Mahoning County Juvenile Court’s Early Warning System

Mahoning County Juvenile Court, through a grant from the Department of Justice, has partnered with the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board and Alta Behavioral Healthcare to help young people who are struggling behaviorally and academically. The Early Warning System [EWS] program is designed to look at factors such as grades, classroom behaviors and absenteeism to determine if students are at risk for failure, dropping out or are likely to become involved with the Juvenile Justice System.

In addition, any student who is struggling with a life event such as trauma, loss of a loved one or illness can be referred to the EWS team for a screening. Youth receive a free behavioral health screening that looks at a variety of factors including any trauma or substance abuse. The team — which consists of professionals from juvenile court, local schools and Alta — then makes recommendations to the parents or guardians. These may include but are not limited to tutoring, positive social recreational outlets, mentoring, behavioral health services or substance abuse services.