Juvenile Justice Family Conferencing (JJFC) is a facilitated dialogue between a youth and their family. It is an opportunity for the family to have a safe conversation about concerns, responsibilities, and expectations, and develop a plan on dealing with identified issues. It is anticipated that a youth and their family will be referred to this process when family issues have been identified by a referral source as a stand-alone process or requested as an additional service for a youth and their family. For example, the usefulness of a JJFC might come to light as the reasons for a youth’s behavior are explored during a Victim Youth Conference. The outcome goal of a JJFC is to put the youth and their family in a better position leading to a greater opportunity for a youth to be successful, both within the family unit and in fulfilling any reparation agreement that was developed if the JJFC follows a Victim Youth Conference. Another benefit of JJFC is the role of a facilitator to be a resource expander. While facilitators cannot refer for services, they can provide families with resources that they may not be aware of, allowing families to get assistance with food, housing, health, or other issues. These issues, if not addressed, can make it much harder for a youth to succeed.
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