Summary: A host of federal agencies spend billions of dollars each year on various programs serving at-risk and delinquent youth. Many programs are potentially duplicative, providing services that appear to overlap those of other federal programs. This system of multiple federal programs arrayed across several agencies has created the potential for inefficient service. In addition, federal decisionmakers who need to know what these programs are accomplishing often cannot obtain adequate information. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 can help agencies in charge of these programs move toward a more integrated approach to meeting common goals for helping at-risk and delinquent youth and should bring with it a stronger emphasis on accountability and assessment of program results. However, GAO's analysis of strategic plans required by the act found that the plans were not specific enough to determine whether an integrated approach is operating with respect to services for a particular target group, such as at-risk and delinquent youth.
