Parents & Guardians FAQs

The Fresno County ACEs Innovation Project is a research project to understand how to help young people in Fresno County stay out of trouble with the law. Youth will have the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences to help the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health create better programs for youth.

If your child is under the age of 18, we are required to have your consent so that they can participate in the project.

We will provide you with either a physical or emailed consent form that will need to be returned before your child can participate. You can also fill out the consent form online (available in English, Hmong, and Spanish).

If your child is between ages 15-17, and currently justice-involved (they are on probation, informal probation, or have a pending case), they can sign up as a Youth Participant and join a full 3-hour session including:

• Session 1 (Training): A 1-hour session to learn about stress, trauma, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These are the sad or hard parts of a person’s story that happen when they are young, that can negatively affect their health and happiness later in life.

• Meal: A meal will be provided between the training and discussion.

• Session 2 (Focus Group): A 1-hour discussion with other youth to share and reflect about what you learned about ACEs and discuss ideas about how Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health can help youth stay out of trouble with the law.

If your child is between the ages 17-24, and currently or formerly justice-involved, they can sign up to be a Youth Facilitator that leads training sessions and help co-facilitate focus group discussions. “Formerly justice-involved” means that your child must have been justice-involved within the last 3 years.

Your child can also decide if they want to complete a survey to share more information about their experiences.

Youth Participants will receivea $100 gift card for completing a full 3-hour session.

Youth Facilitators can receive $200 to attend a train-the-trainer session and a focus group coaching session, plus $200 for every 3-hour session they co-lead.

Stipends for transportation and childcare services are also available for all youth who participate in the project.

Leadership Development: Youth Facilitators will learn to lead groups of justice involved youth to gain an understanding of how stress and trauma can affect them, as well as share their experiences to help improve youth services.

The training session and focus group discussion will take place at a community organization or at the Juvenile Justice Center in Fresno County. Your child will receive more information about the location once they are signed up and scheduled to attend a session.

Sessions will be scheduled based on your child’s availability during weekday afternoons/early evenings and weekends. Your child will be able to sign up to participate in sessions that best fit their schedule.

Emotional Discomfort: Some topics may be sensitive and bring up uncomfortable feelings.

Confidentiality Risks: Although we protect your child’s information, discussions in group settings may be overheard by other participants.

Your child’s responses will be kept confidential and only used for research purposes. No names or identifying details will be shared in reports or presentations. Audio recordings, if permitted, will be securely stored and deleted three years after the project ends.

Our project ream are mandated reporters, which means we must report if your child shares that someone is currently hurting them, or if they talk about hurting themselves or others with the appropriate agencies. If this happens, we will work together to keep everyone safe.

Your child can take a break at any time and share as much or as little as they feel comfortable. Additional support is available through:

• Central Valley Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

  • For emotional distress, alcohol or drug use, or someone to talk to call this line for support.

• Mobile Crisis Response: 559-600-6000

  • For support with mental health and substance use crises.

• 24/7 Access Line: 1-800-654-3937

  • For information on services, screening, referral, and linkage and/or eligibility information for various services in Fresno County.

• CalHOPE Warm Line: 1-833-317-HOPE (4673)

  • For support by phone, video conference, or chat for anything related to stress, anxiety, depression, and any worries.

• Soluna App

  • For free, confidential mental health support, coping tools, and crisis resources designed for California teens and young adults.

Participation is completely voluntary, and your child can stop at any time without any consequences. If your child chooses to stop participating in the project at any time, this will not affect their probation or legal status in any way.

Stipends will be provided for transportation (e.g., bus passes, gas cards, or rideshare cards) and childcare services. Your child can request this support on the Intake Form.

Yes, project team members and community organization staff will be present during the training and focus group.

Due to the confidential nature of the discussion topics, only justice-involved youth who have completed the Intake Form and have been invited to the project may attend the training and focus group.

Yes, parents/guardians of participating youth have the option to complete a survey to share their thoughts on improving youth justice prevention efforts. If you would like to participate, you can provide your contact information on the Parent/Guardian Consent Form or contact the project team at FresnoACEs@aurrerahealth.com or call/text (559) 601-0153 to receive a copy of the survey.

Contact the project team at FresnoACEs@aurrerahealth.com or call/text (559) 601-0153.