The National Resource Center partners with youth justice agencies and system stakeholders to strengthen case management practices through the Growth-Focused Youth Justice Case Management (GFCM) framework. GFCM is designed to enhance existing supervision and case planning approaches by integrating strengths-based, developmentally informed strategies that support youth in building a positive identity and moving toward long-term desistance from offending.
Through a collaborative and tailored approach, we support jurisdictions in aligning policy, practice, and day-to-day case management with research on adolescent development, motivation, and behavior change. Our work focuses on helping practitioners move beyond compliance-driven models toward approaches that actively engage youth in their own growth and development.
Benefits of GFCM
Traditional case management approaches often emphasize risk reduction and compliance with court ordered requirements. While these elements are critical, research demonstrates that long-term behavior change is more likely when youth are supported in developing a prosocial identity, building skills, and engaging in meaningful opportunities for growth.
GFCM builds on the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) model by incorporating structured, strengths-based strategies that:
- Engage youth as active participants in case planning
- Promote future orientation and positive identity development
- Support motivation for sustained behavior change
- Align supervision practices with long-term desistance goals
On-the-Ground Technical Assistance
Our GFCM technical assistance initiatives are tailored to the unique needs of each jurisdiction and are designed to support the integration of growth-focused case management practices into existing youth justice systems. Through a combination of coaching, training, and strategic planning, we work with jurisdictions to assess current practices, identify opportunities for alignment, and implement sustainable improvements.
As a newer area of focus, GFCM technical assistance may be delivered as targeted engagement or integrated into broader system reform efforts.
Learn more about our on-site GFCM Training.
Who We Work With
We partner with a range of youth justice and community stakeholders, including:
- Youth Justice Leadership and Management
- Probation Officers and Case Managers
- Judges and Court Leadership
- Attorneys (e.g., prosecutors, public defenders)
- Behavioral Health Providers and Clinicians
- Community-Based Service Providers
- System Planning and Policy Staff
GFCM Resources
This work is advanced by several publications (available in our Online Resource Library) that delve into research, best practice, and frameworks that can be applied by jurisdictions seeking to implement GFCM:
Webinar – Compliance Is Not Enough: Empowering Youth to Grow Out of Offending [VIDEO]
Presenters: Jonathan I. Cloud (Youth Justice Consultant), Robert Bermingham (Fairfax County, Virginia), & Melissa Graham (Milwaukee County, Wisconsin)
Hosts: Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice & OJJDP’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC), 2021