The O’Connell Children’s Shelter has offered multiple family services for children, youth and families in Douglas and surrounding counties since 1996. The goal of prevention programs is to enable families to stay together and avoid court involvement.

Truancy Prevention and Diversion
The High School Truancy and Diversion program serves Douglas County high school aged youth (grades 9-12) who have been identified as legally truant to alleviate attendance barriers and promote academic success. Youth work with a case manager who monitors their attendance and grades, provides referrals for additional community support as needed and supports positive communication between families and schools to resolve truancy issues without court involvement. This program also works with high school aged youth who are under court supervision for truancy to support them throughout the court process and prevent the youth from being placed in state custody.

Specialized Case Management
Specialized Case Management is a voluntary prevention program designed to keep Douglas County youth of all ages from becoming court involved in either the Child in Need of Care (CINC-NAN) or juvenile offender systems with the ultimate goal of preventing children from coming into state custody. The program provides case management support using a family centered, trauma informed approach. Families work with a case manager to identify at risk behaviors and develop goals to overcome their barriers successfully. The program provides strengths based assessments and referrals for additional community supports as needed.