We kick off our recognition of “Juvenile Justice” week with our Court Services unit. Juvenile Court Counselors provide intake and supervision for undisciplined and delinquent juveniles, through such services as assessment, case management, diversion and post-release supervision.
District 15’s Alison Uhlenberg has worked as a court counselor for 10 years, and demonstrates a true sense of community in serving the youth of Chatham County. Uhlenberg performs intake duties, which includes working with a diversion caseload. She works intensively with those youth that have high risk or needs benefiting from her intervention and involvement, and as a result, these youth, who could have been approved for court, are kept from deeper involvement in the court system. She also works closely with school officials to divert matters, rather than approving youth for court.
Uhlenberg also tries to broaden the horizons of the children she works with; for example, she and her co-workers, Kate O’Brien and Eric Satchell, organized a day-hiking trip and took 10 youths to Raven Rock State Park in Lillington for the day. Many of these youths had never been on a hiking trip and enjoyed the outdoors experience. Additionally, Uhlenberg helped organize two separate trips to the Science and History museums in Raleigh. Most of the juveniles participating had never been to a museum and some had never been to Raleigh.