Welf. & Inst. Code, § 1900

The Legislature hereby finds that the most significant trend in the development of delinquency prevention programs has been in the direction of multipurpose youth service bureau projects implemented at the neighborhood level, receiving delinquent and predelinquent youth referred by parents, schools, police, probation, and other agencies, as well as self-referral. Designed especially for less seriously delinquent youth, programmatic aspects often include group and individual counseling, work and recreation programs, employment counseling, special education, utilization of paraprofessionals and volunteers, outreach services, and youth participation in the decisionmaking process. Often activities encouraging youths’ families, local community citizens, and representatives of established agencies are included in project activities. While youth service bureau programs have been effective in diverting youth out of the justice system, it has also been the case that these programs have been hampered in their operations due to lack of consistent and stable funding. Therefore, it is proposed that a significant number of youth service bureaus be established throughout the state and be located in areas with a high concentration of vulnerable youth, by means of a cost-sharing plan between local communities and the state.