Youth and Family Services

King County Youth and Family Services Program contracts with community-based agencies to provide programs and services that seek to help young people develop healthier lives and futures.

The program provides information on youth prevention and intervention resources as well as other youth services located in King County.  All services are directed toward King County youth between the ages of 11 and 17.  Examples of services supported through these programs include outreach, youth and family counseling, and case management.

These services are provided by contracts with agencies located across the county that specialize in issues concerning youth.  The goal of these programs is to increase protective factors, reduce risk factors, and help young people develop healthy, positive behaviors.

The Youth and Family Services Program also supports a number of agencies that provide services to youth who are involved in or are at high risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system.  By promoting positive youth development and reducing high-risk behaviors, the primary goal of these programs is to prevent youth from entering or re-entering the justice system as well as reducing the disproportional number of youth of color in the juvenile justice system.  To address these goals, the Youth and Family Services Program has implemented the evidence-based practices of Functional Family Therapy, Aggression Replacement Therapy, and Multi-Systemic Therapy.

The success of these services is largely a result of collaborations with the Youth & Family Services Association (43 kb pdf), King County Juvenile Court, United Way of King County and other community partners.

For more information contact Linda C. Wells, Program Manager