Preventing Tomorrow’s Criminals: A Comprehensive Children’s Mental Health & Crime Prevention Framework

This course is offered at no cost to participants, with a suggested donation of $25-100 to support our work to prevent violence and promote safer communities. For those requesting CE credits, there is a charge of $35.

About:

Children who commit delinquent acts between the ages of 7 and 12 have an increased risk of becoming tomorrow’s serious, violent, and chronic offenders. These children tend to be angry, irritable, impulsive, aggressive and likely to have difficulty at school, experience mental health problems, engage in substance use, antisocial behavior and can cost society millions of dollars as they enter into adolescence and adulthood given their social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. They are often seen as the embodiment of their problematic behavior. Dr. Augimeri has spent more than three decades challenging this misconception and bringing awareness to this often “forgotten” group of children by looking past a child’s behavior and, instead, seeing their potential. These children present a unique challenge and require an inimitable approach to help them get back on track; yet formal mechanisms to respond to this group of children are limited.

This session will focus on a comprehensive evidence-based framework developed by the Child Development Institute, in Toronto, Canada that focuses on three key areas: community referral mechanisms, risk/needs assessment, and gender sensitive clinical risk management strategies. The session will highlight the evidence-based SNAP® (Stop Now And Plan) model that inspired the development of this framework over the past 35 years; helping to bring positive, lasting change to the lives of thousands of at-risk children by believing that everyone has the power to change, and that change starts with learning to make better choices, by teaching emotion regulation, self-control, and problem-solving strategies.

Learning Objectives:

Participant will be able to:

1. Develop a better understanding who these children are (risk factors & needs)
2. Assess key things communities should consider having in place to help these vulnerable children and their families
3. Implement key active treatment ingredients to help buffer these risks