LA County Department of Youth Development
Strengthening collaboration and internal systems to advance youth justice reimagined
The Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development (DYD) is working to advance a vision of Youth Justice Reimagined — a future where young people across Los Angeles experience support, opportunity, and belonging rather than punishment. But meaningfully changing a public system requires more than strategy alone. It requires strong relationships, collaboration across teams, and internal systems that enable people to navigate complex challenges together. Recognizing this, DYD engaged Fractal Strategies to help strengthen how the department works from the inside out.
Process
Over a year, Fractal Strategies worked alongside DYD to strengthen collaboration, break down silos, and build internal capacity to navigate complex challenges. Our approach focused on the human side of systems change by creating space for teams to build systems, reflect, strengthen relationships, develop leadership skills, and work through challenges collectively. As part of this work, we facilitated a series of strategic plan implementation retreats with the entire staff as well as individual branches, bringing leaders together to operationalize strategies for addressing capacity limitations, strengthening cross-branch collaboration, and cultivating more adaptive leadership.
Results
Our work with DYD helped teams clarify how they work together and build trust to advance a shared vision for a care-first youth justice system. This work reinforces a central lesson of systems change work: lasting transformation happens when people have the time, tools, and relationships to move together with clarity, trust, and shared purpose. We helped the department stand up a staff-led Community of Practice composed of staff across different branches to continue the strategic implementation work after our work with them is complete.
Let’s Work Together
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