2021 COMBAT Funding: $80,000.00

In Crittention Children's Center's Own Words

The purpose of this project is to reduce drug use among adolescent youth in Jackson County. This will be accomplished by engaging vulnerable youth from seven County "hotspot" zip codes in a year-round program, Lion's Quest Skills for Action, identified effective and best practice on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices maintained by SAMHSA.

The project targets youth extremely vulnerable for lives of substance abuse because they come from environments defined by violence, limited parental involvement, academic and/or behavior difficulties in school, and family histories of poverty, mental illness and/or substance abuse. Specifically, youth ages 12 to 19 will be enrolled from the Intensive Residential Care program at Crittenton Children's Center.  

All residents will participate throughout the year, including approximately 100 youth from Jackson County zip codes determined to be hotspots. Residents are placed at Crittenton through the court system (either Family Court or Juvenile Justice).

Lions Quest Skills For Action

Lions Quest Skills for Action was selected because it provides a comprehensive curriculum for teaching life skills, rigorously researched under a NIDA research grant, with outcomes noted for preventing or delaying the onset of tobacco, alcohol and illegal substance use  Skills for Action includes social influence and social cognitive approaches to teaching cognitive-behavioral skills that build self-esteem and instill personal responsibility, while learning to communicate effectively, make better (health) decisions, resist social influences and assert personal rights, and increase knowledge about drug use and related consequences. 

Skills for Action will be provided for all youth on a weekly basis, by staff trained in trauma-informed care methods.  Content recognizes and addresses past associations with violence and advances protective factors that shield against prevailing risks.  Content is presented in five essential categories:

Cultural Awareness

     *  Exploring our Cultural History

     *  Recognizing Bias

     *  Recognizing Ethnocentricity

     *  Recognizing Stereotypes

     *  Valuing Diversity

Interpersonal Communication

     *  Communicating our Needs

     *  Giving and Receiving Feedback

     *  Interviewing

     *  Listening with Empathy

     *  Resolving Conflicts

     *  Being Assertive

Personal Management and Responsibility

     *  Dealing with Frustration and Disappointment

     *  Identifying Cause and Effect

     *  Making Decisions that Support our  Goals

     *  Responsible Internet Behavior

     *  Managing Personal Anger

     *  Managing Stress

     *  Managing Time

     *  Resisting Negative Peer Pressure

     *  Setting and Reaching Personal Goals

Drugs and Alcohol Awareness

     *  Healthy Choices

     *  Tobacco

     *  Alcohol

     *  Illegal Drugs

     *  Prescription Drugs and Other Substances

     *  Interpreting Media Messages - "Don't Buy a Lie"

Coping With Bullying and Intimidation

     *  Bullying

     *  Taunting

     *  Intimidation

     *  Intent vs. Effect

     *  Digital Abuse

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes for youth participating in Skills for Action are:

1. increased understanding the harmful effects of illicit drug use;
2. demonstrated ability for successful drug refusal;
3. improved academic performance as evidenced by increased TABE scores;
4. increased proficiency of interpersonal communication;
5. increased skills in personal management and responsibility, and
6. increased coping skills related to bullying and intimidation.

Since 1896

The Skills for Action is a skills-based program designated for adolescents to build protective factors and to help reduce risk factors of youth at risk for drug/alcohol abuse and violence. Since 1896, Crittenton has been dedicated to addressing the needs of vunerable youth. Youth who are placed at Crittenton are a most vulnerable population for possible drug/alcohol abuse and violence because they come from homes and communities in which they have experienced these first hand. Many are suffering the traumatic effects emotionally and therefore are unable to live in the community with their families. Skills for Action will provide much needed resources for these youth to experience more success emotionally, socially, and academically

Needs Assessment

Sixty-five percent of the children in residential treatment at Crittenton Children's Center come from homes in Jackson County and 90% have parents or people directly caring for them who abused drugs or alcohol or had problems directly related to drug or alcohol use; and 40% of the adolescents in residence have incarcerated parents.

Sixty-nine percent of the children are in the custody of the Missouri Children's Division following concerns of abuse and/or neglect. These children are at much greater risk than most others. 

For adolescents with mental health issues, such as depression, the risk for use/abuse of alcohol/drugs doubles and they have a greater propensity for violence, more frequent physical illnesses, and increased likelihood of being homeless or jailed (NAMI, 2015).

Youth placed at Crittenton are commonly described as impulsive, defiant, and have low self-esteem. They have negative peer associations and may have had antisocial involvement, including acts of violence and aggression toward peers and/or caretakers at times.

In general, the adolescents served by Crittenton's residential program are at highest risk for substance use than most others. While they're engaged in a safe and therapeutic recovery setting is the perfect time to provide prevention programming, as their receptivity is high and they are in a setting that provides numerous daily opportunities for rehearsal of new protective skills.