GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

 

Open Government Report 2014
 

 
To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this report describes
how the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) has and will continue to
develop and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance
with Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
1)

Transparency
DYRS prides itself on open and transparent government agency, resulting in a 3prong approach ensuring the public is well-informed about the inner-workings of the
agency. This includes 1) data, 2) specialized reports, and 3) direct access:
1. Data
On our government website, numerous data points are provided to the public;
specifically in relation to public safety, population, and youth development
indicators.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/data
2. Specialized Reports
To assist our stakeholders to better understand the work of the agency, we
constantly provide specialized reports on our government website. These include,
but are not limited to: performance reports; knowledge briefs; research reports;
and white papers.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-specialized-publications
3. Direct Access
The agency also provides easy-to-use direct access to our stakeholders on our
website. This includes an Ask the Director form on every page; Media Inquiries
page; Open Government and FOIA page; and telephone numbers for the Director
and agency.

While the agency is proud of the access provided to the public, there is always room
for improvement. Having said this, DYRS is working closely with the Office of the
City Administrator (OCA) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) to
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identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish
online later this year. If no dataset from DYRS is selected to be included in this 2014
release, we will continue to work with OCA and OCTO to identify datasets
appropriate to publish in 2015. In the future, requirements for open data reporting will
be provided by the Chief Data Officer.

2)

Public Engagement and Participation
DYRS provides stakeholders, including our youth and their family’s direct ability to
participate and be informed of the agency’s decision-making process. We ensure
families know their rights, roles, expectations, frequently asked questions, and where
to go if help is needed. On our website, we specifically have a “For Families” page
providing the following necessary information to keep our families informed
throughout their involvement with DYRS:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-resources-families
DYRS also provides information on the services we provide:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dyrs-services
And our approach and methodologies:
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/about-dyrs
Going forward, DYRS will improve its use of social media to enhance public
engagement and participation. This is an emphasis for the upcoming year to ensure
every avenue is exhausted to keep our stakeholders informed and involved.

3)

Collaboration
DYRS works closely with our internal and external stakeholders. DYRS regularly
participates in cluster meetings with the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice,
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and the Interagency Incident
Management Team.
Additionally, DYRS and the Children and Youth Investment Trust (CYITC)
collaborated to launch DC YouthLink, a coalition of community-based organizations
that provide a diverse array of services to court-involved youth in their home
neighborhoods. By focusing on community-based interventions, DC YouthLink is at
the forefront of a national trend in positive, community-based services and
placements for youth committed to a juvenile justice agency. The initiative is based
on the premise that youth are best served within the context of their home community

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and that building upon their strengths and the strengths of the community is the most
effective way to enhance public safety.
http://dyrs.dc.gov/page/dc-youthlink
To improve information sharing within and outside of the agency, DYRS recently
implemented the FAMCare system. FAMCare is designed and developed as a
juvenile justice case management system. It is the standard application many
jurisdictions around the country. Its robust architecture permits flexible and userfriendly customization by the end users, thus eliminating much of the need for IT
involvement in customizing forms and ad-hoc reporting.

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