HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08172004 - C88 *� '+ CONTRA
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORSCOSTA
COUNTY
FROM: Family and Human Services Committee
DATE: August 3, 2004C.
SUBJECT: Children and Families Policy Forum 2043-2004 Annual Report
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION(S):
ACCEPT the Children and Families Policy Forum 2003-2004 Annual Report.
DIRECT the Policy Forum to meet on at least a quarterly basis to maintain contact, foster communication, and
identify collaborative opportunities/approaches across agencies/jurisdictions.
BACKGROUNDIREASON(S) FOR RECOMMENDATION(S):
The Contra Costa Children and Families Policy Forum was established by the Board of Supervisors in 1996 as
a means to inform and engage citizens, community service providers, foundations, private sector partners and
local government representatives in activities that improve the health, safety, well-being, economic strength
and quality of life in the County's children, families and communities.
The Policy Forum Executive Committee actively oversees some efforts, endorses or supports others, and
sponsors or coordinates still others. Its most visible project is the Children's Report Card, which measures
how children are doing in Contra Costa County using 24 other data indicators. The most recent version was
published this year. The Children's Report Card can be used as a foundation for policy development, an
informative community tool and a resource for understanding and prioritizing community needs.
Prompted by the difficult budgetary year coupled with significant loss of staffing resources dedicated to the
Policy Forum, the Executive Committee is currently holding activities temporarily in abeyance. The Committee
will continue to meet quarterly without staff support to maintain contact, foster communication, and identify
collaborative opportunities/approaches.
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CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _x�YES SIGNAT RE:
-KECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR_x—RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S): _ � J
ACTION OF @ APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
i I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN
AYES: _NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED
ABSENT ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact:Devorah Levine 8351017 qtr r�.
-,�,JOHNEE EN,CLEkK OF
cc: Devorah Levine,CAO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Policy Forum Executive Committee(via CAO) AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
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BY DEPUTY
2003/2004 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES POLICY FORUM
"All Contra Costa County children will reach adulthood having experienced a safe,healthy,nurturing childhood which
prepares there to be responsible,contributing members of the community."
Vision statement-Contra Costa County Chttdren and Fandltes Polley Forum
Policy Forum activities and accomplishments for 2003and 2004 included significant milestones:
Children's Report Card
The third edition of the Children's Report Card was released in June 2003. Its four community outcomes
and 24 data indicators were developed through collaborative efforts of more than 40 representatives of
government and community service agencies serving on the Executive Committee and Project Oversight
Committee. This edition of the Report Card included format changes, a data development agenda, and
emphasized use of the Report Card as a powerful communication and planning tool.
Funding for the Report Card was provided by Policy Forum member commitments. The Report Card is
available on line through the Office of Education at iv�viv.cocosch ls.nr�. To date, over 1,2.15 copies of
the report card have been distributed.
Parentiina Task.Force
The Parenting Task Force is a Policy Forum subcommittee that was instituted to provide information,
education, and networking opportunities for professionals, para-professionals and volunteers involved in
parent education.
Four workshops were held in 2003: "Involving Fathers"with speakers on strategies for getting men
involved in their children's lives and a panel of young fathers from the Rubicon program(January 2003);
"Strategies for Kindergarten Readiness", a joint effort with staff of the First 5 Commission(April 2003);
"Cultural Perspectives on Parenting", an overview of cultural diversity and discipline with diversity(July
2003), and"Childhood Depression"(October 2003).
Three workshops were held this year: "Childhood Obesity"sponsored by the Health Department and
Community Services Department provided a panel of nutritionists and trainers(January 2004);
"Television,the Brain,and the Family"a topic area requested by previous workshop participants who
have had few strategies to help families understand the significance that excess television, computer and
other technology advancements have had related to brain development(April 2004). Each of the
workshops had between 40—60 participants and was very well received.
Another workshop will be held in August 2004 and will feature prominent speakers addressing the issue
of involving fathers in the health care and health insurance needs of their young children.
An agreement with CCTV permitted the taping of every workshop, and subsequent airing at least twice on
the local TV channel. This has expanded workshop access to professionals/parents who were unable to
attend the workshop. In addition, the Parenting Task.Force developed an agreement with Mt Diablo
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Adult Education to allow the Task Force to receive up to $4.44 per participant to help defray the costs of
sponsoring the workshops, and Continuing Education Units willnow be available for nurses to attend
relevant workshops as well.
The minimal attendance fee has, so far,been able to finance all of the costs associated with these
workshops. This has proven to be a very cost-effective approach to continuing the education and training
of parenting education stalL and expanding the networking opportunities as well.
CCFuture
Contra Costa Future(CCFuture), a public/private "partnership/investment strategy" supported by the
Policy Forum, is designed to rnaximAze and leverage public/private resources, and demonstrates that
prevention and early intervention programs can achieve better outcomes for children and their families.
Highlights of activities and achievements include the following.
Data Archive In January 2043, Executive Committee authorized the Children's Mental Health
Department's System of Care Planning and Policy Council to oversee the transition and maintenance of
the Data Archive from the contractor to the department. That process is currently underway, although
budget reductions may affect timing and availability of staff support.
The hater-Agency Rscal Slratey The Fiscal Work Group assisted the Health Services Department and the
Employment and Human Services Department to better understand how each department's funding
streams would constitute sustainable funding required by the other department's programs. By August
2003, the Health Services Department and Employment and Human Services completed an inter-
department agreement to allow Welcome Home Baby to bill Medicaid's Targeted Case Management for
reimbursing paraprofessionals' home visits to hunilies and Medicaid Administrative Activities claiming
for all outreach and project efforts to enroll and support families use of Medi-Cal.
Program Performance+So hvare.Both Welcome Home Baby(WHB)and Spirit of Caring(SOC) have
obtained and installed Program Performance Software able to document:
✓ Who is served (demographics, severity, and geographical location)
✓ What services are provided and what intensity of services are provided,
✓ Outcomes of services provided, and
✓ Cost of serving families to achieve the outcomes.
Reinvestment,Strat=CCFuture's strategy is to pursue all relevant categorical funding sources to help
sustain the two pilot programs(WHB, SOC) as current funding sources decline. Because Contra Costa
County is coping with a large budget deficit and is not in a position to guarantee that County general fund
dollars will be available to sustain prevention programs, regardless of their accomplishments,the Board
approved the creation of a"CC Future Fund". The Fund will initially include revenues from the transient
occupancy taxes generated from the new Renaissance Hotel Center at the Pleasant Hill BART station.
Efforts are underway to design/identify a grant administration structure for the funds that focus on early
intervention/prevention program that document positive results for their clients.
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Afterschool4AH(AS4AM
Afterschool4All is a countywide initiative, endorsed and supported by the Policy Forum; to expand the
size and quality of the County's after school system. After School Programming is now offered at 51
school sites within six school districts in the County, including: Antioch Unified(AVSD), John Sweet
(JSUSD) Unified, Martinez Unified(MUD), Mt. Diablo Unified(MDUSD), Pittsburg Unified(PUSD),
West Contra Costa Unified(WCCUS'D). The After School Programs serves on average 70 students per
day per school site with a range of 50-200 students in attendance each day. Across the six school
districts, over 7,500 students are being served daily.
Student surveys administered at the end of the 2002-2003 school year indicated:
• 76% of student respondents indicated that there was someone at the after-school program who could
help them when they needed it;
' 75%responded that they were doing better in school since attending AS4A11 programs;
+r 87%of respondents agreed that AS4Al1 programs respect their culture/heritage.
As the AS44AH rounds out its third year, the collaborative has continued its steady development as an
organization. In the prior two years,members' time was spent on administrative details and logistical
issues, leaving little time for discussion about longer-term goals or reflection on the Collaboratives
performance. By contrast, in 2003-2004 the collaborative members were able to extend beyond
operational needs to focus on sharing best practices, coordinating professional development conference,
and seeking additional funding.
In the Spring 2004, the evaluation team administered a survey to collaborative members to assess their
opinions about the organization. AS4Al1 Director and District Coordinators reported that the
collaborative serves as an invaluable resource, necessary support for after school programming
implementation,primary forum for networking,identification and training of best practices and primary
guide in sustainability planning and outreach.
Despite a net decrease of$200,000 in funding this year AS4A11 expanded to two additional districts. In
2003, the Policy Forum contributed $6,000 from their Community Approach Award to offer enhanced
arts and culture activities. Applications totaling $150,000 were submitted to the California Department of
Education and three different foundations. Decisions on these submissions are expected by Fall 2004.
CBO Canaci -Bnildin
The Center for Community-Based Organizations of Contra Costa, a project endorsed/supported by the
Policy Forum, is the first countywide association of nonprofits to convene three sectors—private, public
and nonprofit—on behalf of community-based organizations and the people they serve. Expected results
include more effective and efficient contracts management, improved functioning across departments,
improved CBO functioning,and better service to the community. This year accomplishments include.
• Board members, Executive Directors, and line staff of more than 60 non-profit organizations
participated in the creation of the Center.
• The Center incorporated as a public benefit corporation and was recognized as a tax-exempt
organization by the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board
• Creation of a Board of Directors.
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• Launched a website providing information and referrals for non-profits in Contra Costa County
• Delivered two workshops in Contra Costa with Compass Paint Nonprofit Services, a major
management support organization from San Francisco. Two more workshops are scheduled for Fall
2004.
• Initiated monthly Executive Director Breakfast Roundtables, two-hour facilitated discussions on
nonprofit management issues.
• Launched its consulting services with a customized workshop for a local.nonprofit.
PSSFfformerty li`a ity Preservation and SunRor't Promm)
The PSSF program, endorsed/supported by the Policy Forum, works to offer a wide variety of human
services to support low-income frtini:ties and communities in Bay Point, Pittsburg, and Richmond in an
effort to prevent thein from entering the child welfare system, Through the first half of the year five PSF
collaborations reached more than 1,500 people with a variety of services that strengthen families and.
communities. Following are just a few examples:
• 100%of the relative caregivers participating in support groups continued to care for and nurture the
children in their homes,thus avoiding placement disruption and entry into nonrelative foster care.
• Children participating in academic tutoring, self-esteem building and substance abuse prevention
activities, and/or recreational and educational field trips, demonstrated increased placement stability.
• Fifteen seniors provided weekly mentoring to twenty-five teens in North Richmond,thus providing
the teems with a safe environment and a positive role model.
• The Educational Liaison worked with more than 50 adopted youth and their families to improve
educational outcomes. The vast majority of these youth improved their grades and attendance.
• More than 140 teens regularly participated in a range of developmental and recreational activities, at a
site of their own, after school and on weekends.
• Almost 90%of the children who received intensive family preservation services remained stable in
their original placement or moved to a lower level of care.
Through the housing specialist,twenty-five fRunilies in the child welfare system secured safe,
affordable housing, and twenty are still working towards stable housing.
Reexamining Purpose
Prompted by the difficult budgetary year coupled with significant loss of staffing resources dedicated to
the Policy Forum,the Executive Committee is currently holding activities temporarily in abeyance.
However,the Committee will meet as needed without staff support to maintain contact, foster
communication, and identify collaborative opportunities/approaches. The Committee is committed to
producing another edition of the Report Card in three years and will take steps to ensure this effort
continues.
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