The OJJDP is offering this grant to enhance juvenile drug treatment courts and improve outcomes for youth with substance use disorders.

OJJDP’s guiding philosophy is to enhance the welfare of America’s youth and broaden their opportunities for a better future. To bring these goals to fruition, OJJDP is leading efforts to transform the juvenile justice system into one that will Treat Children as Children; Serve Children at Home, With Their Families, in their Communities; and Open Up Opportunities for System-Involved Youth. OJJDP encourages all proposed applications that work with youth to highlight how the proposed program aligns with these priorities.

OJJDP envisions a juvenile justice system centered on the strengths, needs, and voices of youth and families. Young people and family members with lived experience are vital resources for understanding and reaching persons involved or at risk of involvement with youth-serving systems. OJJDP asks stakeholders to join us in sustainably integrating bold, transformative youth and family partnership strategies into our daily work. OJJDP believes in achieving positive outcomes for youth, families, and communities through meaningful engagement and active partnerships, ensuring they play a central role in collaboratively developing solutions.

Applicants must describe how their proposed project/program will integrate and sustain meaningful youth and family partnerships into their project plan and budget. Depending on the nature of an applicant’s proposed project, youth and family partnership could consist of one or more of the following:

Individual-level partnership in case planning and direct service delivery (before, during, and after contact with youth-serving systems).
Agency-level partnership (e.g., in policy, practice, and program development, implementation, and evaluation; staffing; advisory bodies; budget development).
System-level partnership (e.g., in strategic planning activities, system improvement initiatives, advocacy strategies, reform efforts).

With this solicitation, OJJDP seeks to build the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Tribal governments to implement new and innovative approaches to enhance existing juvenile drug treatment courts and improve outcomes for youth with substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders, including histories of trauma.

When describing substance use, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, uses the term “substance use disorder” for the clinical and functional assessment of an individual’s recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs that causes significant impairment, such as health problems; disabilities; or failure to meet work, school, or home responsibilities. For more information, see https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders/substance­­­­-use.