Citation

Skola EP, Williamson K. Fam. Court Rev. 2012; 50(3): 405-412.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1744-1617.2012.01456.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Truancy Intervention Project (TIP) was organized in 1991 in response to the growing truancy problem in Atlanta. Since 1991, through early intervention counseling and in-court volunteer mentoring programs, TIP has represented over 6,000 of Georgia's truant or at-risk children. TIP pairs volunteers (attorney and nonattorneys) with children who are not attending school and their families in the hopes that by working together they can get to the root of the problem and get the children back in school. Further, TIP provides its families with the resources and services necessary to ensure good attendance and success in school. By keeping kids in school, TIP and its volunteers are successful in reducing the rates of juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, and illiteracy in Georgia. Key Points for Family Court Community: The article provides the history and overview of Georgia's Truancy Intervention Project (TIP), which works with truant and at-risk children and their families to get the children back in school., TIP's Early Intervention Initiative works with elementary schools to identify and counsel chronically absent children to develop a plan to prevent future absences and divert children from the juvenile justice system., TIP has expanded geographically within Georgia, and cities across the country have replicated the TIP program., Through collaboration with the Fulton County Juvenile Court, TIP has unique access to a designated judge for handling truancy cases and a group of probation officers dedicated solely to working with students charged with truancy., One aspect of TIP that sets it apart from other truancy-prevention programs is its heavy reliance on trained volunteers, particularly those from the local legal community., TIP receives funding from several private and public sources, including United Way, grants, federal funding, and the legal community.

KEYWORDS: Juvenile justice; Juvenile delinquency;