Valina Scotland, LPC, the Public Programs Coordinator for Cobb County Juvenile Court, presented at the Cobb Collaborative’s Positive Childhood Alliance (PCA) meeting on October 22. Scotland was instrumental in researching and selecting the risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) assessment tool now used with youth at the Cobb County Juvenile Court.
The RNR tool is evidence-based and helps assess a young person’s likelihood of reoffending, which supports effective case management planning. Scotland explained that using proper assessments enables youth to receive more targeted and suitable services. She stated that this approach “ultimately [contributes] to lower recidivism rates and improved long-term outcomes.”