FCYU-Feature Story

'We're Actually Listening'
In Chicago, a judge sits at the table with teens.

By La'Quesha Barner

In Chicago, judges have figured out a new way to get teens involved in court. It's called the Benchmark Permanency Hearing Program. Teens in the program meet regularly with a judge, outside of court, and work on a plan for aging out of care. The teens have to work hard to reach their goal, but the judge checks on their progress and helps make sure they have what they need.

I spoke with Judge Sybil C. Thomas, who runs the program, to find out more:

Q: Why did the Benchmark program get started?

A: What happened is that judges around the country noticed that the population of our kids in foster care has moved from being very young kids to being more teenagers. Teens have really different needs, and we needed to address that. We decided we could no longer have a cookie cutter plan for everybody. What Benchmark does is provide individual attention. We sit down with a teen on a one-on-one basis to help them map out a personal plan.

Q: How does it work?

A: The teens meet with me once every three months. At each hearing the teen will be there with their lawyer, their caseworker and anyone else they want to bring who they feel will be supportive. I'll also have a staff attorney and other people who can help, like a representative from the local school system. All these people are part of the minor's team.

The first hurdle is convincing the teen that they're now in control if they want to be, that we're actually listening to them about what their goals are and we can put the resources behind them.

With me, everybody will have a minimal education-a high school diploma. But from there they can determine where they want to go: college, a trade school or the military. One kid who had a college basketball scholarship signed himself up for the military instead. That's not what I would have chosen, but that was what he wanted. Our goal is to be supportive.

At the end of each hearing, the teen signs a contract outlining tasks they have to complete to reach their goal. If there are things the caseworker has to do, they agree to do those things too. I pull that out when we meet again and see how we can move forward to the next set of tasks.

Q: How do teens join the program?

A: Attorneys and caseworkers will refer teens to me if they believe the teen has tremendous potential but is a little confused, and needs a road map to the system to reach their goals. They should be 16 to 18 years old with a goal of independence. These are kids who have been in the system for a while, who will not be returned to their parents and who have no opportunity for adoption.

They cannot have severe mental heath issues or other disabilities that would stop them from being able to implement tasks. Also, they can't be chronic runaways, because if they can't be stable in a placement they can't come back to see me every three months and do what needs to be done.

Q: How do you get kids to show up?

A: We set a date, and I usually encourage each of them to have a calendar, so they can keep tabs. They choose to come or choose not to come. Those who don't come I usually give one or two misses, but then I will drop them from the program. They'd have to show a huge improvement to get referred back. But that doesn't happen often.

Q: What difficulties have you had?

A: Let me tell you, it's not easy. You know the teenage years are a difficult time. What the Benchmark program does is give them the grounding. I'm here, I'm stable, I'm not going anywhere. If they don't implement a task I don't yell at them or belittle them. I let them know I'm disappointed and show them how it affects the goals they've set for themselves.

Mostly they are given a lot of encouragement and lot of praise, especially if they didn't do a task but still came to face me-that tells me they have tremendous character. That's a trait I'm hoping that they all learn.

Q: Have you ever gotten too close to a case?

A: I get too close to all of them! That's something that I'm working on. I look at all these kids in care as my kids. But I never forget my capacity as a judge, my vow to follow the law, and I remind them of that as well, if things are not going the way they should be.

Q: What is planned for the Benchmark Hearing Program in the future?

A: Our plans are to expand. There are 13,000 kids in foster care here in Cook County. Three thousand are eligible for the Benchmark program, but I only have 1,000 right now. I can't see everybody.

Q: Do you think the Benchmark program should be copied in other cities?

A: Yes, especially in other cities where the teen population in care is increasing. I'm very proud of this program. There is no one-size-fits-all plan for everyone-that's not realistic. But we should give adolescents more input into their future. This is their life.