The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice, in close partnership with the Juvenile Law Center (JLC), is pleased to announce the availability of a new, online resource for jurisdictions taking on information and data sharing reform:
Information Sharing Tool Kit, Second Edition
www.infosharetoolkit.org
Through the support of the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change: Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice initiative, RFK Children’s Action Corps and JLC developed a model framework to address the complexities of information and data sharing, detailed in the Information Sharing Tool Kit (2008). The Second Edition of this resource is now available as an interactive website, designed to provide users with a hands-on learning experience and assist communities seeking to create and implement information and data sharing initiatives to achieve better outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
The Tool Kit guides users through the consideration of relevant laws and policies, the purposes and value of information sharing, the appropriate limits on sharing, and how to minimize the potential negative collateral consequences of information sharing such as self-incrimination and net widening. The framework detailed in the Tool Kit addresses three levels of information and data sharing:
Category One: Information sharing for purposes of individual case planning and decision-making. This involves the collection and sharing of personally identifiable information to better coordinate case planning on behalf of individual children and their families.
Category Two: Data collection and sharing for law, policy and program development. The goal in Category Two is to develop aggregated data on the characteristics of specific case populations to improve policies and practices and better coordinate responses involving multiple agencies.
Category Three: Data collection and sharing for program evaluation and performance measurement. The goal of Category Three is to develop aggregated data to measure performance and the effectiveness of programs and practices designed to improve child and family outcomes.
The Information Sharing Tool Kit, Second Edition provides a section on each category and features a variety of learning resources, including:
- A comprehensive federal law overview
- Interactive scenarios based on real-life situations to test your knowledge of the law
- Multiple tools including templates for interagency agreements and sample release forms
- Principles or positive values for responsible information sharing
- Step-by-step guidelines to develop and implement an information/data collection and sharing project
- Case studies from various jurisdictions
To learn more, please visit the Information Sharing Tool Kit, Second Edition website!
www.infosharetoolkit.org