In order to successfully divert truant youth from court, a multidisciplinary team must be assembled. Judge Joan Byer, a family court judge in Louisville, Ky., and her colleagues in the school and community say that teams need to make sure the following roles are represented, in addition to a judge:

• Family Advocate: This should be a seasoned social worker who is familiar with the services available in the community and knows how to work through the system to get them delivered quickly. Local government agencies of the courts might be willing to lend a social worker to the program. In Louisville, the program received eight social workers from the Department of Human Services of Jefferson County. Planners were also able to negotiate with Juvenile Justice to give them a social worker.

• Local School Attendance Clerk: This member of the team keeps an accurate record of participants' attendance and reports these figures to the central office for statistical research.

• Youth Service Center/School Counselor: This school-based person works toward establishing and maintaining a positive rapport with the truant families. He or she also works to get community organizations and businesses involved in implementing incentive programs for attendance, academic achievement, and behavioral improvement. He or she will also work with the school staff in giving additional help to students in the program, and provide transportation, if needed for the Family Advocate's home visit.

• Educational Liaison: This is a teacher who acts as the academic connection between program participants and the school staff. The teacher communicates concerns of the teachers to the team, makes recommendations to families regarding matters such as tutoring or summer school, and helps to fine-tune schedules and classroom activities.

From:

Truancy, literacy and the courts: A user's manual for setting up a truancy intervention program. (2001). Washington, DC: American Bar Association.