Collaborative Cooperation between the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center and the School in Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency

บทคัดย่อ

This research had the objective to produce guidelines for collaborative cooperation between the juvenile observation and protection center (JOPC) and the school in prevention of juvenile delinquency. The authors studied the outcomes and problems/obstacles in implementation to develop the guidelines. Data were collected by personal interviews and focus group discussions with staff of the JOPC and schools in the participating provinces. One JOPC and one school from each of ten pilot provinces were included in the study. This study found that there are different stages of collaborative coordination. The first stage involves collaborative decision-making regarding planning. Next is participation in activity implementation, requiring collaboration between the staff of the JOPC and schools, with the network of parents/guardians of target population youth. There are inherent benefits for all concerned parties in the implementation, for example, by reducing juvenile delinquency in the schools and; thus, reducing the population of JOPC residents. The implementing partners share in accruing these benefits. A final stage is participation in evaluation of the activities. That information is used to improve the activities and refine the strategies. Some of the obstacles to implementation include negative attitudes of teachers toward students with risk behaviors, concern by schools that collaborating with JOPC will tarnish the school’s reputation, and the anticipated increased workload of JOPC and school personnel due to project tasks. This pilot project found that there needs to be careful tailoring of the activities to the local situation. The project activities need to be implemented on
a regular and continuous basis. There is a need for capacity building of relevant personnel. There needs to be a systematic design for the project evaluation, and there needs to be regular support from the relevant government agencies.