The Children's Initiative understands that Community Based Organizations (CBO's) provide a critical link between the County's Probation Department and juvenile offenders and their families.  With a focus on prevention and education, CBO partners have helped to ensure that offenders and their families exit the system with the tools they need to continue to lead productive lives free of crime, drugs, and gangs.  It is essential that CBOs are provided an independent forum where they can convey their thoughts and ideas to not only their partners in the juvenile justice community, but also to Probation staff. Therefore in 1996 The Children's Initiative created the Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy Task Force (JJCSTF) as a forum for communication between all juvenile justice stakeholders. The JJCSTF provides feedback to the County and the Board of Supervisors to ensure that the core principles and values of the Comprehensive Strategy remain embedded in services that San Diego County provides for at-risk youth and that the County continues to make progress in steering at-risk children away from a life of crime.

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The Children's Initiative staffs and coordinates the activities of the JJCSTF which is charged with the following duties:

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• Serve as an advocate for comprehensive juvenile justice programs, services and policies

• Educate, through periodic updates to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and other elected officials, on the Comprehensive Strategy for Juvenile Justice

• Conduct outreach to community stakeholders as well as local, state and national leaders

• Monitor, engage in and facilitate legislative advocacy to pursue, promote and coordinate efforts to support legislation that benefits the San Diego Comprehensive Strategy

• Research and facilitate partnerships for current funding sources (grants, foundations, legislation, and governmental budget sources)

• Participate in community forums/events to elicit local support and community investment in realizing Comprehensive Strategy goals (activities may include public speaking, conference presentations, and education/training seminars)

• Working in a collaborative manner with all Comprehensive Strategy partners (i.e. schools, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and community-based organizations)

• Advocate for future funding of programs that adhere to comprehensive strategy principles