Iowa Task Force for Young Women | Iowa Department of Human Rights

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Members
Goals & Objectives
Recent ITFYW Meetings

Promoting innovative female responsive techniques through education and advocacy

The Iowa Task Force for Young Women (ITFYW) was formed in 1995, as a subcommittee of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (JJAC). The JJAC serves as Iowa’s State Advisory Group for administration of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The ITFYW serves to address the issue of females and juvenile justice and to advise the JJAC. The goal of the ITFYW has been, and continues to be, to facilitate a comprehensive fundamental change in the juvenile justice system that will enhance the understanding and utilization of innovative gender-responsive approaches in all programs and services that serve the adolescent female population of Iowa’s juvenile justice system.

“The Iowa Task Force for Young Women has been front and center on influencing change in the juvenile system and understanding best practices for working with girls – even before the term ‘gender responsive’ was popular.”
~Giovanna Taormina, Executive Director, One Circle Foundation, California

“When you recall that today’s girls are tomorrow’s women, the Iowa Task Force for Young Women is guaranteeing that the future will be bright for tomorrow’s leaders, female as well as male, while also providing the nation with a model approach to girls’ services.”
~Dr. Meda Chesney-Lind, University of Hawaii

Iowa Task Force for Young Women Members

Jennifer Tibbetts, Chair	Catherine McAuley Center	Cedar Rapids
Lori Rinehart, Vice Chair		Des Moines
Ashley Artzer	5th Judicial District Juvenile Court Services	Des Moines
Tiffany Berkenes	Iowa State University Extension & Outreach	Altoona
Andrea Dencklau	Youth Policy Institute of Iowa	Des Moines
Andrea Dickerson	Youth & Shelter Services	Ames
Jackie Ellenbecker	Juvenile Court Services	Marshalltown
Mandy Engel-Cartie	Girls Inc. of Sioux City	Sioux City
Stephanie Hernandez	Family Resources	Davenport
Bethany Kohoutek	Lutheran Services in Iowa	Des Moines
Julie Martin	Linn County Juvenile Justice Center	Cedar Rapids
Danielle Masten	Juvenile Court Services	Des Moines
Marissa Schuster	Thrive Counseling Center	Ankeny
Maria Valdez	Juvenile Court Services	Des Moines

Position Paper

Services for Females under Juvenile Court Jurisdiction with High Risk and/or Need Factors

Goals & Objectives

Priority Four: Female Equity*
Goal 1: Make the experiences and needs of girls who are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system (i.e., black, native, and LGBTQ+ youth) central to all ongoing work.
	Objective A JJAC/CJJP uses racial and gender equity lenses intentionally throughout all of its work. Generate a tangible method for assuring implementation. Use council funds and leverage additional funds to support gender and racial equity training. All JJAC members and sub-committee members are trained in the use of gender and racial equity lenses. Collect data about any training received.
	Objective B Continue collaborative work with the DMC subcommittee. Continue annual joint meeting. Establish a joint project/activity/goal (e.g., school to court pipeline).
	Objective C Complete revamp of cornerstone publication, “Healing Justice”. Continue workgroup meetings. Solicit reviews by outside subject matter experts.
	Objective D Support the implementation of recommendations related to gender and race from the IDA validation report.
Goal 2: Establishment of a specialized setting(s) for serious, violent, and chronic offenders as well as systemic measures to reduce the need for such a setting as outlined in the recommendations of the “Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile Female Offenders” report.
	Objective A Select a small number of recommendations from the report to elevate. Review report recommendations.
	Objective B Engage legislative and/or other leadership champions interested in establishing this level of care. Revisit talking points. Make use of DHR Legislative Day on the Hill.
Goal 3: Fill the gaps and improve the quality in the continuum of care for girls in both residential and community-based service settings with well-defined options that allow for differential responses based on culture, risk level, development and needs.
	Objective A Document what options/opportunities girls have compared to boys throughout the system to demonstrate any need for capacity building. Use information from service inventory. Assess and review service data side by side with males.
	Objective B Explore ways to leverage DHS FFPSA work to fill service gaps for girls. Identify any evidence-based services for JJ girls to replicate.
	Objective C Explore ways to study low risk/high need girls under JJ supervision.

*A complete list of goals & objectives for the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council can be found here.

Recent ITFYW Meetings

The Iowa Task Force for Young Women usually meets quarterly during the months of February, May, August, and November. Please check the calendar for future times and locations.