Probation officers' perspectives on interagency collaboration for juvenile offenders with mental health problems

This study examined the interagency collaboration strategies used by juvenile probation officers in the treatment of delinquent youths.

Thirty-one juvenile probation officers were interviewed about the strategies they use with youths who have mental disorders. Transcriptions of these interviews were analyzed with grounded-theory conventions.

Interagency collaboration was described in a framework of three models. The monitoring model involved minimal involvement of probation officers with treatment providers, the teamwork model involved collaborative decision making and frequent consultation, and the partnership model involved the direct involvement of probation officers in the treatment process.

Results of this study provide a framework for conceptualizing interagency collaboration and juvenile court authority. This framework may be used in case and program planning as well as in research to develop evidence-based strategies for the treatment of court-involved youths with mental disorders.