THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409150170
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
More city effort is needed to ensure that troubled youths won't fall through the bureaucratic cracks of local government, Department of Social Services director Daniel M. Stone told the City Council on Tuesday.
Stone, who chairs a task force that drafted a report on juvenile crime strategies, said better coordination is needed among city departments to ensure juveniles receive prompt and effective solutions to their problems.
He asked the council to establish a Youth Services Coordinating Office and a Coordinating Council, made up of city department heads, school system officials, youths, parents and neighborhood leaders.
Councilwoman Louisa M. Strayhorn said the committee would help make juvenile crime dollars go further by removing duplication of city services and would help solicit public input about possible solutions to the juvenile crime problem.
Although Virginia Beach has a relatively minor juvenile crime problem compared to other cities, there are many indications the problem is getting worse, Stone said. He cited the city's dramatic population growth, increasing numbers of single-parent households and an extremely high rate of child abuse, as predictors of future juvenile crime problems.
Councilwoman Barbara M. Henley said she would like to see an even larger city commitment to combating juvenile crime than just hiring one new person and setting up a committee.
``You identified the problem well,'' Henley told Stone, ``but coordination is not enough.'' by CNB