Operation Embrace, Dominion Ministries

1. Mission: To alert the faith community of juvenile
justice issues and to create lasting partnerships
that enhance the lives of youth and families

2. What Is Operation Embrace?
• Operation Embrace is faith and community partners
coming together to assist the community in reducing
juvenile crime
• Operation Embrace is an extended community
support system
• Operation Embrace relies on faith and community
volunteers
• Operation Embrace is a way faith and community
partners can embrace the needs of families through
referrals to support services.

3. What Operation Embrace Is NOT?
• Operation Embrace is NOT:
– Case management
– A service provider = treatment
– Mental health/Psychiatric services
– Individual/family counseling
– Substance abuse counseling
– A replacement of the Juvenile Probation Officers’(JPO) or
Case Managers’ responsibilities
– Legal advice
– Funding

4. In Partnership With
Fifteenth
Judicial
Circuit
Dominion
Ministries,
Inc.

5. Who Will Be Served ?
• Court-involved youth and families in Palm Beach
County
– Youth/families may be referred by:
• The Court
• Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)
• Operation Embrace Coordinator
• Various levels of involvement in the juvenile justice
system are eligible:
– Intake
– Diversion
– Probation/Post-Commitment Probation

6. Support Services Offered
• Mentoring
• Pro-social activities
• Vocational/Internships opportunities
• Family support
• Community hubs

7. Mentoring
• Minimum of a one (1) year commitment between
youth or family and the adult volunteer
• Partner with community mentoring agencies
• All volunteers must complete and pass a
background screening

8. Pro-Social Activities
• Community activities including but not limited to:
–
–
–
–
–
After school programming
Extracurricular activities
Sports
Tutoring
Youth groups
• Community recreational facilities/clubs, such as:
– Youth Empowerment Centers
– Boys & Girls Clubs

9. Vocational/Internships
Opportunities
• Local businesses and schools to offer job training,
work experience and leadership development

10. Family Support
• Wrap-around support for the entire family:
– Someone to talk to
– Regular, personal contact
– “Lending a hand”
• Assisting the family to navigate the “system” and
help identify and access community resources

11. Community Hubs
• Utilization of community facilities to host family
meetings, group sessions, etc.
– Probation Field Offices
– Youth Empowerment Centers
– Faith and Community Centers/locations

12. Operation Embrace Coordinator
• Who?
• Dedicated volunteer with experience in a related
field and strong desire to help youth/families in
the community
• Roles/Responsibilities:
– Serve as the liaison between the 15th Judicial
Circuit and the Operation Embrace program
– Oversee all volunteer activities
– Coordinate referrals and assist faith and community
partners
– Recruit new partners as necessary
– Maintain statistical information

13. Volunteer Qualifications
• Desire to work with youth and families in the juvenile
justice system
• Ability to volunteer time and provide your own
expenses
• **minimum of one (1) year commitment
• Ability to pass a background screening
• Participation in an interview and orientation training
session
• Willingness to provide own expenses

14. Roles of the Volunteers
• Maintain monthly contact with Operation Embrace
Coordinator
• Maintain notes on youth and family contacts
• Provide status reports
• Assist families with resource needs as necessary
• Participate in training sessions as scheduled
• Weekly contact with youth and/or family:
• Includes phone and face to face contacts
• Minimum of (4) hours per month face to face
contact

15. Referral Form
• Begins the referral process for youth/families to
become involved with Operation Embrace
• Completed by the Juvenile Probation Officer,
Court Case Manager or Operation Embrace
Coordinator
• Email the completed form to the Operation
Embrace Coordinator and Juvenile Court
Operations Manager:
– bonnerjaydeb@juno.com, caltaro@pbcgov.com

16. Family Needs Meeting
• At the initial meeting, Operation Embrace
Coordinator will talk with the family to obtain the
following types of information:
– Demographics
– Individual needs of the youth (mental health,
substance abuse, peers, school), needs of the family
– Additional information
• On-going communication between the Operation
Embrace Coordinator and JPO/Case Worker is
crucial to the youth/family’s success
• Release of Information will be completed to
maintain confidentiality

17. Confidentiality & Information Sharing
• Release of Information
– Form which allows for the sharing of
information between only those agencies
approved by the youth/family participating in
the program
– Operation Embrace Coordinator will
complete this form with the youth/family at
the initial meeting
• Mandatory volunteer training will cover
matters pertaining to maintaining
confidentiality, information sharing
and incident reporting

18. Program Completion
• Relationships are everlasting!
• Operation Embrace Coordinator will complete (in
collaboration with the volunteers) and forward a
Program Update Form to the Juvenile Court
Operations Manager 90 days after the initial intake
• Additional updates will be available upon request
from the Operation Embrace Coordinator

19. Pilot Program
• The initial pilot program will target serve
15 youth/families in the initial year in the
Palm Beach County area.

20. Data Collection
• Program data will be maintained to identify
successes and necessary enhancements to
the program
• Program files will be maintained at the
Operation Embrace Office

21. Next Steps
• Recruitment of volunteers (on-going)
• Implement and host orientation sessions
– Operation Embrace Coordinator
– Juvenile Court Operations Manager
• Update community stakeholders
– Juvenile Division meeting
– Juvenile Justice Board meeting

22. In Collaboration With
• Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO)
• New Beginnings Community Development
Center

23. CONTACT INFORMATION
• Operation Embrace
Operation Embrace Coordinator
Jay Bonner
(561) 389-2189
bonnerjaydeb@juno.com
•Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
Juvenile Court Operations Manager
Cristy Altaro
(561) 355-6586
caltaro@pbcgov.com