Program Coordinator

Program Coordinator, Juvenile Diversion Unit

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office (DAO) is the largest prosecutor's office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives and support staff. Our Assistant District Attorneys are dedicated to public service, public safety, and justice for all involved in the criminal justice system.

The Juvenile Diversion Unit handles all cases diverted out of the Juvenile Justice System. Diversion is an opportunity to reroute a young person's case, pre-petition, from the traditional juvenile justice system to community-based programming. It is an opportunity for young people to avoid a juvenile record & the collateral consequences of juvenile justice system involvement.

Summary of the different tracks within Juvenile Diversion

The Youth Aid Panel (YAP) is one tier of the three primary juvenile diversion opportunities. Youth and their parents appear before a panel comprised of trained volunteers who live in the police district where the youth resides. The panel members interview the youth and the parents regarding the offense, school performance, interest, goals, and home life. This information is used to develop an action plan which the youth agrees to complete.

The agreements may entail enrollment in after-school programming, conflict resolution workshops, an apology to the victim, restitution, community service, etc.

Diversion Plus (DV+) is a second tier of the three primary juvenile diversion opportunities. The DAO has partnered with case management agencies to ensure that youth entering into diversion receive ongoing case management, monitoring, and wrap-around services in conjunction with their programming. There is a rebuttable presumption that diverted youth who are 15-17 years old shall be referred to case management agencies.

If a young person is eligible for Diversion Plus programming, the case management partner shall connect the young person with the designated program and monitor the young person's attendance and progress in the program. The case management partner shall provide diverted youth with additional supports and services as appropriate in their discretion, including, but not limited to: housing support, employment assistance, child care aid, clothing needs, life skills training, transportation assistance, vital document support, and food aid.

Restorative Justice Diversion (RJD) is a third tier within the three primary juvenile diversion opportunities. Restorative Justice Diversion is a survivor-centered diversion program in which a young person accused of harming another will undertake a process by which the young person repairs harm to: (i) the person harmed, (ii) the youth's family/caregiver, (iii) the youth's community, and (iv) the youth themselves.

Summary of Job

The Juvenile Diversion Program Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and coordinating services provided by community-based providers within the Juvenile Diversion Program network. This includes monitoring case management, Youth Aid Panel (YAP) services, restorative justice programming, and other diversion services provided to youth diverted from the juvenile court system. The Program Coordinator ensures that youth and their families receive appropriate, timely, and effective services consistent with program expectations, contractual requirements, and the individual needs of each youth.

The Program Coordinator provides ongoing oversight of assigned diversion cases and works collaboratively with community-based providers to monitor service delivery, address barriers to successful program participation, and support positive outcomes for youth and families. The position requires regular communication and collaboration with the Director of Juvenile Diversion, Juvenile Diversion Program Development Manager, Juvenile Diversion Program Operations Manager, fellow Program Coordinators, unit paralegal, and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective coordination and oversight of diversion services.