Table 1 Highlighted Interview Quotes

Intake / Initial Arrest

“It was really scary…like I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know. Like I never had this happen before so I’m kind of flabbergasted like I wanted more, I wanted more information.” (caregiver)

“It’s a whole different beast and they’re [caregiver] frustrated and they’re angry. And if the call is coming in at three o’clock in the morning that my child is arrested and is at intake, yeah that’s going to be a little different response.” (probation supervisor)

“It’s been like a rollercoaster kind of a little bit. It’s been, like, kind of scary, kind of upsetting a little bit, and everything else.” (caregiver)

“It can be at times tense because I’m usually the first person that calls the parents after their child’s been arrested. So, it can be a bit standoffish at times.” (intake officer)

Court

“I feel that she was out for blood and she was trying to make an example out of my son. Don’t get me wrong. He did do wrong and everything. It was his very first time he ever got in trouble for anything and I just feel that she just really socked it to him…” (caregiver)

“It’s really hard for some of these parents. I know the application process to fill out the correct forms and stuff can be a challenge from some parents. They don’t have a lot of experience that way.” (intake officer)

“You really don’t, you feel absolutely no value from these people that are here to ‘help’. I felt more of a problem and a nuisance, like I was, you know, taking up their time, even though that’s probably what they’re there for, is to help. It didn’t feel like they really wanted to help.”

“I think a lot of parents feel like they’re just getting punished for what their kids [did] and nobody’s really listening to their side of the story.” (intake officer)

Probation

“I think it’s been good. He makes sure that we understand everything and he answers any questions that we have and he’s not pulled no punches or anything. He’s been straightforward about everything.” (Caregiver)

“There’s certain things obviously, kids being juveniles, kids can’t take themselves to the doctor’s appointments and get certain things set up. They can’t enroll themselves in school. There’re expectations that as a parent we would expect that the parent does parental things.” (PO supervisor)

“She had a lot of different things she had to do, and I kind of felt like it was tough for me too, because there’s some times where I felt a little punished in a way because I had to figure out for her to get all these places, and I do work, and I do have other things to do in my life… For me to try to figure out how to accommodate her and get her here and there was a little difficult.” (caregiver)

“I think there are frustrations having contact with someone with our title, probation officer, as well. I think that they think that’s intrusive and they don’t understand why we’re making contact with them. And then like you said, engagement. Some just don’t want to engage and don’t feel the need to monitor and update us, so that can be a struggle too.” (PO)

“You feel so defeated. And, you know, when you’re going to juvenile probation, and you know, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, finally, you know, maybe these adults will see and they’ll want to help.’” (caregiver)

“Some parents are very involved and compliant and do everything that we ask them to do or the court asked them to do. They attend appointments. They follow up after meetings, etc…A lot of times parents will, they don’t even maintain any communication …It’s all individual depending on the case, depending on the parent.” (probation supervisor)

“Like I was very resentful about going to see the probation officer, like you taking time out of my days, because I have to bring him to you, I make, have to make family time. So, I mean, they tried to be flexible, like early morning but you know, when you have a job that looks at you like you’re gone again?” (community advisory board)

“I think we have some tough parents… I hear more from the [probation officers] probably frustration in dealing with parents than they do with the kids…they just struggle with how do we tell adults to be the adults in their relationships and to be the parents and the relationships. When they’re trying to work with the kids and they can get the kids on board… we see the light in the kids’ eyes where they’re on board and they get it but the parents not.” (probation supervisor)

“We had a good relationship. She kept me informed on everything. She would send me text messages when it was time for court…she kept on top of it.” (caregiver)

“I think another barrier is just a parent’s unwillingness sometimes to want to cooperate with what needs to be done and just kind of piggybacks on what I just said about a lot of times, that’s one of the roadblocks that we face, is the parents being the biggest challenge, more so than the child.”

“Annoying, but she did have like this probation officer that really took an interest in her and, you know, her well-being and trying to help get her on the right path. So that wasn’t a bad experience at all. Like he’s a really great guy. And he suggested some things and gave us some resources. So it’s not always bad.” (caregiver)

Caregiver Navigator Program

“There’s a lot of navigating through the system and understanding. A lot of our parents that we work with in the community… some of them stop at third grade and they’ve not graduated or they can’t read. And so they have this thing of ‘I’m embarrassed. I’m not going to go in there.’ And so they react and articulate emotions because they’re trying to camouflage the fact that they can’t even read the document. And so let’s get in front of that but you can’t get in front of that until you know them and building that relationship before.” (family advisory board)

“Just the explanation from experience from someone else, I think helps them, because I feel like they are confused and feel like things are just targeted at them. Like ‘you’re calling me for no reason. I don’t understand why you’re making contact with me.’ Things like that, and the navigator could say, ‘No, that’s completely normal. You’re not doing anything wrong. They have to check in.’ So help them understand just the things like that at the beginning.” (probation officer)

“To have the experience through the justice system to know firsthand, ‘hey, as a parent, this is what my questions were. I didn’t know that I could advocate for this, that I could ask this, that I needed to be able to express the need here.’ So to be able to have that as part of the job description and then training because even though they’ve been through that experience we still need those individuals to look through a different lens as well.” (family advisory board)

“If we can reduce that anxiety and really educate them, that’s great. Then I would say we want [navigators] deeply involved in their child’s case throughout and understanding what services are being ordered and why they are being ordered and also being an advocate for the parent.” (judge)

“Sometimes parents need that -- and children. They need that surrounding just to let it out. You know, sometimes you’re locked up in the house or work is so hard doing other things so much, you don’t have time to even express that feeling. You know, sometimes you have to get stuff off your shoulder.” (caregiver)

“The parent may open up to [the navigator] more about what they need help with. So maybe if it’s not connecting them directly with the resources, at least telling us, ‘hey, mom’s struggling with family relationships, maybe they need therapy’, and then we can take it from there.” (probation officer)

“If they’re anything like me they don’t know what’s going on. And you need that kind of advice and -- from somebody that’s already been through it and is familiar with it. Because I believe that it’s, you know, it’s a learning experience.” (caregiver)

“I think probably maybe answer as many questions they have as the parent navigator, what’s going to happen and what to expect. I mean, there is some distrust with the probation officer and the parent.” (probation officer)

“If dealing with parent to parent, you’d be able to open up I think even more than having someone in the justice system standing over you.” (caregiver

“I think maybe a communicator…I would say the parent themselves don’t always express themselves how they want to portray themselves to the court. Because, whether it’s emotions, frustration, anger, whatever it is… they’re not able to say, so maybe the assistance in being able to say… just kind of a communicator, a translator kind of in a sense.” (probation supervisor)

“Because who are you to tell me what do to with my kid and family and that kind of thing.” (caregiver)

“I think they would just view it as another leg of probation.” (probation officer)

“I think there are some parents that wouldn’t appreciate it and that because they didn’t want people in their business.” (caregiver)

“They could make it a little difficult, by maybe involving too much…” (probation officer)