NOTE: This grant program is no longer active. Information is for historical purposes only.
The Second Chance Act Strengthening Relationships Between Young Fathers, Young Mothers, and Their Children initiative will provide funding to support the successful transition for young fathers and mothers as they return to their families and communities from detention, out-of-home placement, or incarceration. This program will fund coordinated and comprehensive strategies that incorporate:
- Mentoring and transitional reentry services proven to reduce recidivism;
- Effective parenting skills development and parent/child relationship engagement for young fathers or mothers; and
- Private and community service partnerships that promote public safety and support added positive outcomes for young parents and their children.
This program supports the implementation and delivery of transitional/reentry services that include one-to-one, group, and peer mentoring services to justice-involved youth who are fathers and mothers. Transitional services include a broad range of activities, including providing case management, assessing risk factors and strengths that affect recidivism, substance abuse treatment, and other supporting comprehensive services to promote responsible parenting and family engagement, and implementing strategies that enhance the life skills and future of young fathers and mothers and their families. To aid in the reentry planning and service coordination, OJJDP will require a formal partnership with the juvenile or adult correctional agency/facility from which youth are returning and the agency supervising youth in the community, which may or may not be the same agency. For the purpose of this solicitation, mentoring is a structured relationship between an adult or trained peer and one or more young fathers or mothers. Applicants should demonstrate a strong partnership between the mentoring organization and the department/entity for the state/ local/tribal secure confinement facility or facilities holding the identified target population.
This program will support the successful and safe transition of young fathers and young mothers from detention, out-of-home placement, or incarceration to their families and communities.
This initiative is composed of two categories. Applicants must clearly designate under which category they are applying. Applicants may submit an application under both categories. Each category requires a separate application, and each application must align with the target population of the category under which it is being submitted. OJJDP will not consider applications combining services for mothers and fathers.
- Category 1: Young Fathers and Their Children - comprehensive reentry support services, including mentoring, that will help justice-involved young fathers reintegrate into their communities and that address the purpose and goals listed in this solicitation.
- Category 2: Young Mothers and Their Children - provide comprehensive reentry support services, including mentoring, that will help justice-involved young mothers reintegrate into their communities and that address the purpose and the goals listed in this solicitation.
The goal for Category 1 and Category 2 is to improve outcomes for young fathers and mothers using evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism and support responsible parenting that leads to healthy child development, resiliency, and improved interactions among young fathers and mothers, their children, and family and community members.
OJJDP will give priority consideration to all applicants who address the following. Applicants are not required to address all of the priority considerations.
- Include a plan to implement activities that have been demonstrated to be effective in facilitating the successful reentry of juveniles.
- Provide for an independent evaluation of the project that includes, to the maximum extent feasible, random assignment of youth to program delivery and control groups.