goal for the facility to be operational on or before July 1, 2023.

Tier 1 Assessment Centers conduct screenings only and refer out for further assessment. Tier 2 Assessment Centers conduct both screenings and assessments.

District 6’s Family Resource Center will be a Tier 1 but is being designed to allow for future growth to a Tier 2.

The Family Resource Center will serve children and teens aged 6 through 17 who live within the 6^th Judicial District: Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power Counties as well as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power Counties will have satellite locations for telehealth communication.

Screening is a structured, formal, validated process to determine which youths warrant immediate attention and intervention and which may need more comprehensive assessment. Screenings evaluate for the possible presence of a problem but do not diagnose or determine the severity of need, risk, or diagnosis.

 Screenings take 15-20 minutes and are performed prior to court by the Intake and Diversion Unit Staff in the D6 Juvenile Justice Department. The information gathered from screenings allows {WHO?} to identify appropriate recommendations for levels of supervision and resources.

In Bannock County, youth are screened using the Juvenile Inventory for Functioning (JIFF) Interviewer. Learn more about the JIFF by clicking here.

An assessment is a comprehensive and individualized examination of the psychosocial needs and problems of an individual, informed by screening, that results in recommendations for treatment, services, or other resources. Assessments generally involve more specialized staff and include multiple sources of information beyond a youth self-report. 

Information gathered from assessments is used to determine appropriate case management plans for juveniles.

 Assessments in District 6 will be performed by private providers.

The referral process for the Family Resouce Center will have 3 pathways:

1. Walk-in Cases (families requesting general information where no legal referral exists)
2. Alleged Status Cases (caretakers, guardians, law enforcement, community agencies, school systems)
3. Alleged Delinquent Cases (law enforcement and juvenile prosecuting attorney)

No. In fact, the Family Resource Center is expected to reduce the duplication of services.

Many of the children who are referred to the Juvenile Justice System have been or are involved in Child Protection Services, Children’s Mental Health, or other community providers, making it difficult for families to juggle the multiple systems. This can also mean services are being duplicated as resources overlap.

When a youth is struggling, and behavior becomes a concern, our communities often send them directly to service providers who operate independently and within silos. There is little knowledge of other resources and services youth and families are or have been involved with and, in turn, youth and families end up entering the same services and systems repeatedly and experience “service fatigue.” 

The Family Resource Center will provide an opportunity for communities to screen, assess, and understand underlying issues contributing to behaviors in order to provide meaningful connections to services and supports. A single point of contact integrates prevention and early intervention activities with youth and families, the community, local police, juvenile justice, child welfare agencies, schools, and service providers.