The Attendance Centre is a non-residential community based (alternative to custody) program which operates six days per week providing highly structured and closely supervised programming that addresses the identified risk/need factors of young persons.
Youth are referred to the Attendance Centre by their Probation Officer as a condition of a court order including Probation, Extra-Judicial Sanction, or those serving the community portion of a Custody and Community Supervision Order. The referral requests specific services based on the youth’s risk need assessment and case management plan.
Services
Intervention and programs offered to youth utilize/incorporate the following:
- Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) approaches
- A focus on identified criminogenic risk and needs
- Teaching, modelling and practicing new skill development (ie: problem solving, conflict resolution, self-management)
- Responsivity principles regarding abilities and learning styles of youth
- Pro-social modeling (challenging and changing anti-social attitudes and beliefs)
- A strength-based approach
- Cultural teachings and events
A variety of formal/informal resources and modalities (including SMART computer and the Community Learning Hub) are utilized in order to deliver services to youth primarily on an individual basis. Group work is also available.
Program Topics
- Anger Management
- Arts
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills
- Cognitive Skills
- CORE (Creating Opportunities for lowering Recidivism through Education)
- Community Service/Volunteering
- Culinary Arts
- Cultural
- Education
- Employment Readiness
- Family
- Gender Specific
- Grief & Loss
- Healthy Lifestyle
- Leisure and Recreation
- Life Skills
- Social Skills
- Miigaazowini Wachag (Reintegration Strategies for Young Men)
- SNAP (Stop Now And Plan)
- Offending Behaviour
- Peer Relations
- Personality/Orientation
- Substance Abuse Awareness
- Victim Awareness
School
The Attendance Centre has a partnership with the education system for the provision of a classroom with a Board-certified teacher and Student Support Person (SSP). The school operates half days Monday-Friday, however students are welcome to utilize classroom outside of the formal teaching hours to do homework. Referrals to the school program are made by Probation Officers as well as designated personnel from Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, Lakehead Public Schools, Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales and the Thunder Bay Youth Justice Committee.
Community Linkages
Where appropriate and as part of the youth’s Individualized Case Plan, community resources and services are utilized which support the youth’s attainment of goals. The connections introduced and experienced by youth are intended to augment their success in the community once their involvement with Attendance Centre has concluded.
The Attendance Centre
110 Archibald Street North
Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7C 3X8
Phone: (807) 577-4925
Fax: (807) 577-4701
