Family Impact Team (FIT)

Family Impact Team or FIT is a resource the Garden City public schools have used since 1999. FIT is a prevention program offered by the 25^th Judicial District Youth Services Agency. The schools use FIT because it is a prevention program and offers another place for students with at-risk behavior/s and their parents to get further help.

Schools may contact FIT and ask them to visit with a student one time. If the school wishes for the student to have more contact with the FIT program, the school must call and ask your permission to refer your student to the FIT program. If a parent chooses to enroll their child into the FIT program, the school completes the form and sends it to the FIT office. FIT personnel will contact parents after the referral is received and the program will be explained in detail at that time.

The FIT program is explained below and a copy of the referral form (if the parent wishes to enroll the child) is below.

The Family Impact Team (FIT) offers prevention programs for those youth referred to the 25th Judicial District Youth Services Agency for services due to at risk behavior. The Family Impact Team assesses youth referred and coordinates community-based services, which address the identified problem behaviors. FIT services youth referred from community based agencies, parents, schools and first time misdemeanants arrested by local law enforcement officials to prevent community youth and low risk offenders entrance into the juvenile justice system.

"The Choice is Yours"

FIT gives educational presentations to district school systems and public/private agencies to promote community wide prevention services. These services include; speaking to school aged children about making choices, educating them on the juvenile justices system, the dangers of drug/alcohol use, gang awareness, anger management, success in school and other specific topics as determined by the organization requesting the presentation. We like to give these youth a souvenir, which states, The Choice is Yours, as a lasting reminder that they have the ability to choose and what the consequences are when the wrong choice is made.

In addition, our agency collaborates with those specific agencies to early-identify youth displaying problem behaviors. That agency is then able to refer those youth to the 25th Judicial District’s Family Impact Team (FIT). A Family Impact Team case manager will assess youth referred and coordinate community-based services that will address the identified problem behaviors. FIT will service youth referred from community based agencies, school, parents and first time misdemeanants arrested by local law enforcement officials to prevent community youth and low risk offenders from entering the juvenile justice system by administering accountability based sanctions.

There are not an abundance of agencies that are trained and understand how to deal with family crisis issues before they begin. All too many times there are children who slip through the cracks, but if there would have been an intervention along the way some of the behavior problems being displayed could have been avoided. We feel that by providing prevention initiatives, educational presentations and immediate consequences, we can curb and prevent further negative behaviors in our youth today. We truly believe in the context of the saying, "It takes a whole community to raise a child" and we feel with the communities' help, together we can make a difference, not only in the lives of children but also in our communities themselves.

We expect and have already experienced many families who have expressed their appreciation of our program. Our agency is able to relate to, and alleviate some of the family crisis issues going on in the home. We are able to assess the youth and refer them to the appropriate community-based services that will address the identified problem behaviors, which in turn will minimize those behaviors that were causing the turmoil in the home and/or school. Parents, children and other agencies will understand how the juvenile justice system works, what resources are available and alternative immediate interventions, which can curb problem behaviors before being entered into the juvenile justice system.

Mr. Jeff Pfingsten
Phone:(620) 271-6200

Are Parents aware of the referral ________ (Yes/No)