About Us

Mission Statement

Our mission is to respond to the community's needs with a continuum of care, programming, services and advocacy for minors in settings that are safe for both the community and the youth.

We will treat each youth with respect and dignity, holding them to appropriate behavioral expectations through a system of rewards and consequences that are applied in a fair, firm and consistent manner which is conducive to their personal growth and development.

History

The Youth Services Center opened in October 1992 under the direction of Circuit Court Judge Steve Heimann.  In January 2013, the Youth Services Center came under the umbrella of Court Services.  Court Services entities include Adult and Juvenile Probation, Community Corrections and the Youth Services Center.


Administrative/Intake Staff

Director of Youth Services: Mariah Lucas-Georges

Administrative Assistant: Anita Biehle

Counselor: Beth Maass

Nurse: Chelsy Carr- LPN

Nurse Practitioner: Amanda Velez

Intake Officer:Emily Nickerson-Greenlee

Intake Officer: Bret Richter

Intake Officer: Michaela Goff

Day Treatment Coordinator: Tayna Fetter

 

Facilities

The Bartholomew County Youth Services Center offers an eighteen-bed secure detention program, a ten-bed shelter program, and a ten-slot day treatment program. All three programs are co-educational. The center provides an intake officer twenty-four hours daily, capable of authorizing placement into detention and shelter. These certified Indiana Probation Officers, along with our counselor and team of dedicated youth care workers, implement a group-based intervention program designed to reduce recidivism and minimize the negative impact of short-term placement.

Shelter


Shelter is designed for the abused, neglected or status offender who is in need of short term placement. Shelter residents are typically problematic youth who need redirection, intervention, and advocacy if they are to have a better chance of successful reintegration into the community.

Visitation:

Visitation for shelter residents will be allowed as approved by the resident’s caseworker or probation officer. For the most part, parents, step-parents, grandparents, legal guardians , and siblings will be the only people allowed to visit. Visiting hours for Monday through Friday are normally 6:45pm- 7:45pm. Weekend, holiday and summer visiting times are 8:30am- 4:00pm and 6:45pm- 8:00pm. Exceptions to these times may be made on a case-by-case basis. See the Form Center for the Shelter Visitation Policy.

Detention


Detention is designed for youth who are placed by court order or who are being charged with an offense which is a significant danger to public safety. Detention residents may also be post-adjudicated youth serving a sentence. Sentenced youth see our counselor on a regular basis and are offered transitional services upon release.

Visitation:

Parents, step-parents, grandparents, guardians, siblings under the age of ten (10) and over the age of twenty-one (21)will be the only people allowed to visit. Visiting hours for Monday through Friday are normally 8:00pm-9:00pm Weekend visitation hours are 10:00am-11:00am. Exceptions to these times may be made on a case-by-case basis.

For a complete list of restrictions, approved visitors, and and other information regarding the visiting rights of the youth and their family and friends, please visit the Form Center located in the menu of the Youth Service Center's department site.

Day Treatment


The Day Treatment program is designed for Bartholomew County Youth who, without immediate intervention will be placed into a more costly out-of-county placement. These youth are typically repeat offenders, on probation, with a multitude of legal, educational, and family issues. While in day treatment the youth remain in the home and continue to attend their schools. The youth also participate in individual, group, and family therapy while completing a system of 10 competencies designed to provide the youth with the skills needed to make better choices in the future. The primary goals of Day Treatment are preserving the family and teaching the youth that they can be a successful and valuable member of the community.

Juvenile House Arrest


Youth placed on electronic monitoring typically face challenges in the areas of appropriate parental support and monitoring and other areas critical to positive youth development. Juvenile House Arrest has a maximum caseload of 20 youth, less any youth placed in the community transition program. Supervision of youth placed on house arrest falls under the authority of the Aftercare and Community Liaison. Youth will be seen by the Aftercare and Community Liaison a minimum of four times per week. Contacts will be made in the home, at work and at school. Youth can be placed on Juvenile House Arrest by order of the Juvenile Court. Youth may be placed on house arrest pre-trial, as a disposition, or as a requirement of the Day Treatment Program.Community Transition Program

Young people sentenced to the Department of Corrections have been removed from the community for anywhere from 30-180 days or more. These young people have been separated from family, school and the community. While work has been done to assist the young person in learning skills to assist them in making better choices, little work, if any, has been done with the family. As a result of this, many young people face difficulties reintegrating with the family. The Aftercare and Community Liaison will work with youth placed in the Community Transition Program for a 90-day period. The youth will begin the program on House Arrest and supervision will be lessened as the youth is transitioned back into the community.

Work Crew


The Bartholomew County Youth Services Center assumed responsibility of juvenile work crew in late 2010. Youth that are assigned to juvenile work crew are referred by the Court or juvenile court services as a form of graduated sanctions.Such referrals often replace time in secure detention and/or additional time on probation while providing the youth an opportunity to improve the community and develop a stronger work ethic.

Cognitive Behavioral Program


Several of the Center's staff are trained to facilitate evidenced-based cognitive curiccula such as Aggression Replacement Training, Thinking for a Change, Girl's Moving On, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention/Substance Abuse, and Parent Project®. Youth and their families can be referred to these classes by the Court or Department of Child Services.

 

Donations

Donations


The Center will accept donations of the following:

  •     Books suitable for young people, 10-18 years of age (with final approval from the Director)
  •     Clothing that does not have drug, alcohol, tobacco or other inappropriate images or messages for young people, 10-18 years of age
  •     Financial contributions that would support the participation of shelter residents with financial need in attending school and other field trips and extracurricular activities
  •     Tickets to athletic and other public events and activities for use by shelter residents and supporting staff

To inquire about other possible donations, please contact the director at (812) 379-1690.


Services Offered

Shelter


Non-secure, temporary, emergency placement designed to serve status offenders, abused and/or neglected juveniles, children of families in crisis and children and youth awaiting out-of-home placement. Shelter residents attend public school or complete assignments from their home school and remain active in community-based activities to the greatest extent possible.

Day Treatment


A non-residential intensive program designed to reduce the likelihood of further delinquency by juvenile offenders. Program components include group counseling and role play, goal setting, life skills training, parenting education, supervised public school attendance and case management. Participants of this program reside at home and participate in programming at the Center seven days per week. Successful program completion requires completion of assigned evidence-based cognitive curricula, vocational education and training, and money management. Parents are required to attend parenting education and parent support group sessions. Aftercare services are provided for 30 days. Day Treatment has the capacity to serve up to ten local youth and their families at any given time.

Detention


Secure placement designed for youth awaiting the court process who are considered to be a danger to public safety, likely to re-offend, or flee before their court appearances. Youth may also be sentenced to serve time in secure detention for up to 90 days if they are under the age of seventeen and for up to 120 days if they are seventeen years of age and older. Detention programming focuses on teaching young people about choices and consequences. Residents receive six hours of educational instruction at the Center year round, five days per week.

Aftercare/Community Liaison


This service provides electric monitoring and home detention services to juveniles referred by the Court. Juveniles referred to this program have committed offenses that do not necessarily require secure detention of the youth but warrant an increased level of supervision along with the provision of individual and family support services. These same services may be provided to juveniles that have returned from a Department of Corrections placement. Electronic monitoring services through this program are also provided to juveniles in the Day Treatment program and juveniles who participate in the Community Transition Program.

Transition Program


This service provides transition services to youth who are sentenced to secure detention for at least thirty days or more. Whenever a youth is taken from his/her community for a period of time, there is a loss of connect with the community, the school, etc. Rather than just release the youth to his/her home without the benefit of resources and support, the Bartholomew County Youth Service Center offers transition services to these youth. This includes services such as the Aftercare/Community Liaison in the home at least three days per week, a mentor, and the Center’s educational team to assist the youth’s transition back into the school system.  The youth’s parents, as well as the youth’s probation officer, are also involved in the youth’s transition program.

Juvenile Work Crew


This service gives the Court and probation an option as a graduated sanction, which may keep the youth out of secure detention or an extended probation term. Juvenile Work Crew consists of youth who may have been ordered by the Court or Probation to perform community service hours. Juvenile Work Crew assists with community service projects for various agencies, non-profit groups, churches, schools, senior citizens or persons with disabilities. Youth learn work ethics and a variety of skills while serving in the community.

Drop Off Program


The Center will accept any youth taken into custody by a law enforcement officer within Bartholomew County. The Center has four intake officers, available 24-hours a day. An intake officer interviews parents and other interested parties to determine if the youth should be placed in detention or shelter, or released to a parent or guardian. If applicable, youth will be administered a risk assessment and a mental health screening.

Other


The Center has several staff trained to facilitate evidenced-based cognitive programs, including: Thinking for a Change, Aggression Replacement Training, Girls Moving On, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Substance Abuse, and Parent Project ®.  These curricula are provided to youth and/or parents or guardians, who have been referred by the Court, Probation, or the Department of Child Services.creening.

 

Placing a Youth

How Do I Place a Youth?


In-County Residents

Youth can be placed by court order, by requests from probation officers and welfare caseworkers, or by law enforcement officials who may drop off any youth in their custody. The ability of our intake officers to make decisions regarding the legalities of detaining a youth allows police officers to simply transfer custody of an arrested youth to the Center, thereby freeing the officer to immediately return to his duties in the community.

Out-Of-County Residents

The Youth Services Center can accept youth in detention or shelter from surrounding counties. When requesting a bed, call the Center and ask to speak to an intake officer. The intake officer will determine if there is space available and ask you about any pertinent medical or emotional history. A court order is required for placement of out-of-county youth.

Per-Diems

The fee for placement of an out of county youth in detention is $135 per day. This covers room, board, clothing and an initial medical assessment. The Youth Services Center has a contract with the Indiana Department of Child Services that reimburses Bartholomew County for youth placed in Emergency Shelter Care.

 

Policies / Forms

Policies

Application for Employment (YSC) (1787 downloads) Popular #
BCYSC Wellness Policy (232 downloads) Popular #
Detention Visitation Policy (3044 downloads) Popular #
Final Report 2022 (285 downloads) Popular #
NFS non discrimination statement (69 downloads) #
PREA comparison 2019, 2020, and 2021 (256 downloads) Popular #
PREA Youth Services Policy (2920 downloads) Popular #
SA brochure (274 downloads) Popular #
Shelter Visitation Policy (2193 downloads) Popular #
Survey of Sexual Victimization 2021 (303 downloads) Popular #
Youth On Youth Sexual Victimization (207 downloads) Popular #

Year-End Reports

Year End Reports

2013 Year End Report (2325 downloads) Popular #
2014 Year End Report (3053 downloads) Popular #
2015 Year End Report (2086 downloads) Popular #
2016 Year End Report (2493 downloads) Popular #
2017 Year End Report (2073 downloads) Popular #
2018 Year End Report (2737 downloads) Popular #
2019 Year End Report (1131 downloads) Popular #
2020 Year End Report (846 downloads) Popular #
2021 YEAR END REPORT (306 downloads) Popular #
2022 Year End Report (16 downloads) #

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