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St. Peter's Human Services, Inc. Village of Excellence Training Institute for Girls. Children 's Services Council Be PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire Section B not to exceed one page) 1 . a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? b ) Who has the need ? c) Where do they live ? d) Provide local, state, or national trend data, with reference source, that corroborates that this is an area of need . a . The unacceptable condition is juvenile delinquency that leads to further lives of crime, truancy, dropping out of school , pregnancy, sexual abuse , low self esteem, etc . because the approach has been only to lock up the offenders without changing the behaviors . b . The children in need are at risk females between the ages of 6 and 16 who have exhibited problem behaviors , such as school disciplinary referrals , chronic school truancy, repeated school suspensions , poor academic performance, a history of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs , rebellion, running away, mental and emotional health issues and those with a history of delinquent behavior. c. In Indian River County, 90% of the at risk females involved in the program are from the surrounding community. d . DJJ ' s fact sheet on female juvenile offenders quoted Bill Bankhead, "We have a growing problem with serious delinquency among girls . . . Girls need specialized attention and direction on dealing with issues like peer pressure, self image and goal setting . " There has been a 44 % increase in the number of girls arrested annually for committing crimes during the past 10 years . (Percentage of boys only rose 12 . 5 %) The number of girls arrested for violent felony offenses doubled over the past ten years — and it is expected to continue to climb . In the DJJ report, The Girls Initiative, it stated that girls have unique needs and problems , such as sexual and/or physical abuse , teen pregnancy, poor academic performance and mental health needs . The fact sheet on female offenders states , "The need for appropriate new programs for girls continues . What happens to girls in the system is critical not only because of their large numbers . Girls ' circumstances are different than boys . The relevant issues to girls include avoiding teen pregnancy, getting a good education, learning about health and hygiene, dealing with all kinds of abuse, acquiring parenting skills , developing self esteem and being mentored by a female adult . " (www. d state . fl. us/statsnresearch/factsheets/femaleoffenders .html) 2 . a) Identify similar programs that are currently serving the needs of your targeted population ; b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted population of your program. There are two programs that serve the targeted population, neither of which serve the whole child : la. Gifford Youth Activity Center provides a day program for all youth, not just females . lb . The program does not provide many of the services rendered by our program, i . e . mentoring, meals , overnight stay at the site, one-on-one parent and children discussions , mentoring, tracking the girls for six months after successful completion through DJJ, etc . 2a. Hope Academy provides an alternative program for suspended students from public schools , while the Girl ' s Institute serves the total child, making sure that no child will be left behind . 2b . Hope Academy is not designed to meet the needs of the total child. 5