Assessment Centers are designed to prevent and divert youth from deeper involvement in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. They offer a single point of contact that identifies the root causes of a youth’s concerning behavior and connects youth and families to individualized services and supports.
Serving as neutral conveners, Assessment Centers create a trusted space where youth, families, and system partners can work toward shared goals. By maintaining operational separation or a distinct process outside of law enforcement, courts, child welfare agencies, schools, and healthcare systems Assessment Centers build trust, foster open communication, and coordinate services. Assessment Centers are not direct service providers—their role is to connect youth and families with the most appropriate community-based supports while collaborating with stakeholders to address service gaps and strengthen the local continuum of care.
Centers engage youth through multiple referral pathways, including:
Referrals from parents, caregivers, or other trusted adults
Intervention in schools
At or after the point of arrest
Partnerships with community stakeholders
Using in-depth interviews and validated screening and assessment tools, Assessment Centers work to understand the barriers youth face at home, in school, or in the community. Staff then collaborate with the youth and family to develop a plan and connect them to services—such as counseling, mentoring, basic needs support, or educational advocacy—that promote safety, stability, and long-term success.
Assessment Centers are responsive to local context and typically operate across one or more of the following domains:
Juvenile Justice When a youth comes into contact with law enforcement—through arrest, a court summons, or a status offense—Assessment Centers often serve as the first point of contact.
What the Center does:
Conducts interviews and uses validated tools to identify needs, strengths, safety concerns, and underlying issues such as trauma, mental health challenges, or unmet basic needs
Recommends diversion options to avoid deeper justice system involvement
Coordinates with courts, probation, and pretrial services to support case planning
Connects youth and families to appropriate community-based supports
Child Welfare Assessment Centers also partner with child welfare systems to provide early intervention and coordinated support when behavior may stem from trauma or instability at home.
What the Center does:
Identifies risk factors and protective factors through evidence-based screening
Supports family stabilization by coordinating services that address mental health, substance use, housing, and other needs
Strengthens connections between families and community providers
Focuses on safety, well-being, and keeping youth connected to family whenever possible
Prevention Many youth are referred before any formal system involvement. Assessment Centers play a critical early intervention role, supporting families, schools, and community partners.
What the Center does:
Accepts referrals from caregivers, educators, and other youth-serving professionals
Provides assessment and service coordination as an alternative to suspension, expulsion, or school-based discipline
Responds to concerns such as truancy, behavior at home, or signs of unmet needs
Builds trusting partnerships to address concerns early and prevent system involvement
Watch the brief overview: What Are Assessment Centers?
