Child and Adolescent Truancy Program

Truancy & Absenteeism Reduction Program

Through our partnership with Wicomico Partnership for Families and Children we have received grant funding for a Truancy and Absenteeism Reduction Program. This program has been designed to address the root causes of truancy and absenteeism in Wicomico County Schools. The primary objectives of this program are to assess root causes of students’ truancy and absenteeism, connect students to resources and overcome related barriers, provide Individualized support to promote student accountability and educational success, and prevent need for legal intervention. 

Students that are considered truant or are at risk of being truant at most Wicomico County Schools are eligible for services and referrals can be completed through google form or submit a written referral to Truancy Caseworker.

Referrals

Referral with Google Form 

PDF Referral Form

Program Services:

  • Assessment of student’s needs
  • Connection to community resources
  • Attendance monitoring
  • Support in school meetings
  • Individual sessions based on need
  • Executive functioning skills training
  • Truancy Prevention curriculum

NCTI will be used with all Truancy Program Participants.  

Jessica is a certified Crossroads and Real Colors facilitator!

As a Certified Facilitator, she is able to:

1.   Instruct individuals in clarifying the relationship between values, attitude, and behavior with consistency in delivery.

2.   Facilitate an array of cognitive behavioral, offense-specific curricula for juvenile and adult individuals.

3.   Create a supportive environment based on trust that allows for trial and error.

4.   Teach understanding and appreciation of one’s own communication and learning style and the styles of others by using the NCTI Real Colors Personality Instrument.

5.   Facilitate the group process using lively, interactive exercises to involve even the most disinterested individuals.

6.   Construct open-ended questions to elicit an intrinsic commitment to change.

7.   Use structured homework and NCTI’s Personal Awareness Journal™ to encourage practice of pro-social behaviors learned in group sessions.

NCTI’s model of cognitive behavior change works because we focus on the internal motivators of values and personal attitudes.

The NCTI approach focuses on intrinsic change. Intrinsic change is different than extrinsic change which simply tells a person of the adverse consequences of a certain behavior. Intrinsic change helps a participant see the personal benefits of new behaviors and motivates through the participant’s own vision of improved benefit. Intrinsic change is more effective and much longer-lasting because it is internal motivation, rather than instruction from an external source.

NCTI believes change can happen quickly. NCTI’s approach has proven that once a participant becomes aware of the need to change, commits to change, and learns the skills necessary to affect new behavior, change can happen quickly. There are, of course, some behaviors that are harder than others to extinguish, and there are new skills that are difficult for some participants to master. But even complex behavior change can take place in a matter of weeks, rather than months or years. What most participants need is to be shown a better way to behave and to be provided with skills to behave in that way.

NCTI has found that working in groups is a more effective format for change to occur. Participants can see others changing, they can see successes in others that motivate them to attempt change, they draw reinforcement from others, and they can celebrate successes with other participants. Changing behavior is easier when it is done with others.

 

NCTI Behavioral Change Informational Video

 

Program Staff

Program Case Worker- Jessica Taylor

Phone: 443-783-0410

Email: [email protected]

 

Clinical Director- Angela Ford, LCSW-C

Email: [email protected]