Services at the JAC
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The Transformations program provides individual and family counseling to assist families in preventing youth from engaging in delinquent behavior. There is no cost for the services. For information, call (239) 344-5109. Transformations is provided at the JAC through a partnership with Lutheran Services of Florida and funding through Lee County's Partnering for Results grant program.
Intervention groups are designed to work with youth and their families to learn healthy ways to deal with behaviors and emotions, especially those associated with substance use or poor anger control. Intervention groups focus on developing positive coping skills, identifying anger triggers, enhancing decision making skills, improving communication skills, and coping with peer pressure. There is no cost to participate. For more information about the intervention groups call (239) 772-1211. The intervention groups are provided through a partnership with Southwest Florida Addictions Services.
Truancy Intervention Program (TIP)
For some youth, patterns of not attending school may start as early as elementary and middle school. The Truancy Intervention Program, or TIP, works with elementary and middle school youth with attendance problems to prevent them from becoming habitually truant. Students identified by their school social worker as having chronic non-attendance and their parents or guardians are requested to attend a TIP conference at the JAC as a last opportunity to comply with Florida's mandatory school attendance before legal action is initiated. At the TIP conference the youth and parents are informed of the importance of school attendance, the seriousness of the legal sanctions for non-attendance, and school district policies. The TIP committee also attempts to identify other factors involved and steer the family in the right direction to avoid judicial action. Families are advised of other schooling choices and other community resources that may assist them. TIP is operated in partnership with the Lee County School District and the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
A civil citation program is coordinated by the JAC, in partnership with the Office of the State Attorney, through a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice grant. Civil citation provides an alternative to arrest with timely interventions for juveniles committing minor crimes. Youth are typically assigned community services hours and/or a service learning project as a consequence of their offense.
Free drug test kits are provided to parents of non-arrested youth at the JAC. Along with the kits, parents receive information on how to use the kits as a drug prevention tool, ideas for talking to youth about drug use, warning signs of substance abuse, and information on resources in the community to assist parents if their child does test positive for an illegal drug. Parents will need to spend approximately five minutes with assessment center staff to receive instructions on how to use the drug test kits. The drug test kits can be picked up at the JAC at 2117 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., in Fort Myers during regular business hours. (Available while supplies last.)
