Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

NET is committed to the goals of safety, permanency and well-being as the foundation of all child welfare practice. Ideally, children should be raised by their own parents or a close relative. When this cannot happen for short or extended periods of time, NET provides a continuum of placement options ranging from Resource Home Care (previously referred to as “foster care”) to a small group home for adolescents with more intensive behavioral needs. We recognize and support that youth should not be raised by “the system”. We also provide permanency and other services to facilitate reunification or, when that is not a viable option, adoption or permanent legal custody (PLC). NET’s Permanency Services have helped thousands of children and teens find safe, loving homes.

NET uses balanced and restorative practices in all programs designed to meet the needs of youth involved in the juvenile justice system (JJS). Our community-based supervision approach addresses community safety while integrating victim restitution, awareness and empathy. This integrated approach allows young people to remain, grow, and develop in their home environments. All interventions teach accountability while providing an array of ancillary services to support the whole child. We promote improved decision-making skills geared to reduce future recidivism. NET’s JJS services utilize a wide variety of community partners to provide some direct interventions and activities and evidence-based approaches to impart crucial life skills. All youth leave with a discharge plan that often links them to these and other community resources.

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