Los Angeles County Municipal Code Ch. 2.119 Department of Youth Development

A department of the County of Los Angeles, which shall be known as the Department of Youth Development, is hereby created (hereafter referred to in this chapter as "Department").

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

The position of Director of the Department of Youth Development is created and hereafter in this chapter, will be referred to as "Director". The Department shall be under the direction and management of the Director.

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

When interpreting this chapter, words and phrases having initial capital letters shall have the following meanings:

A.

"Care Coordination" shall mean the function of coordinating or managing services, opportunities, and support for Youth, Transition Age Youth, and their families or guardians, including assessing strengths, needs, and goals; identifying or managing referrals; and providing other support as needed.

B.

"Criminal Justice" shall mean the system of law enforcement used for all stages of the criminal proceedings and punishment, involving any contact with law enforcement, courts, correctional facilities, and post-release supervision.

C.

"Delinquency Court" shall mean the section of the Juvenile Court in Los Angeles County that handles petitions filed against individuals who were under the age of 18 at time of the alleged offense.

D.

"Reentry" shall mean services, opportunities, and supports provided to Youth and Transition Age Youth as they exit detention or incarceration.

E.

"Transition Age Youth" or "TAY" shall mean individuals between the ages of 18 and 26, acknowledging the science of adolescent development that shows Youth and Transition Age Youth are in stages of development that require approaches that address their unique strengths and needs compared to those developed for adults.

F.

"Youth" shall mean individuals under 18 years of age.

G.

"Youth Development" shall mean the strengths-based approaches to working with Youth, TAY, families, and communities characterized by services, opportunities, and supports that promote care, belonging, and responsibility by empowering young people to develop competencies that enable them to grow and thrive.

H.

"Youth Diversion and Development" (YDD) is a division of Department of Health Services Office of Diversion and Reentry (DHS-ODR) focused on youth diversion and development.

I.

"Youth Diversion" shall mean an intervention that redirects a response to law enforcement contact in order to prevent a young person's involvement or further involvement in the Criminal Justice system and to better align the response to youth development and underlying strengths and needs. This definition includes Youth Diversion at the following stages: pre-arrest, post-arrest, and pre-filing.

J.

"Youth Justice Reimagined" shall mean the vision adopted by the Board of Supervisors on November 24, 2020 based on the collaborative report and recommendations of the same name. This initiative reflects the Board's commitment to transitioning the County's Youth Justice system to the care-first model outlined in the Youth Justice Reimagined report by 2025, pending resolution of the necessary legal, budgetary, and legislative issues.

K.

"Youth Justice" shall mean the system of law enforcement, Probation, or Delinquency Court contact for youth under the age of 18. This definition includes the historical term "Juvenile Justice".

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

The purpose of the Department is to support the development of young people in Los Angeles County by coordinating and building capacity for a wide range of Youth Development services, opportunities, supports, and other efforts to the fullest extent permissible by law. Such efforts include:

A.

Transitioning the County's Youth Justice system consistent with the County's Care-First model.

B.

Coordinating, expanding, and strengthening community-based, and non-clinical holistic care and services to equitably serve Youth and TAY outside of the Youth Justice system and to reduce the population and scope of the Youth Justice system as much as possible.

C.

Developing multidisciplinary decision-making support and coordination for Youth and TAY.

D.

Implementing a continuum of safe and home-like residential settings focused on Youth Development and healing for justice- involved Youth and TAY.

E.

Collaborating with the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) to coordinate care and services for TAY.

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

The Director shall carry out the purposes of the Department. The Director's duties shall include, but are not limited to:

A.

Planning, organizing, and directing all functions of the Department to fulfill the purpose of the Department in accordance with applicable federal, State and local laws, rules, and regulations, as well as ordinances and policies established by the Board of Supervisors.

B.

Coordinating activities, including entering into written agreements where necessary, with those of related County officers and Departments to achieve maximum effectiveness and service to the public.

C.

Expanding support for community-based Youth Diversion services for Youth and TAY.

D.

Supporting Youth Development non-clinical services and opportunities for the Youth and TAY in Los Angeles County, including but not limited to, the following types of services:

Youth Centers

School- and community-based mentorship and Care Coordination

Other services, opportunities, and supports that increase Youth Development

E.

Leading further development of the Youth Justice Reimagined model and advancing related efforts to expand Youth Development and care-first approaches to young people involved in the Justice Systems to the fullest extent permitted by law.

F.

Supporting research and analysis focused on program evaluation and assessing opportunities to equitably advance Youth Development and reduce Youth Justice System contact. Analyzing the County-wide system of care for Youth and TAY involved in the Criminal and Youth Justice Systems, Youth Development, and Youth Diversion, including the equity and

quality of criminal justice, and developing recommendations for improvements, services, and programs to the Board of Supervisors. This shall include informing and recommending policy and legislative priorities and changes to the Board of Supervisors on the County-wide system of care for Youth and TAY.

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

A.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Department shall assume the functions, including any existing funding streams, from the following County departments:

DHS-ODR's YDD.

Any other County functions by further directive of the Board of Supervisors, consistent with the Welfare and Institutions Code and/or federal, State, and local laws, rules, and ordinances.

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)

The Department shall coordinate its activities and delivery of services with the necessary County departments to prevent redundancy, confusion, and achieve maximum effectiveness in service to the public and shall accomplish this through executing one or more agreements.

(Ord. 2022-0021 § 1, 2022.)