WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Central Texas juvenile justice system has taken home an award that has been handed out to only four child development programs in the nation.

Williamson County Juvenile Services (WCJS) is now an ambassador for what’s known as having a trauma-informed intervention program inside its juvenile justice center.

WCJS operates a system created to serve youth arrested for delinquent conduct, youth at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system and students referred through school expulsion. 

“My son, he’s a good kid as many are. They just make tough decisions over the years. For him, he’s had some adversity and trauma,” said Kaylene Ward.

Ward’s 16-year-old son crossed paths with WCJS about a year ago. Things got particularly tough for her and her family during COVID-19 as her son developed more behavioral issues.

“That just led to outbursts and anger and not wanting to do anything in school or his life,” said Ward. “As a parent that’s tough, because you want the best for your kid.”

Case workers at WCJS are using what’s called TBRI or trust-based relational intervention.

“One of the universals is that they have a significant history of trauma. Trauma that happens in the home unit or neighborhood,” said WCJS Assistant Executive Director Matt Smith. “Things like abuse, neglect, divorce, drugs or domestic violence..”

Rather than feeling like these juveniles are going to a boot camp, the program focuses on connecting with them in a way that finds their “spark.”

“We’re not just managing behavior; we’re not just punishing kids,” said Smith. “We’re going much deeper. We want to look at the root cause, why the kid came to us in the first place.”

Their sparks are found through athletics, the arts or music.

Ward’s son found his spark in graphic design. Her son is already looking at ways to build a career through graphic design. Dan Tuiasosopo, a prevention coordinator at WCJS, helped him find that passion.

“Every behavior is either coming from one or two needs: a need for survival or safety, a need for connection,” said Tuiasosopo. “I worked with her son for about a year and a half. When he transitioned to our core program, I have checked on him throughout his time here.”

The program is also working to build those connections all while addressing the issue at hand.

“Being trauma informed does not mean we are permissive or soft on crime,” said Smith. “We still have a lot of safeguards; we still have accountability within our system. We want to make sure the public is protected, and the best way to do that is to change the kids while they’re here with us.”

The TBRI structure comes from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, which is a program through the Department of Psychology at Texas Christian University (TCU).

Williamson County is the first justice center in the nation to take advantage of the program. The program is most widely used for foster care services.

Current TBRI ambassador organizations include: All God’s Children International; Crossroads NOLA in New Orleans, Louisiana; Global Impact International/Restoration Rome in Rome, Georgia; and Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, Texas.

The institute provides training, consultation and ongoing support to TBRI ambassadors and partners with them to implement TBRI in systems of care and practice, relying heavily on the unique expertise of the ambassadors.