Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 11, 1 November 2017 — BELIEVE, ADVOCATE, and BUILD: Truancy Court Collaboration on Kaua'i [ARTICLE]

BELIEVE, ADVOCATE, and BUILD: Truancy Court Collaboration on Kaua'i

The vision of Lili'uokalani Trust (LT) - e nā kamalei lupalupa (thriving Hawaiian children) - is the guiding light for LT's recent partnership on Kaua'i. LT partnered with the Fifth Circuit Family Court, the Department of Education, Department of Health, the Prosecuting Attorney's 0ffice, Attorney General's 0ffice, Hale Kipa, and the Kaua'i Poliee Department to develop an innovative strategy to enhanee youth opportunities to succeed inschool. The stakeholders envisioned a more supportive and proactive response to students who begin to exhibit a pattern of school nonattendance, as an alternative to the practice of filing a petition with the Attorney General and scheduling a court appearance. Now, kamali'i are referred to a multidisciplinary team that intercedes with the family to determine and address the root causes of the youth's nonattendance. This strategic support of youth and families is designed to prevent kamali'i from becoming involved in the State's juvenile justice system - up to 89 percent of Hawai'i's inmates have reported they were truants - and to provide them with pathways to educational success.