The Toombs Judicial Circuit has received a $75,000 grant from the Children and Youth Coordinating Council (CYCC) to continue the FAST START Program, which was implemented last year in the circuit.

FAST START is an acronym for "Finding Alternatives for Safety and Treatment - Stabilization Through Assessment and Recommendations for Treatment." In essence, it is a community-based risk reduction program designed to utilize available community resources in assessment and intervention in cases of delinquency, deprivation, and unruliness.

FAST START gives all communitybased public and private child service providers an opportunity to come to the table as a panel and address the problems of specific juveniles in the circuit, using parental and community resources. In particular, the panel evaluates juvenile cases to determine the root causes of the deprivation, delinquency, and/or unruliness and then recommends community-based treatment alternatives to the court to alleviate or eliminate those problems.

Adherence to the treatment plan is enforced by the court.

Lincoln County's FAST START panel is comprised of individuals representing the school system, law enforcement, the department of family and children services, the district attorney's office, the public defender's office, Lincoln County Family Connection, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, Serenity Behavioral Health Services, a child advocate attorney, private child service providers, and citizen volunteers.

The specific goals of the program are:

.. To reduce truancy.

.. To reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy.

.. To lower the high school dropout rate.

.. To deter delinquent behavior.

During its first year, the circuit's FAST START Program served 342 at-risk children through communitybased programs, according to Colleen LeRoy, program coordinator. "During the past year, we have worked hard to develop a variety of programs to benefit the children and families in our circuit."

These programs include community service supervision, psychological evaluations, mental health assessments, family dynamics assessments, individual and family therapy, parent education, and group counseling to address issues such as family violence, alcohol and drug problems, and job readiness and career planning. Parental support groups are also available.

"During our second year, we will continue to search for ways to reduce delinquency, truancy, unruliness, and neglect among the children in the Toombs Judicial Circuit," stated LeRoy.

She went on to say that on behalf of herself and Britt Hammond, juvenile court judge for the circuit, they would like to thank the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for agreeing to act as the fiscal agent for the FAST START Program. "Without the commission's forward thinking, we would not be able to provide this much-needed service to the children and families of the Toombs Circuit."

In his remarks, Judge Hammond said, "We will continue to use all of our community resources to intervene in the lives of these children at the earliest possible opportunity. The average age of a juvenile delinquent is 14.7 years, which means that by then, it's probably too late. We want to get to them earlier."

Of the 34 applications that were approved for funding by the CYCC, the Toombs Judicial Circuit received the largest grant award. The circuit includes the counties of Lincoln, Glascock, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes. The 34 grants totaled $1,402,692.

The grant funds were made available through the United States Department of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Georgia General Assembly. The grants will be administered by the CYCC.

The grants are awarded through a statewide competitive process. Successful programs are eligible for funding based on outcome results.

The Children and Youth Coordinating Council assists local communities in preventing juvenile delinquency through the provision of state and federal grants, technical assistance, the training and education of service providers, and juvenile justice law projects.

The agency monitors juvenile courts, detention centers, and other facilities for compliance with federal regulations and state laws related to the detention of juveniles. It likewise tracks and monitors state and federal legislation and programs involving children and youth, advises the governor's office and the General Assembly on the potential impact of programs and legislation, and supports funding requests for programs serving children and youth.