PURPOSE
The Vision of the Department of Children, Youth and Families:
- Healthy Children and Youth, Strong Families, Diverse Caring Communities
- The Mission of the Department of Children, Youth and Families:
- To partner with families and communities to raise safe and healthy children and youth in a caring environment and to engage respectfully and effectively with people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, classes, genders, sexual orientations, and faiths in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of all individuals, families, tribes, and communities, and protects and preserves the dignity of each.
Guiding Principles
To fulfill our mission, we believe that:
- The family, community, and government share responsibility for children's safety, protection, and well-being through a family- and child-centered wraparound model of
care.
- Decisions are made based on shared input and expertise, which includes the voice of the family, Department, service providers, caregivers, and child.
- Timely permanency is achieved when evident behavioral changes are made demonstrating the ability to create and maintain safe, stable environments for children
and youth.
DOP: 100.0140, V.3 2
- When a family is unable to care for a child or youth, it is our responsibility, in as timely a manner as possible, to ensure the child or youth is provided permanency in their life in a safe, stable, and nurturing home.
- Parents, DCYF staff, natural supports, resource families and caregivers, other community and public agencies, and their staff are partners in providing timely and appropriate high-quality care.
- An integrated continuum of care should emphasize prevention over intervention; and help families access readily available, individualized, and culturally competent services that achieve behavioral changes sustained through natural supports.
- Partnership requires open, honest, and respectful communication fostering an awareness of the quality of services and clear and agreed upon authorities and responsibilities.
- Department staff at all levels should be held accountable to a professional code of conduct.
- As an invaluable resource, staff are entitled to a safe, supportive work environment that fosters professional development.
- Quality improvement is ongoing, utilizing external and internal performance standards.
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The Division of Youth Development (DYD) consists of the Rhode Island Training School and the Office of Juvenile Probation. The DYD promotes the rehabilitation of youth through a continuum of flexible, innovative, and effective programs for male and female adolescents. The DYD strives to promote positive outcomes for youth and to reduce recidivism within the juvenile and criminal justice systems.