Hope and Healing: Trauma-Informed Care for Justice-Impacted Young People

Session Description

NDTAC presented at this year’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) National Conference on Youth Justice in Washington D.C., on November 19-21, 2024. This was OJJDP’s first in-person conference since 2011 which brought together youth and families, grantees, leading researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders from across the U.S. who are working to transform juvenile justice. Our session titled “Hope and Healing: Trauma-Informed Care for Justice-Impacted Young People” discussed the four pillars of the National Strategy framework and shared examples that combine the expertise of people with lived experience in foster care & juvenile justice systems with creative approaches to trauma-informed, healing centric practices into their programs. 

Session Presenters 

Kristine Chan, NDTAC/Child Trends 
Kristine Chan is the Research Lead at the National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth (NDTAC), funded by the U.S. Department of Education. NDTAC supports program administration using Title I, Part D (TIPD) funding, which benefits educational programs and students in residential facilities. As a subject matter expert on youth with dual system involvement, Kristine develops resources for state coordinators and stakeholders dedicated to serving students in the neglected and delinquent community. These resources highlight how federal education programs can support youth with multiple system experiences, ensuring they receive the tailored assistance necessary for their educational success. Kristine also has lived experience in foster care and has worked as a mental health clinician/probation officer in a juvenile secure confinement facility.

Jazmone Wilkerson, OJJDP 
Jazmone Wilkerson is a Senior Program Manager in the Youth Justice & System Innovation Division. She received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision from Lindsey Wilson College, J.D. from UDC with a specialization in Juvenile Delinquency & Special Education, M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and two bachelors from Purdue University. Jazmone serves as technical expert with juvenile delinquency, federal and state level juvenile justice and criminal justice training and technical assistance (TTA) experience, and mental health/substance advocacy. She provides guidance to identify gaps in programming, resolve programmatic and administrative concerns, and suggest creative and innovative methods to design and implement programs from initial conception through sustainability. Jazmone has been a juvenile advocate for more than a decade who works within a racial justice lens from a holistic perspective.

Melinda Baldwin, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Melinda Baldwin is a subject matter expert in behavioral health, trauma, program evaluation (grounded in implementation science), and its intersection with child welfare and mental health practice and policy.  She comes into this position from being the Special Assistant to the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services.  Before coming to SAMHSA, she worked at the Children’s Bureau leading their work in behavioral health and trauma.  While there, she partnered with ASPE, the CDC, and CMS to conduct research on children and youth in congregate care, the intersection of behavioral health care, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, congregate care, and the impact of substance use on child welfare.  She led the expert work group in the development of A Framework to Design, Test, Spread, and Sustain Effective Practice in Child Welfare and A Roadmap for Collaborative and Effective Evaluation in Tribal Communities.  

Maegan Rides At the Door, UM National Native Children's Trauma Center 
Maegan Rides At The Door (Dakota, Nakoda, Absentee Shawnee) has a Doctor of Philosophy and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She has served as the Executive Director of the University of Montana National Native Children’s Trauma Center (NNCTC) in Missoula, MT, since 2015, working to support NNCTC’s mission of co-facilitating trauma-focused healing in Tribal communities. Maegan utilizes her knowledge in culturally trauma-responsive and healing-centered care to provide training and technical assistance to a wide variety of systems of care including but not limited to schools, child welfare, juvenile justice, and healthcare. She provides administrative oversight for all center activities, including personnel management, relationship building with partner leads, and communication with federal sponsors. Maegan carries a Blackfeet name by marriage but is an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Tribes and a descendant of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. 

Session Resources

Hope and Healing: Trauma-Informed Care for Justice-Impacted Young People

Transforming Care for Students with Disabilities in Secure Settings

Session Description

This session discussed the prevalence of students with disabilities in the juvenile justice system; common barriers they face in receiving services when they enter a correctional program; requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and practical steps facilities, school districts, and State education agencies can take to remedy these issues.

Session Presenters

• Kris Henning, Director, Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative, Georgetown Law
• Deborah Spitz, Group Leader, Office of School Support and Accountability, U.S. Department of Education
• Tayo Belle, Deputy Director, School Justice Project

Session Resources

Transforming Care for Students with Disabilities in Secure Settings