2008: Jan/Feb | Mar/April | May/Jun | Jul/Aug | Sept/Oct | Nov/Dec

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Director’s Update–-February 26, 2008-May 5, 2008

Coordination of Services

· Staff attended meetings of the Foothills Child Advocacy Center, Health Department MAPP planning group, Albemarle County Achievement Gap Work Group, the community work group for Initiatives in Adult Mental Health Services, the VJCCCA Regional Meeting, St. John the Baptist in the Woods Foundation, Child Advocacy Centers of Virginia Board, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board, Piedmont Supervised Visitation, Chamber of Commerce Celebration of Community, and Creciendo Juntos general and Executive Committee meetings.

· Director had meetings with the director of Whisper Ridge, regarding CCF and CSA, and staff of one non-profit regarding ABRT. Director and Intervention Team Leader attended a round table in Madison with Michael Terkletaub, met with the Mayor of Charlottesville regarding ABRT and CCF, and met with representatives of the City and County public school administrative offices about coordinating services. The Intervention Team Leader accompanied the Utilization Review staff on a site visit for a service provider providing comprehensive evaluations (For Children’s Sake) at their request, made a presentation to the Partnership for Children’s Brown Bag series on Attachment Informed Interventions, and met with the Director of Region Ten CSB and their grants writer about coordinating efforts. The Intervention Team Leader attended a Systems of Care conference in Tampa Florida in February, met with the Director of the VA Federation of Families (along with a family representative and Region Ten), and has so far met individually with 21 agency Directors, Assistant Directors, Supervisors, and/or CSA committee/subcommittee members about their hopes, fears, and perceived barriers for developing the local service array around the Systems of Care philosophy. She has scheduled a community-wide Systems of Care consultation and training day with Michael Terkeltaub for May 14, 2008.  The Intervention Team Leader met with two agencies about their needs for UVa collaboration (from Urban Vision and LOVE Inc), fielded two other requests (from Albemarle County DSS and Dave Norris), and made opening remarks at the UVa’s Institute on Aging Community Forum.

Raising Awareness of Children and Family Issues

· Stay Active website was visited over 1052 times in March and 860 times in April.

· Logged just over 4,008 page views on www.ccfinfo.org  in March and over 3,377 page views in April.  There were over 26,566 documents downloaded from the CCF website from February 26^th, 2008- May 5^th, 2008.  Stepping Stones 2007 was the top download with 272 downloads, followed by the Low Cost Summer Activities List and the 2007 Annual Report with 265 and 243 downloads respectively.

· CCF received 7 media hits about the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition’s Community Forum on Prevention Underage Drinking and the Youth Service Learning Workgroup’s Celebration of Youth Service.

· Twenty-two messages were posted to the CCF Listserv since February 26^th and 5 new members have joined the list.

· The Guide to Youth Service Opportunities, a new document to benefit parents, students, and school personnel who are searching for service learning opportunities for young people was produced by the Youth Service Learning Workgroup.  The guide was released in conjunction with the Celebration of Youth Service event at the end of April.

Administration/Research

·  CSA Committee continues to recruit up to four parent representatives to serve on the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) and Truancy Planning Team.

· CCF staff reorganization is underway.

· Performance evaluations completed for all County staff.

·  Hallam Roth , Information and Outreach and FAPT Coordinator, has resigned effective June 6 to attend law school.  Interviews for the position are scheduled for the week of May 5.

·YDN Coordinator Hamid Karimianpour has resigned effective May 9 to assume a position as Director of Operations for the Boys and Girls Club.  CCF is recruiting a paid summer intern to continue the program.

· Utilization Review Manager, Crystal Lantz, a Region Ten employee housed at CCF, has accepted a new Region Ten position as Director of Case Management effective May 5. The position has been advertised.

· The Spring 2008 Intern and Research Assistant report has been completed.  Between January and May 2008, 10 undergraduate students, 9 graduate students, and 5 faculty provided CCF with 1,963 hours of service and completed numerous projects (see report).

· Two graduate students will be working with CCF for the summer, and one UIP intern has been hired for the Fall 08/Spring 09 school year.  Advertisements for additional UVa research assistants and PVCC interns is ongoing.

· Staff met with a UVa professor about having his class develop the database for the Utilization Review staff.

· The CSA evaluation of processes, structures, and operations in underway (with the assistance of UVa collaborators).

· The evaluation of the efficacy of the CHINS Team is nearly complete, now as part of the CSA evaluation (with the assistance of UVa research assistants).

Work Groups

· Agency Budget Review Team – Director attended City Council and Board of Supervisors budget work sessions.  Both bodies reserved funds for a program for pregnant and parenting teens.  CCF is issuing an RFP on behalf of the City, County and United Way .

· Youth Development Network –  The YDN met on April 21^st at the Carver Rec. Center with 40 professionals in attendance to learn about low cost summer activities for youth. During the month of April the YDN Steering Committee held four Outreach Barbecues in the following City and County neighborhoods: April 2^nd at Friendship Court , April 16th at South First Street , April 23rd  at Westhaven and April 30th at Southwood. Approximately 400 residents attended the events.

· Comprehensive Services Act Committee – The evaluation of the processes, structures, and operations of CSA is well underway. The survey of CSA participants is completed and data is being analyzed. UVa graduate students have conducted focus groups with all committees/subcommittees and have reviewed the last 3 years of meeting minutes. The Intervention Team Leader conducted focus groups with FAPT and CHINS Team presenters, has been contacting other localities to understand their CSA administrative structures, and has written a summary of interviews of families participating in CHINS Team. The CHINS Team evaluation is underway. The Economics Research Team has finished compiling the last ten years of Harmony data and have presented some very preliminary reports. Additional reports and recommendations will be forthcoming from the Process Improvement Team in the next couple of months. – An Implementation Team (including private Treatment Foster Care providers and representatives from the administration in both school districts) has been meeting to develop the necessary programming supports needed to support the success of the Region Ten Assessment and Diagnostic services, aimed at providing comprehensive, local assessment and diagnostic services for youth receiving CSA funding. CSA Committee and CCF Chairs submitted locality comments on to OCS advocating for broadening definitions related to community based services in order to facilitate innovation and flexibility in provision of service delivery.  CCF Director and CSA staff have completed first round of interviews to fill the upcoming FAPT Coordinator vacancy.  Utilization Review Manager accepted a promotional opportunity and will begin screening applications to fill the vacancy within in the next two week.  Additionally, she will continue to provide ongoing supervision to the current CSA UR staff.  CSA staff completed rotation of partner trainings on program issues and began discussions and plans to repeat sessions and provide updates.

· Family Violence Work Group- The fourth annual Child Abuse Prevention Month forum was held on April 19.  Featured speakers were Kenneth Lanning, a retired FBI agent and Charlotte Chapman, an expert in motivational interviewing.  Over 50 people attended and the response was quite favorable.  

· Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee – The JJAC met on March 13^th to begin updating the Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Plan. The VJCCCA Oversight Committee met April 15^th to complete the FY09-10 VJCCCA Plan.

· Partnership for Children– The Partnership for Children has restructured their work groups to increase efficiency and help us move our goals forward.  The Seal of Quality Child Care program of the Partnership for Children has 20 child care centers currently engaged in the voluntary program.  This is a significant increase made possible by additional funds through the Smart Beginnings Grant to expand programming.  In the last 4 months, the Partnership for Children has approved 8 new Seal of Quality Child Care Awards at level one:  Malcolm Cole Child Development Center , YMCA Child Care Center , Park Street Christian Preschool, Molly Michie Preschool, Foundations Child Development Center , First Baptist   Early Child Development Center , Congregation Beth Israel, and Westminster Child Care Center .  Partners had follow up discussion on foster care statistics that had been identified as an area of concern; it appears that our early intervention services (prevention strategies) are working very well to keep young children out of foster care.  The Public Awareness work group is planning a series of trainings as an orientation to PFC agencies.  Additionally, Smart Beginning’s Bilingual Parent/Infant Educator has seen a great need for bilingual services as well as significant cultural barriers to providing services in our community. 

· Human Services Strategic Plan- A format for the Action Plans has been approved by the steering committee. The Partnership for Children convened a work group to develop an action plan for the early childcare and education priority. The cost/benefit research on youth services was completed by the Economics Research Team.  All the best practices and cost/benefit research on priority areas will be published this summer.  The Intervention Team Leader gave a presentation on the Strategic Plan and priorities to the Albemarle County meeting of Bright Stars and Family Support workers.

· Funding Application Advisory Team – A final proposal for revisions will be submitted to the City Manager’s and County Executive ’s Offices in June.

· Community University Research and Service Partnership – Several CURSP members attended the All University Retreat on Public Service this February, and the work group wrote a letter of congratulations to the UVa President, Vice President, and Provost.  The work group expanded it’s community membership (by 5) and obtained signatures on the declaration (total of 45). The Intervention Team Leader co-authored and had accepted a paper for a national conference.

· Substance Abuse Prevention- The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition sponsored a Community Forum on Preventing Underage Drinking, held March 31^st at the Albemarle County Office building, McIntire. The Forum included a panel of experts from the community and a question and answer period.  The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition will continue to look for opportunities to to work with the Charlottesville community with regards to education and prevention of underage drinking. The next coalition meeting is scheduled for May 28^th at 12:30, Albemarle County Office Building , 5^th Street Extended.

· Systems of Care Leadership Team – The Leadership Team hosted a successful information and engagement dinner in March with approximately 12 families (including about 15 adults and 16 children); most of whom expressed interest in continuing to work with CCF on the systems of care initiative. Three family members joined the Leadership Team, and the Team has adopted the goal of advancing the systems of care principles of being family driven, culturally proficient, child centered, and strengths based. To this end the Team will seek to facilitate the development of a family advocacy and support organization (a Federation of Families; and some members met with the VA Federation of Families Director to this end), as well as to develop a survey of customers/families asking about their experiences in and needs from the local care systems.

· Youth Service Learning Workgroup – The Youth Service Learning Workgroup held their 4^th Annual Celebration of Youth Service at Monticello High School on April 28^th, 2008.  Students from eight area high schools received awards for outstanding service to their community.  The event was sponsored by Piedmont Virginia Community College , United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, and the Charlottesville/Albemarle Commission on Children and Families.

Status of CCF Grants:

1.  Current grants

· Functional Family Therapy-  $100,000 awarded for second year; renewable for three additional years, up to 75% of the initial award in the third year, up to 50% of the initial award in the fourth year, and up to 25% of the initial award in the fifth year. Provides training and purchase of services for evidence-based treatment for high risk youth and families. The third year renewal grant application was submitted to DCJS in February. 

· Foothills Child Advocacy Center- $75,000 for Project Director and other costs (Virginia Department of Health and Human Services -renewable July);  Requests for funding to the United Way and Women United in Philanthropy are pending.

· Governor’s Gang Prevention Grant- One year grants totaling $23,334 ($11,667 – City, $11,667 – County) to prevent gang involvement by engaging at-risk youth in the Teens Give service-learning program. Community Attention in partnership with CCF received a second year of funding in January 2008.

· Smart Beginnings: Smart Beginnings Grant proposal was awarded to the Partnership for Children with the United Way as fiscal agent- $400,000 grant to be distributed over 2 years for the purpose of expanding and improving service provision to the local early childhood system with a focus on early childhood and school readiness.  The Partnership for Children was the only partnership in the state to receive Infant and Toddler funds in the amount of $59,000 from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF).  The funds have been used to enhance quality child care through the Seal of Quality Child Care, increase early developmental screenings, and to increase family engagement, outreach and education.

· DCJS Truancy Case Manager-   Formal notification that CCF was awarded $65,000 for a Truancy Case Manager submitted to be piloted in two or more elementary schools as decided by the School Superintendents.  The position has been advertised and hired. Kim Stanton began work on October 22^nd. A two-day CASASTART Case Management Training   was held on November 7^th and 8^th. The Truancy Case Manager has begun working with 10 families from Burnley-Moran Elementary School in Charlottesville and Greer Elementary School in Albemarle County . The second year renewal grant application was submitted to DCJS in February.

2.   Pending grants

· Safe Schools/Healthy Students The grant was submitted in March with notification expected in May.

·  Virginia ABC Community Coalition Grant.  The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition will be submitting a proposal to implement the “Be There” parental involvement campaign.

· Division of Women’s and Infants’ Health/ GEMS Program.  CCF is working in collaboration with the Thomas Jefferson Health Department to submit a Girls Empowered to Make Success (GEMS) teen pregnancy prevention program.