The various agencies and groups that serve children in Fayette County are joining together to combat the phenomenon of drug abuse and violence among youths here.

One of the goals of the Substance Abuse Violence Education coalition is to assist parents, many of whom are overwhelmed with their responsibilities, said Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard.

“If we want to help the kids, we have to help the parents,” Ballard said.

Ballard said none of the SAVE affiliated agencies “are trying to tell parents what to do” and no one has all the answers to parenting. Instead, SAVE is offering “encouragement and support,” Ballard said.

A significant hurdle facing parents today is the different ways kids have of communicating with friends, from instant messaging to email, text messaging on cellphones, and the popular MySpace and Facebook web networks, Ballard said.

Trish Mowery of Turning Point mental health suggested that parents should check their children’s webpages and have the passwords to do so.

“Most parents want to do the right thing and they try to do the right thing,” Mowery said. “But it’s getting harder and harder to do these days.”

There are other low-tech ways of keeping tabs on children as well, Ballard noted.

“You can search your children’s rooms,” Ballard said.

Such searches are not prohibited by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Ballard noted.

Another problem faced by many parents is the ability of youths to be more mobile, thanks to the city’s easily accessible cart path system, officials noted.

The most abused drug by juveniles in Fayette County is far and away alcohol, followed by prescription medicine and marijuana, Ballard said. Though alcohol and drug abuse found at schools is way down, that leads officials to believe incidents elsewhere are on the increase, such as at parties thrown by teens whose parents are away, Ballard said.

But alcohol and drug offenses aren’t the only perils that juveniles are landing in court for. One of the most significant other violations that recurs is unruliness, which is when a parent calls police because they can’t control their child, Ballard said.

For example, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office has reported a few calls recently from parents complaining their child won’t get up and get out of bed, Ballard said.

Fayette is also seeing a growing number of single-parent families, according to the Department of Family and Children Services.

But for many kids who end up in juvenile court, the root of their problems stems largely from uninvolved parents, or parents who are in denial of their child’s illegal activities, officials said.

Ballard said one of his concerns is the ever-growing gap between what a defendant would be sentenced for as an adult to the punishment they are given for the same type of crime as a juvenile. A program formerly known as “boot camp” for juveniles has been shortened from 90 days to 60 days, and may face further cuts in that program and others due to state budget problems, said Helen Trouth of Fayette County’s Department of Juvenile Justice office.

Trouth said the juvenile court comes into play for parents who aren’t meeting their responsibilities, as the court can mandate some restrictions on parents.

Ballard’s office is one of many local agencies participating in SAVE, including the Department of Juvenile Justice, local law enforcement agencies, the Fayette County School System, Fayette County Department of Family and Children Services, Fayette County Juvenile Court, mental health professionals and others.

SAVE held its organizational meeting Monday and will be compiling data for a future meeting so appropriate strategies can be adopted to combat Fayette’s juvenile issues, Ballard said.

One idea bandied around is the age group of youth SAVE needs to target its prevention measures toward. There was some discussion about how that age group may need to be younger than many would have thought, Ballard said.

Another possibility is the establishment of a mentoring program for parents so they can get advice from other parents, Ballard said. Other helpful parenting information may also be disseminated on the Internet and also on a local community access channel.

Also under consideration is the publication of a teen resource guide so parents can be aware of other assistance that’s available for a variety of issues.

Whatever actions are taken, they will be rooted in similar strategies that have succeeded in other communities, Mowery said.

The benefits of focusing on prevention rather than intervention, meanwhile, are significant in impact and in savings to the taxpayer, Mowery said.

Becky Smith of FACTOR (Fayette Alliance Coordinating Teamwork Outreach and Resources) said one of the main goals of SAVE is to be positive so its message can be heard and accepted.

Trouth took a similar viewpoint, noting that many people in the community will be able to help out once the group reaches its focus and goals.

“We may not realize the fruition of our labors,” Trough said. “But we are planting the seed to give them somewhere to grow.”

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