Wisconsin Juvenile Court Intake Association Minutes

HIGHLIGHTS OF MINUTES
April 27, 2007
Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI

President’s Report

Correspondence 2008 Conference Update - President Tom Matykowski reports discussions with WJOA are ongoing at the current time.
Case Problems A situation was presented to the WJCIA Board regarding a recent court ruling that would require legal representation be present at intake inquiries for juveniles 14 years of age and under. All Board members present agree with the current interpretation of the state statutes requirement for legal counsel. The current practice is to require representation at the beginning of court proceedings for juveniles 14 years of age and under. Court proceedings have been determined to begin at the filing of a petition based on current practice.
Timelines if a 72-hour hold is used in conjunction with a temporary physical custody (TPC) request. Board members present report the procedure for timelines can vary from one county to another. Intake workers should consult with their local policies and procedures.
Question regarding ordering a Type II status until a juvenile’s 18th birthday. Board members present agreed that a Type II status can only be ordered for two years or until the juvenile’s 18th birthday.
Report of some challenging situations with after-hours on-call. Situation regarding responsibility for juveniles who are taken into custody in one county but reside in another. Board members present agree that the county with the juvenile in custody is responsible for the immediate intake custody decision. Counties should refer to the Inter-Agency County Agreement as a guideline to handle responsibilities and disagreements.
Request for clarification on the procedure for permanency planning for juveniles placed in DOC institutions. All Board members present were in agreement that while in these settings, permanency plans are not completed by counties. After they are released, either the state aftercare agent or the county worker providing supervision is responsible for permanency planning.

Department of Corrections Report – Gretchen Kubnick

Gretchen Kubnick provided handouts with an updated listing of DOC staff with contact information, and copies of several new bills introduced into the State Legislature, including the “Threat to Harm Social Worker Bill”.
A short discussion was held regarding a reverse waiver hearing taking place in Sauk County. The recent update of the Juvenile Justice Code 938, left out a paragraph addressing reverse waiver hearings for certain charges, resulting in the current hearing. She does not know if this will be reviewed during the upcoming legislative session.
The State of WI will be involved in an ongoing audit on the issue of returning 17 year olds back to the juvenile justice system. The purpose is to get data on this population and impact on the juvenile justice system.
Update on discussions regarding basic intake worker training. The plan being considered would allow trainees to complete part of the training on a web-based program. They would then complete the course and take the exam at the traditional onsite location. The goal of this approach would be to reduce costs and the number of training days workers spend out of the office. Gretchen reports the Department is willing to work with the current trainers to determine what type of information could be placed on the web-based portion and what should be presented at a face-to-face training. This will be an on-going discussion.

Committee Reports

Conference Committee
Conference planning is going well.
A new two-year membership option will be added to the registration form. Presenter information will be placed on a compact disk to help reduce the cost of printing.
Site Committee
Conference Site Committee is waiting for direction from the full Board for the 2008 Conference.
Newsletter Committee
The deadline for the next edition of Prima Facie is May 15, 2007.
Curriculum Committee
The committee reviewed test questions from the last basic intake worker training. Committee recommends no changes to the current questions. The Committee requests direction from the full Board regarding a possible advanced intake training for the Spring 2008. Board members present all agree the Committee should begin a planning process as soon as possible at the next board meeting.
Mission Statement Committee
Board members are requested to review the statement for secure detention facilities. A change was recommended to remove language referring to Chapter 48 because it no longer applies following the creation of Chapter 938.
Nomination Committee
There are three Board members reported to be leaving in 07. The Committee is looking for new candidates.
Legislative Committee
The Committee is currently tracking several new bills including: AB-269 Threat to Harm Social Workers, SB-103 Changes language for certain crimes against children, and AB-249 Would allow the court to order conditions for juveniles pending adjudication similar to bond conditions in adult court.
Training Committee
The committee is looking for feedback on the issue of non-County employees attending basic intake worker training. It was previously decided that anyone who completes basic intake worker training prior to being hired by a County agency must retake the training in order to become a Certified Intake Worker. The Committee’s current position is for the training to be limited to County employees only. .

Regional Meetings

Region 1
The last meeting was well attended. Northwest Passage presented information. The next meeting is scheduled for May 9, 2007.
Region 2
At the current time, no future meetings are set.
Region 3
Regional meeting held on April 14, 2007. Homme Home presented updates on their program. The next meeting is scheduled for July 13, 2007.
Region 4
Ongoing attendance problems
Region 5
Meeting was held on February 20, 2007 in Appleton. Mary Adell from the State presented information on Act V guidelines. The next meeting will include a legislative update on May 15, 2007.
Region 6
Gretchen Kubnick was at meeting with updates. The next meeting date is not available at this time..
Region 7
Region has not met.

Special Assignments

WCHSA Met on February 16, 2007, in Stevens Point. Issues discussed included the possibility of returning 17 year olds to the Juvenile Justice System. They are reviewing options to gather data on how this could impact counties. Possibilities included using the 16 year old population as a comparison to 17 year olds. The concerns continue to be financial and impact on workloads.
WCHSA also met April 20, 2007 in Madison. Issues discussed included an audit the State is doing regarding the possible return of 17 year olds to the juvenile justice system. Also discussed upcoming changes with Title IV-E funding. The State is reviewing options regarding funding and the possibility of how to respond if the funding is cut or reduced in the future. The next meeting is scheduled for June 15, 2007 in Stevens Point.
WARP The WARP Committee met on February 23, 2007 in Fond du Lac and discussed the possibility of garnishing minors’ wages for restitution. The Wisconsin Restitution Association will be holding their conference on May 10-11, 2007 in Wisconsin Rapids. They will be doing a joint conference with the Restorative Justice Group. The next meeting is scheduled on August 17 or 24, 2007.
Department of Juvenile Corrections TAC Committee The next meeting will be on June 1, 2007. Issues to be discussed include: basic intake worker training with the possibility of a web-based component.

The next meeting date will be June 7-8, 2007 at the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells.