A new pilot project aimed at preventing at-risk youth from being locked up rests on the belief that each child has individual needs that require a customized support plan.

Wrap Hawaii is funded by the Casey Family Program Foundation and is a collaborative project among the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Social Sciences, the Public Policy Center and other state and private agencies, according to a press release. It develops an individualized plan for each participant that revolves around the child’s needs and strengths, available resources and support systems specific to the child’s family. 

Nine teenagers ages 13 through 17 are currently participating in Wrap Hawaii. They were referred through various agencies, including the Child Welfare Service, Family Court and the Office of Youth Services.

Since enrolling, none of the participates has been sent for inpatient care, incarceration or out-of-state placement, according to the press release.

Roughly 130 children enter the state’s youth correctional facility annually, costing taxpayers $160,000 per year for each youth, the press release says. In-patient mental health care costs about $100,000 per child per year. Foster care costs about $25,000 per year. 

Wrap Hawaii, advocates say, could drastically reduce those costs.

Photo courtesy of Alaina Abplanalp Photography via Flickr

— Alia Wong