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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12061994 - 1.138 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Robert Hofmann, Acting Director - Costa Social Service Department � •: ._... ,4oa _ County DATE: November 29, 1994 �'racoiic+� SUBJECT. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Submittal of the Family Preservation and Support Program - First Year Plan SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDED ACTION: APPROVE the Family Preservation and Support Program - First Year Plan, as written in accordance with the guidelines from the State Department of Social Services and reviewed by the Contra Costa County Policy Academy. AUTHORIZE the Acting Social Service Director, or his designee, to finalize and submit the First Year Plan to the State Department of Social Services. FISCAL: ` Contra.Costa County's Family Preservation and Support Program allocation of $121,202 for Federal. Fiscal Year 1994 is conditional upon this submittal. BACKGROUND; In order to meet Federal program mandates and receive Family Preservation and Support Program (FPSP) funds, Contra Costa County is required to: * Develop a one-year FPSP plan describing how Planning Funds will be spent. This plan is due to the State Department of Social Services the first part of December, 1994 and is attached. * Establish a local planning body to develop the county Five Year Plan. That body has been established as the Policy Academy and has been involved in the development of the First Year Plan. * Develop a Five Year Plan describing how FFY 1995 - 1999 funds will be spent in this County. The plan must address how the County will integrate other federal funding sources in order to maximize funding for family` preservation and family support ,.efforts The Five Year Plan is due to the State by April 4, 5. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: � ;.. RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR - RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE - APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER - .n'✓ X� a VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: Contact: Sharon Bacon 646-4242 ATTESTED SOCIAL SERVICE (CONTRACTS UNIT) PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AUDITOR-CONTROLLER CONTRACTOR M382 (10/88) BY DEPUTY FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS (FPSP) APPLICATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 1994 FUNDS CONTRA COSTA COUNTY VISION AND GOALS ♦ HEALTHY CHILDREN. Clusters of children of diverse cultures and languages, walking unafraid to school. Eager students, who do their homework Safe after-school play, both spontaneous and organized Well fed, healthy children, dressed warmly in the winter. Cherished children with a well-organized structure to their lives. ♦ HEALTHY FAMILIES. Healthy family members who support and respect each other. Appreciation of the family's cultural and/or ethnic heritage. Stability and self sufficiency, a job or purposeful effort toward employment. A loving home environment. An understanding of the family's strengths. For families experiencing difficulties, a well- planned strategy (in partnership with support organizations) that leverages family strengths to overcome barriers. ♦ HEALTHY COMMUNITIES. Opportunities for families to participate in mutual support and self-help activities. Strong community, school and government organizations that respond to community needs and work with families as partners. Community leaders who can mobilize community resources. Clean, safe streets and neighborhoods. After-school activities for children. Employment opportunities. Contra Costa County has a lengthy history of interagency collaborative efforts that continually improve service delivery systems for children and families. In 1979, the Board of Supervisors formed the Youth Services Board (YSB). The YSB is comprised of the County Administrator, the Directors of the Departments of Social Service, Health (including Substance Abuse, Public Health, Medical Services and Mental Health), Probation, Community Services (including Head Start); the County Superintendent of Schools, and the Juvenile Court Judge. Their monthly meetings are designed to establish interagency priorities, address multi-agency issues and stimulate collaborative efforts. Two programs developed as a result of work conducted by the YSB; YIACT (Youth Interagency Assessment Consultation Team) and therapeutic foster homes that specialized in serving minors with mental health issues. During 1985-86, the YSB began to shift from being child focused to focusing on strengthening families and placement prevention. Together, the YSB Mental Health, Social Services and Probation developed an interagency Family Preservation Program, one of the first in the nation. This project provides intensive, family-centered, home-based services geared toward strengthening families and preventing placements. The program is highly successful in that after 2 years, 75% of the children remain with their families and have avoided placement. In 1990, the YSB turned its attention to translating the principles of the Family Preservation Program to systems-wide reform. We are now piloting a new service delivery model which is family-centered, comprehensive, integrated, and community-based in several locations throughout the County. -1- CONTRA COSTA COUNTY FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS APPLICATION FOR FY 1994 FUNDS In 1992, the Board of Supervisors adopted "Healthy Families 2000: A Plan to Improve the Health of Children, Youth and Families in Contra Costa County". The plan was the outgrowth of intense dialogue with communities,community members and service providers. It delineates Contra Costa County's commitment to developing an effective interagency system that fosters healthy development and opportunity for children in Contra Costa by promoting, enhancing and strengthening family life and community capacity. The plan envisions a,collaborative, community-based system of services to serve families in a holistic manner by establishing a new working relationship among agencies and engaging families as partners in the process. Contra Costa County has spearheaded, and is participating in, several programs which are actively working toward fulfilling this vision, including: ♦ Service Integration Teams (2 community sites established in 1994) ♦ Healthy Start Programs (3 operational grants, and 2 planning grants in 1994) ♦ Family Maintenance Organization (currently being organized to improve health care and wellness for families) ♦ Application to become a AB1741 County (to provide flexibility in blending monies and requesting waivers) ♦ Application for.00AP Juvenile Crime Prevention grant ♦ Policy Academy ♦ Participation in East Bay Corridor Project ♦ Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory Committee It is with a continuing commitment toward this vision that Contra Costa County enters the planning process for Family Preservation and Support Programs. The FPSP initiative will be closely linked with all of the programs noted above. 1. Amount of funds that will be spent on Planning and on Planning-related Training and Technical Assistance activities. $121,202 (100% of Contra Costa County's allocation) will be utilized for planning to develop the County's five-year plan. Approximately 70% of the allocation will fund Planning,while 30% will fund related Training and Technical Assistance. Training will be woven into all phases of the planning process. Funds will be allocated to cover expenses such as: staff to facilitate the community education and assessment process, the hiring and training of local residents to conduct surveys and focus groups, organization of focus groups, town meetings and related expenses (including, but not limited to, advertising, materials, space, food, child-care, transportation, release time). The County will provide in-kind clerical and support services. -2- CONTRA COSTA COUNTY FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS APPLICATION FOR FY 1994 FUNDS 2. Description of the Training, and Technical Assistance activities that will be provided. Contra Costa County is committed to a broadly inclusive planning process that will involve the active participation of diverse organizations and individuals. Training and technical assistance opportunities will be designed to offer the information and skills development necessary for all stakeholders to fully and comfortably participate in the planning process. Our experience through trainings related to the Interagency Family Preservation Program and Service Integration Teams has taught us that successful trainings must be hands-on, less theoretical and more interactive, experiential and respectful. FPSP will apply these principles in adult learning to the proposed Technical Assistance and Training Activities. Every effort will be taken to build in release time for teachers, community-based organization staff, and others as appropriate, so that participants can comfortably devote time to the trainings. Proposed Technical Assistance and Training Activities include:. ♦ Leadership development training for residents,parents and providers development ♦ Committee and meeting models and structure ♦ Needs assessments ♦ Planning techniques ♦ Family Support and Family Preservation concepts ♦ Effective Family Preservation and Family Support Programs: principles and models ♦ Interagency, service-linked collaboration ♦ Interjurisdictional Confidentiality ♦ Multi-agency/partnerships with the community ♦ Valuing culture and diversity and exhibiting competency in providing service to diverse populations A list of future training and technical assistance needs will be developed for the FPSP project during the planning process. 3. Description of how the County will inform the community about the new FPSP goals and ensure that the planning process will be a broad-based inclusive process. Contra Costa County recognizes that community-level planning is critical in order to effectively identify families' resources and needs on which to build new and functional systems. In addition, connections and linkages must be made with all existing County and community-based advisory commissions and coalitions with an interest in families and children. These linkages will ensure a coordinated approach to supporting and preserving families in our County. Contra Costa's Policy Academy has been designated by the Board of Supervisors as the FPSP Planning Body. This advisory body to the Board of Supervisors is the County's -3- CONTRA COSTA COUNTY FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS APPLICATION FOR FY 1994 FUNDS most recent broad-based collaborative effort, bringing together education, county agencies, community-based organizations and community leaders. Its charge is to examine the major child and family strategies being developed in Contra Costa County and to better understand their relationships and roles in the continuum of child/family support. Based upon this understanding, recommend policy which results in systems change. In order to become even more broad-based and inclusive, the Policy Academy is currently expanding its membership to include consumers,youth, and representatives from all geographic areas of the County. This expanded Policy Academy will meet the requirements of the FPSP Planning Body with membership of a diverse group of individuals and organizations from throughout the County. The Policy Academy will contact and inform all appropriate County advisory commissions and community-based coalitions (including non-formal coalitions such as religious and neighborhood groups) about FPSP through informational packets and personal presentations. Participation in the planning process will be encouraged and avenues for taking part will be outlined. We will work with the local media to inform the community as to the goals and objectives of the FPSP. Commissions and Coalitions to be informed include, but are not limited to: COUNTY COMMISSIONS COMMUNITY-BASED COALITIONS Family and Children's Services Delta 2000 Advisory Committee Opportunity West Family and Children's Trust Fund Children's Coalition Mental Health Commission Community Partnerships for a Drug- Juvenile Justice Commission Free Contra Costa Maternal, Child and Adolescent Ministerial Alliances Advisory Board Grandparents Group Substance Abuse Advisory Board United Council of Spanish- Human Relations Commission speaking Organizations 4. Describe how the County will identify and determine who are the stakeholders and how they will be included in the planning process. The Policy Academy will select a target population(s) for FPSP focus by mid-January, 1995. Criteria and process for the targeting will be developed by a sub-committee of the Policy Academy. Criteria will include, but not be limited to: demographics, community need/risk factors, an analysis of existing data base on child abuse and neglect, community strengths such as existing collaborative efforts and utilization of current resources by community members, and expressed community interest and commitment. Data from recently completed county needs assessments are currently being reviewed to assist in the strategic FPSP targeting process. -4- CONTRA COSTA COUNTY FAMILY PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS APPLICATION FOR FY 1994 FUNDS The targeted community(ies),with support and guidance from the Policy Academy and FPSP staff, will conduct a thorough community assessment. Local residents will be hired to assist in the community assessment process. Local sub-committees will be formed to ensure that planning truly reflects community-level priorities. Stakeholders will be identified through working with the commissions and coalitions mentioned above, the Policy Academy and formal and informal neighborhood associations. Board of Supervisors ->DSS Others as Geographical Identified Representation Policy Academy Local Specific Community Populations Resources Commissions Coalitions and Cultures Stakeholders will be included in the planning process through community outreach activities such as focus groups, household surveys, and town meetings. Stakeholder sub-committees will actively participate in every planning step: ♦ representation on the planning body ♦ training ♦ community education ♦ gathering and analyzing data ♦ reviewing model programs ♦ identifying and prioritizing goals and outcomes ♦ designing and piloting i.e., "parent support centers" ♦ designing evaluation tools. The Family Preservation and Support Program continues Contra Costa County's successful collaborative- model. This model was developed over several years of discussions, debates and expanded understanding on the part of County service providers, schools, community organizations and community members. Families, communities and agencies are brought together to share resources and achieve common goals. We look forward, to working in partnership with the state and federal government to effect service delivery change as we strive to meet the goals of Contra Costa County's "Healthy Families 2000". SJ/RG:sjb -5-