Interactive Information Sharing Tool Kit Now Available Online

Juvenile Law Center,

Juvenile Law Center has just released an updated Information Sharing Tool Kit, a product created in partnership with the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice and independent consultant Stephanie Rondenell as part of Models for Change juvenile justice reform initiatives. Originally developed in 2008, the updated Tool Kit has been transformed into an interactive website designed to assist jurisdictions in creating and implementing information and data sharing initiatives in order to achieve better outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Users can access the tool kit and download related materials at www.jlc.org/infosharetoolkit.

The Tool Kit guides users through three distinct levels of information and data sharing:

  • Category One: Information sharing for purposes of individual case planning and decision-making. This involves the collection and sharing of personally identifiable information to better coordinate case planning on behalf of individual children and their families.
  • Category Two: Data collection and sharing for law, policy and program development. The goal in this level is to develop aggregated data on the characteristics of specific case populations in order to improve policies and practices and better coordinate responses involving multiple agencies.
  • Category Three: Data collection and sharing for program evaluation and performance measurement. The goal of Category Three is to develop aggregated data to measure performance and the effectiveness of programs and practices designed to improve child and family outcomes

Each category contains:

  • A comprehensive federal law overview
  • Interactive scenarios based on real-life situations
  • Multiple downloadable tools, including templates for interagency agreements and sample release forms
  • Principles or positive values for responsible information/data collection and sharing
  • Step-by-step guidelines to develop and implement an information/data collection and sharing project 
  • Case studies from various jurisdictions

In order the promote systemic juvenile justice reform, early Models for Change participants recognized both the need to improve information-sharing practices and the significant challenges facing implementation of such practices. Professionals working in juvenile justice and other child-serving agencies need an understanding of the federal and state laws that govern individual information held by various agencies, including any legal prohibitions on disclosure/use, as well as when and with whom certain information can be shared. However, stakeholders often have different levels of understanding of these laws which can lead to both the under- and over-sharing and inapproriate use of information which can lead to missed opportunities for coordinated individual case planning and aggregate data collection.

It is also sometimes difficult for stakeholders, who represent different interests in the system, to agree on the key issues in information sharing. These include the purposes and value to youth of information sharing; what are the appropriate limits on sharing; and how to minimize the potential negative collateral consequences of information sharing such as self-incrimination and net widening. In addition, with respect to data collection, aggregation and sharing for law, policy and program development, stakeholders in jurisdictions often make the mistake of developing systems before identifying the key questions. Similarly, with respect to program evaluation and performance measurement, stakeholders must first determine the outcomes they wish to achieve and the indicators they will use to measure progress towards those outcomes, and then take their baseline measurements. Without this preliminary legwork, jurisdictions could set up inadequate information sharing systems.

The Tool Kit was initially developed to respond to the needs of Models for Change participants and sites with easy-to-use, streamlined products and tools. However, after its publication, the Tool Kit quickly became useful to any jurisdiction undertaking an information sharing collaborative to improve outcomes for children in the juvenile justice system. To date, more than 1,100 individuals have downloaded the first edition from the Models for Change website. To view the updated Tool Kit, visit www.jlc.org/infosharetoolkit.