DIVERSION DATA
Each quarter, we publish data dashboards to update our partners and communities on the process and impact of diversion on participating youth. We are committed to equity-centered evaluation and transparent data ethics and are always working to improve our approach to advancing racial equity and youth development through youth diversion. A snapshot of diversion for DCFS-involved youth can be found here.
REPORTS
The Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development created a year-in-review to share accomplishments from our first year and our plans for the future. You can also view our year-in-review summary for a brief overview of our first year.
RDA Consulting completed a process and implementation evaluation of the DYD Youth Diversion and Development program in late 2022, including a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) component. High-level process evaluation findings and recommendations are summarized here. Deeper analysis on youth diversion program outcomes, equity, and cost will be completed in 2024. Check out the summary of the evaluation findings and recommendations here.
With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a group of partners and youth leaders who were part of the collaborative process that designed Los Angeles County’s Youth Diversion and Development model created this collaborative history as a roadmap to inform and empower other youth and their allies who are interested in developing a similar approach in their communities. This collaborative history includes stories of why and how Los Angeles County’s approach to youth diversion and youth development came to be.
In 2021, the Division of Youth Diversion and Development (YDD) partnered with the Workforce Development, Aging, and Community Services (WDACS) Department to establish a YDD Youth Fellowship. One of our inaugural Youth Fellows worked with YDD’s Research & Policy team to develop these data-informed recommendations for addressing barriers to enrollment in youth diversion programming with a focus on young women of color as part of her Fellowship.
TOOLKITS
Human Impact Partners collaborated with the YDD program and community leaders in Los Angeles County to develop this evaluation framework focused on advancing racial equity in youth diversion. This evaluation tool is an important resource for our program and for any effort seeking to equitably reduce justice system involvement and improve wellbeing for young people. Ensuring racial equity requires measuring the outcomes of Black and Brown youth at key touchpoints. This framework presents metrics for assessing racial equity as well as promising practices for ensuring racial equity at each touchpoint.
UCLA Law’s Criminal Justice Program published a toolkit to provide helpful information for jurisdictions looking to develop pre-arrest or pre-booking youth diversion programs. It will also be useful to those jurisdictions that have already adopted diversion programs in their jurisdictions but are looking to further develop the legal rules and policy guidance that is essential for successful implementation.
The Vera Institute of Justice partnered with YDD to explore gaps in capacity for young people in child welfare placements. Following extensive conversations with YDD and diversion providers, this toolkit was developed to offer diversion providers best practice tips and recommendations on how to best support young people living in group homes while receiving diversion services. The goal is to support diversion providers in their efforts to prevent deeper system involvement from happening.