Teaching Offenders and Parents Practical Skills (TOPPS)

Program Goals

To provide juveniles and their families with a comprehensive array of services designed to address the various risk factors normally associated with youth delinquency.

Funded By

The Governor’s Office for Children and Families

Target Population

TOPPS will offer a juvenile delinquency program that will provide early intervention and prevention activities for 40 high-risk youth and juvenile offenders, age 11 to 17.

Our objectives are to:

The T.O.P.P.S. program will service 40 unduplicated youth annually.
Forty (40) youth will complete a minimum of 40 hours and/or maximum of 60 program hours annually.
Ten (25% percent) of participants will exhibit a decrease in anti-social behaviors.
Ten youth (25%) will exhibit a decrease in substance abuse.
Sixteen parents (40% of parents) will be served by the program annually.
Sixteen families (100% of participating families) will document program satisfaction.
Thirty-two youth (80%) will document program satisfaction.
Thirty-eight youth (98%) will complete the program requirements.

Evaluations

The evaluation tools will include:

Self reports, report cards and school attendance from participants;
Surveys completed by probation officers to establish baseline data, changes in behavior, specific information needed pertaining to program outcomes;
Pre test and post tests on prevention and intervention classes;
Parent surveys;
Role plays;
Skill demonstrations;
Daily program attendance forms.