From 2006 to 2010, the Mass. Department of Youth Services, Massachusetts’ juvenile justice agency, contracted with IHR for expertise around youth and substance use disorders. IHR placed Substance Abuse Specialists in each of the five DYS regions (Metro Boston, Northeast, Southeast, Central and West) to provide DYS with the Regional Access to Youth Services (RAYS) Project. RAYS staff worked with DYS residential facilities to ensure that substance use disorder programming was included, and worked with community behavioral health providers to ensure access to needed treatment services for DYS youth living at home.

The RAYS team assisted DYS with developing policies addressing drug testing for DYS youth, with collecting data on DYS youth and substance use, with selecting curricula on drugs and alcohol to use in DYS facilities, and with increasing family involvement for DYS youth through use of the curriculum Parent Time.

In 2010, the RAYS Project ended, and DYS initiated a new contract with IHR for a statewide DYS Substance Abuse Coordinator.