The Center for Network Development (CND) is a not for profit training and technical assistance program that is committed to assisting agencies, organizations and communities build sustainable partnerships, service networks, and effective practices in order to improve the health, safety and well being of youth at-risk, families and communities.

CND serves a wide array of agencies and professionals who are responsible for the health, safety and well being of at-risk youth, juvenile offenders and their families including courts, schools, behavioral health agencies, prosecutors, public defenders, child welfare, family advocacy organizations, higher education, detention, corrections, diversion, probation, employment, community and prevention programs.

CND has assisted more than 680 juvenile justice and other youth service professionals address the challenges and barriers to juvenile information sharing through multilevel instructional training and technical assistance.

About the Project

“The sharing of essential information between multiple agencies and across systems through structured procedures to improve outcomes for youth and families, and protect communities” is key to the success of youth and families today.

The National Juvenile Information Sharing Initiative (NJISI) works with juvenile justice, youth services, and community and state leaders to effectively coordinate multiple services, and to foster informed decision-making regarding juveniles, whether in the justice, education, health or welfare contexts.

Based on a national survey of the status of cross agency information regarding youth, and focus groups’ assessment, the CND initiated the National Juvenile Information Sharing Initiative as a foundation for successful outcomes for youth and families maneuvering through youth serving agencies.

In 2000, CND launched a unique training curriculum and technical assistance approach that integrated operational requirements for achieving JIS that was developed and implemented by a collaborative of key stakeholders; ensuring confidentiality and protecting private information; and employed appropriate technology to facilitate and secure the exchange of information.

CND continues to address the significant challenges to information sharing with the development of protocols and standards for juvenile information sharing through the National Initiative and lessons learned through it's pilot sites.

The outcomes of the pilot site implementations will provide valuable insight into successful JIS and the information gained from the pilot sites have been incorporated into an updated version of CND's Governance Guidelines for Juvenile Information Sharing.

The Juvenile Justice XML Data Model has been piloted in the local site in the State of Colorado. The pilot continues to provide additional data; objects and identifying information exchanges that are being documented using the National Information Exchange Model - NIEM. These data exchanges are being tested, modified and some are being implemented so that CND can measure level of effort and identify additional resources needed to implement a NIEM conformant information exchange using the JIS model.

We welcome your feedback. Please contact Stephanie Rondenell, Executive Director, with questions or comments.