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PROGRAM PLAN (page 2 of 3) Summarize the risk and resource assessment that has been conducted for the targeted area, including the needs or risk factors that will be met by the proposed project: The Unruly Diversion program addresses many of the risk factors, The Uniform Judicial Court Act defines the unruly child as "habitually disobedient of the reasonable and lawful commands of the parent, guardian, or other custodian and is ungovernable", Family management problems and family conflict are two risk factors predictive of all five of the problem behaviors (substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school and violence), While the definition of unruly refers to the reasonable commands of parents, the unruly adolescent often behaves in the same manner while in school. In the school domain certain predictive risk factors are also present including "early and persistent anti-social behavior, academic failure beginning in late elementary school and lack of commitment to school. Finally, these behaviors extend to relationships with their peers as reflected in alienation and rebelliousness, friends who engage in problem behavior, favorable altitudes toward the problem behavior and the early initiation of problem behavior, These risk factors come to the attention of the community in a variety of ways, The child welfare system is investigating "adolescent maltreatment"; the court is citing youth for running away and curfew problems; the school is seeking to remedy truancy, suspension, school failure and school behavior (teasing and taunting) and homeless programs see youth who have been "kicked out or pushed out" of their homes, In Cass County the official statistics reflect the problem: ~ 2,276 offenses were committed in Cass County in 2002 (Kids Count)) ~ 412 youth were charged with unruly offenses in 2002 (Kids Count) ~ 11.9% of youth in the Search Survey reported that "in the lastfourweeks they skipped school 2 or more times, 3.3% skipped more than 6 days ~ 249 dropped out of school in the 2002-03 school year according to Kids Count ~ 981 child abuse and neglect reports were filed in 2002 in Cass County (NO Oept of Human Services) ~ 815 children in Cass County were impacted by domestic violence in 2002 (NO Council of Abused Women's Services) Youthworks statistics show that: ~ 68 students were referred to the Youthworks out-of-school suspension program in the last semester of the 2004-05 school year ~ 35 truants were referred to Youthworks truancy program in 2004 ~ 139 youth were in the diversion program in 2004 The unruly diversion program focuses exclusively on adolescents with unruly behavior in the home, at school and with peers, In 2003-05, nineteen percent (19%) of the population referred for diversion services were minority youth. Youthworks has provided services to minority youth since its inception, All of the staff has received training in cultural competency, An understanding of cultural issues is critical to professional licensure and all of the staff in the diversion project are licensed social workers, Youthworks does serve youth that do not speak English, and interpreters are available. Youthworks has just begun working with Cultural Central in Moorhead where the we will provide homework assistance and recreation-leisure programming at their site,