This report was published by the Cross-Over Youth Project.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

The Cross-Over Youth Pilot Project (the Project) was designed as a four-year pilot project, that set out to implement and evaluate a range of best practice options that were aimed at improving outcomes of young people who were dually involved in the child welfare and youth justice systems in Ontario. The first site was a youth court located in Toronto’s downtown core. The intent of Toronto’s court-centric site was to develop intersectoral solutions to issues cross-over youth were facing when they entered the justice system. The Toronto site at the 311 Jarvis Street Court House was selected, in part, because the Court was already comprised of two-hatter judges who preside in both child welfare and youth justice courts. These judges had, for several years, been trying to address cross jurisdictional issues by bringing the systems together, when youth enmeshed in both jurisdictions were identified. Toronto was also chosen to capture the large city culture, with its inherent problems of communication and coordination within and across multiple sectors.