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Drugs and Alcohol
Runaway
Truancy
Youth Court Probation Intervention
Prevention Is Critical
So Your Child is Out of Control.......
The teen years are trying times for the teenager who struggles to become independent, pushing rules to limits and beyond, finding acceptance among peers, learning to make decisions and accepting responsibility for those decisions. It is a trying time for parents who sometimes find their children, once eager to please and obey, suddenly defiant, moody, and out of control.
Montana law and the Richland County Youth Court Probation Office through policy allow for intervention when defiance becomes chronic and habitual and the parents believe their child to be beyond their control. Section 41-5-103(50)(b) defines a youth in need of intervention as one who "continues to exhibit behavior, including running away from home or habitual truancy, beyond the control of the youth's parents, foster parents, physical custodian, or guardian despite the attempt of the youth's parents, physical custodian, or guardian to exert all reasonable efforts to mediate, resolve, or control the youth's behavior."
This definition is somewhat subjective and allows for discretion in interpretation. As a parent, it may be helpful to ask yourself: Have I set reasonable rules and clearly defined limits/boundaries, guidelines and expectations for my child? Have I made those rules and expectations clear and understandable? How have I dealt with violations of those rules? Have I set clear consequences? Have I been consistent in following through with the enforcement of those rules/consequences? Have I limited access to those I feel are influencing or leading my child to behave in out of control manners? Have I made the effort to communicate with my child? Have I listened to my child and truly heard what my child has to say? Do I make an effort to treat my child with respect and dignity? Have I taken the time to become involved with my child and his or her interests? Do I set aside special time on a regular basis to spend time with my child alone and in a family activity? Have I sought outside intervention/education, such as family or individual counseling, parenting classes, relative support, to deal with the problems not resolved within the family unit? Remember, even though it may be easier to blame our children, what occurs within the family affects all members. That is one reason why family counseling may be helpful in addressing problems.
Before outlining Youth Court Probation procedures on handling youth in need of intervention cases, it may be helpful to provide information on the issues of drugs, alcohol, truancy, and running away behavior.
Many teenagers try drugs and alcohol on an experimental basis for a variety of reasons. Such experimentation does not mean that your child is chemically dependent. It is important to address the issues of drug and alcohol by talking with your child and by providing accurate information and educational materials. If you suspect or have reason to believe that your child is ingesting drugs and/or alcohol, you may seek appropriate intervention by calling DISTRICT II ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROGRAM, 209 2nd Street SE, Sidney, MT, 433-4097 or MRC ADDICTION SERVICES, 1405 4th Street SW, Sidney, MT 488-7966. You may need to discuss your concerns with a trained professional chemical dependency counselor. In addition, area schools provide educational and other drug and alcohol related programming for students. For more information on these programs, call the school's counselor or administrator.
Habitual Truancy means recorded absences of 10 days or more of unexcused absences in a semester or absences without prior written approval of a parent or a guardian. Examine your own values toward getting an education. There are a variety of reasons why your child may skip or not attend school and you need to be in constant touch with school authorities before this behavior becomes a habit. Some say truancy is a stepping stone to delinquent and criminal activity and that it is directly linked to alcohol/drug abuse, emotional distress and daytime crime. The influence(s) need to be identified and dealt with before it is too late and your child is facing suspension or you are facing an appearance before the City Judge or Justice of the Peace due to your child's truancy. Here are three areas that may be contributing to the truancy: (1) Your values/attitudes toward education (2) Your child's values/attitudes toward education (3) Anything going on at school: (ie) peer relationships, fears, teacher relationships. Prevention is the key here. Evaluate and communicate. You may have to drag your kid out of bed and to school. If need be, ask for help from friends, other family members, or the School District's Truant Officer.
Under Montana law, running away from home means that a youth has been reported to have run away from home without the consent of a parent or guardian or a custodian having legal custody of the youth. However, frustrating and frightening as such behavior may be for parents, it does not constitute grounds to remove youths from their homes and jail them. Here are some steps to be taken if your child has run away:
(1) Take time to analyze the situation. Are there suspicious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of your child? Were there no precipitating events that would lead the child to leave home such as a family fight or school problems? If your child has never run away before and you believe foul play may be involved, contact law enforcement immediately. If you have no reason to believe that foul play is involved, take some time before contacting authorities. Check with the school to see if your child attended all classes that day. Check with friends of your child and their parents. Check out favorite hangouts frequented by your child. Only after such possibilities have been exhausted should you notify law enforcement.
(2) Contacting law enforcement. Call the Richland County Law Enforcement Center at 433-2919 and depending where you reside you will be put in contact with the appropriate Department, either the Sidney Police, the Richland County Sheriff or the Fairview Police. Request that an Attempt to Locate (ATL) be put out on your child. Provide law enforcement with a complete physical description of your child as well as what clothing your child was last seen wearing and a recent photograph. Please include a list of places you have checked, to include friends and hangouts. You will be asked by law enforcement to fill out a written statement(parental complaint) against your child before the ATL is put out.
(3) ATL's will be put out on your child by law enforcement. Law Enforcement officials may be inundated with calls from angry parents whose children have broken curfew and return within a few hours after the ATL is put out. Remember, officers are busy, so please refrain from using them as a threat to your child for violations of curfew. There are other, more appropriate consequences for curfew violations
( i.e.) grounding, taking away privileges such as television, stereo or driving a car. After, the ATL is put out, call in new leads to law enforcement as they occur. It is the responsibility of the parent to pick up your own child. If your child returns home while the ATL is out, contact law enforcement immediately to advise them of this fact.
(4)Once your child is located by law enforcement, you will be notified to pick up your child and, if necessary, to schedule intervention.
Youth Court Probation Intervention
If you have involved law enforcement due to your child's behavior, either runaway or other ungovernable behavior, and after talking with the officer and your child you wish to initiate intervention, request the officer to issue your child a Youth Offense Report for Youth In Need of Intervention, at which point an appointment will be scheduled with the Youth Court Probation Office to meet with you and your child to discuss the behavior of concern and the options available for dealing with this behavior. Such intervention may include any or all of the following:
a. Preliminary inquiry (hearing before the probation officer) followed by either counseling, referral, an informal adjustment or an agreement called a Consent Adjustment Without Petition, which may include probation, other consequences set by the probation officer, or any other disposition felt appropriate and agreed upon.
b. Referral to a counselor for individual and/or family counseling;
c. Referral to Alcohol/Drug for counseling or evaluation;
d. Youth Assessment;
e. Family Member Assessment;
f. Referral to parenting classes;
The responsibility of counseling and evaluation/assessment costs will rest with the youth, the parents, their insurance if applicable, or Medicaid/Managed Care, if applicable. Counseling and assesssment services can be sought through the Eastern Montana Mental Health Center, 221 5th ST SW, Sidney, MT, 406-433-4635. In addition, area churches most often provide counseling services for their members. You may also wish to use the yellow pages of your telephone directory. If you have already tried counseling, believe your child to be habitually beyond your control, and can demonstrate that all resources available to you have been exhausted, contact the Youth Court Probation Office to set up an appointment for the preliminary inquiry.
Finally....
Prevention Is Critical
There is no magic cure for the teen years and the problems families experience as their children strive to become healthy, well-adjusted adults. The number one goal of Montana's Youth Court Act is to preserve family unity and to that end, community resources are available. Parenting is hard work. It takes patience, love, communication skills, and getting involved with your child both alone and in family activities. It means expressing appreciation, love, caring, and belonging. It means setting reasonable, clearly defined, age-appropriate limits, rules and consequences for your child. It means effectively and consistently following through and enforcing those rules and limits. If you have any other questions, please contact:
Youth Court Probation Office,
201 West Main, Sidney, MT 59270 ,
Richland County Courthouse, Ground Floor, 406-433-3011