Judicial Buy-in
Although judges in Hampton still order correctional placements, they have not ordered placements in any residential facility since 2007.
This success story describes how the child-serving agencies of Hampton, Virginia, collaborated to achieve better outcomes for children and families. By emphasizing prevention and building a smart array of services and supports, more of Hampton’s children now live safely with their families, reducing the need for child welfare or juvenile justice group placements. This report shows how the city’s child-serving agencies and providers offer help earlier, before higher-level problems occur. With the collaboration, children served by public systems are rarely removed from their families, and not one child has been placed in a group setting since 2009.
Hampton has been remarkably successful in getting children out of group homes, reducing foster care and using pooled funding, community-based prevention and intervention services to keep children safely with their families. The city’s success is due largely to the willingness of the justice system and child-serving agencies to work together on a weekly basis.