About the Gender-Specific Services Task Force

The Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force involves key stakeholders in Iowa's juvenile justice system, particularly service providers who want comprehensive system change that reflects gender equity for girls and young women. Major activities of the Task Force include: the annual "Whispers & Screams" conference for girl-serving professionals; publication and distribution of Female Juvenile Justice, a study that provides a snapshot of female offenders in the state's juvenile justice system; publication and distribution of Providing Gender-Specific Services for Adolescent Female Offenders: Guidelines & Resources, a desk protocol that outlines the gender-specific philosophy; and, numerous professional workshops on the gender-specific approach and its implementation attended by hundreds of juvenile justice system professionals. The group also publishes a free quarterly insert, "The Girl Connection," for girl-serving agencies' newsletters or other information distribution efforts. In September 2000, the publication Promising Directions: Programs That Serve Iowa Girls in a Single-Sex Environment was made available as a statewide resource guide for girl-serving professionals. Further, due largely to the advocacy of the Task Force, the 1999 Iowa Legislature allocated funding for day treatment and aftercare services for young women and mandated that the gender-specific services approach should be used whenever possible.

History

Although Iowa has not traditionally placed emphasis on the provision of gender-responsive services for females, since the 1995 formation of the Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force by the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning (CJJP), there has been increasing discussion and action toward this end. Across the continuum of the Iowa juvenile justice system, service providers and system officials have been educated on female development and the need for more gender-responsive services that utilize the gender-specific services philosophy in programs that serve adolescent females. Encouragingly, there has been change in the way services are provided in various programs.

System changes are also slowly beginning to emerge. However, a comprehensive change across the juvenile justice system has not occurred. Change must occur on a more fundamental level within the system to facilitate utilization of innovative gender-specific approaches in all programs and services. Further, those involved in the planning of our efforts must expand to include a wider representation of players in the juvenile justice system. Both measures are necessary for Iowa to truly provide equitable services within its juvenile justice system.

Funding through the Council for Juvenile Justice & Planning

In 1998, CJJP entered into an agreement with the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women to provide staff support to the Task Force. This position coordinates the Task Force's activities.

The grant was secured to facilitate the utilization of innovative gender-specific approaches in meeting the needs of the adolescent female population in Iowa's juvenile justice system as part of and complementary to the use of positive youth development principles and practices in communities throughout Iowa.

Project Objectives

• To update and disseminate information concerning female development and the gender-specific services philosophy to girl-serving professionals using print media.
• To provide training related to adolescent female development, the gender-specific program philosophy and component implementation to professionals in the juvenile justice system and related fields.
• To participate and assist in the community planning processes across the state to ensure that the unique needs of girls involved with or at risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system are addressed.
• To educate legislators regarding the importance of gender-specific training for service providers.
• To secure a wider representation of professionals on the Iowa Gender-Specific Services Task Force, including representatives from Juvenile Court; DECAT committees; the Departments of Public Health, Human Services, Education, and Management as well as from other girl-serving programs not currently involved with our efforts.

View a list of active Task Force Members.

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