Evident Change and the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab at Drexel University are proud to share “At the Intersection of Child Welfare and Juvenile Legal System Involvement: Research Strategies for Policy and Practice Change.” This paper outlines a research agenda to address needs and challenges faced by dual-system youth, or those who are involved in both the child welfare and juvenile legal systems. The paper is a result of a November 2023 convening that brought together the expertise of people with lived experience in systems as well as researchers, advocates, practitioners, and funders. Convening participants created a cross-sector research agenda, emphasizing the need for ongoing, meaningful collaboration that centers lived expertise at all stages of the research process.
On June 6, 2024, OJJDP and the Children’s Bureau issued a joint letter highlighting the challenges faced by dual system youth, inviting child welfare and juvenile justice professionals to establish cross-systems collaborations to address their complex needs. The letter also describes the results of the OJJDP Dual System Youth Design Study.
