Restore Focus: DIVERSION
Our office also works with county truancy offices to divert youth (Ages 12-17) that have 7+ unexcused absences, therefore meeting the threshold of habitual truancy. Our goal is to provide diversion programming to any youth and parent/caregiver to correct habitual absences through truancy law education, two parent/youth family sessions to determine what needs to change and build plans to implement. Diversion referrals have one week to test their new plan and if school attendance significantly improves, our facilitators will track and monitor these changed habits for an additional 30 days. standing in the way of reaching their fullest potential.
Listen to learn about The Focus Program
WHO WE SERVE:
We provide direct truancy diversion programming alongside our partner counties and school districts across Minnesota.
Partnering County truancy offices can submit a truancy diversion referral. Students have up to 6 weeks to significantly improve their attendance to avoid county engagement. Our staff notify county truancy supervisors when students successfully complete our program.
PROGRAM BENEFITS:
-
Diversion support for your students struggling with attendance
-
Services can stop county engagement and next steps in county based truancy processes.
-
Excellent communication
-
We strive to improve quality of life for student's, their families and the schools who serve them
-
Between 35-45% of referred students show significant improvement (50% + improvement in attendance 30 days pre/post program).
Parent Plan: Parents must attend the meetings and also have access to 4 weeks of online leadership coaching at no cost to them.
Students who have missed 7+ unexcused days of school are considered a habitual truant and meet the requirements for county engagement.
Diversion actions provide a student and their family with 1:1 support to identify hurdles and create individualized plans to create new habits and remove barriers for sustainable change.
Together we will sit on the bench of life and talk through struggles. Students come away
from each meeting
with clarity on their next steps while also receiving support.
