Family Support PACE & HOPE 2014 Annual Report

Transcription

1 Executive Summary Family Support PACE & HOPE 2014 Annual Report Family Support Programs, John Edmonds Supervisor (507) As part of Olmsted County s commitment to address issues of disproportionate representation of families of color in the Child Welfare System, two family support programs, Project HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Pride, and Empowerment established 2005), and PACE (Parents and Children Excel established 2007), have focused on the empowerment of African American families in the community by engaging them in partnerships that build safety and well-being for children. There was a recognition that the issues facing all families of color are similar to those experienced by African-Americans. Consequently, the focus expanded in 2010 to include all families of color. Through advocacy, education and support, Project HOPE provides an entry point to community services for families who can benefit from supports, rather than having a situation deteriorate, necessitating more intensive interventions. The PACE program works with youth of color who have attendance issues in school or behavior problems at home, school or community. PACE also coordinates a positive teen -peer mentorship program for the younger children in the program called LEAD (Leading and Empowering All children of color to their Dreams). Highlights of 2014 The number of PACE cases decreased for the first time in 3 years. In 2014 PACE served 92 cases as opposed to 97 in While it is not clear if this is a trend, The numbers do reflect a decline in numbers of referrals to the program in There are undoubtedly a number of factors at play. It may be that with the implementation of the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) that the focus shifted from making as many front end responses to relying on the new protocol as a remedy. It s difficult to tell. There were also fewer end of year referrals for educational neglect. In addition, there were new administrative staff throughout the district that may not have been familiar with PACE. The United Way grant in the amount of $30,000 helped to sustain the LEAD mentorship program which allowed the program to continue to increase mentors who provided service to the PACE program and the clients on the staff s caseload. The grant was awarded as a result of a collaboration between PACE, S.A.F.E. and the Sports Mentorship Academy in the total amount of $99,000. We decided not to submit a joint grant application going forward. Reporting results became cumbersome with 3 programs and it was decided with United Way that it made more sense to develop goals and report results separately while still seeking opportunities to work collaboratively. The LEAD mentorship program continued to grow with over 30 volunteer mentors at different times of the year. LEAD mentors are made up of male and female high school students of various ethnicities. These mentors are paired with students ranging in age from 7-14 yrs old. They again facilitated forums at Bamber Valley and Harriett Bishop Elementary schools with children of color as a way of discussing issues that impact minorities and in an effort to instill the value of education.

2 A Response to Disproportionality The creation of Project HOPE and the PACE program is an integral part of Olmsted County s strategy to create an integrative system to respond to disproportional representation of children of color in the child welfare system. National, statewide and county statistics show that families of color, particularly African-Americans are more likely to be reported for abuse and neglect. In 2010, Minnesota DHS issued the Minnesota Child Welfare Disparities Report finding African American children to be four times more likely to be subjects of child protection assessments and investigations and nearly five times more likely to be a subject of a neglect report. Recurrence of child maltreatment and entry into out-of-home care is also greater for this population. Maltreatment reports for neglect are exacerbated by an overrepresentation of families of color in poverty. Many of these families are caught at the intersection of historical trauma, poverty, class and bias. Olmsted County recognized that in many cases, and in many jurisdictions, the only entry point to supportive services was through child protection. By creating Project HOPE and later, the PACE program, Olmsted County created an entry point to services for families struggling with a variety of challenges. The intent is to intervene before conditions deteriorate to the point that families require more intensive intervention through child protection. As one example, Olmsted CFS established an alternative to child protection by sending all referrals for educational neglect of children of color to the PACE program; in % of the cases entering had an educational neglect report. Project HOPE and the PACE program are strategic in the county s effort to create an integrative system to respond to disproportional representation of children of color in the child welfare system. Both programs work to respond to the root cause of disproportionality by providing stability and well-being to families of color within Olmsted County by building community bridges, and helping families gain access to opportunities and resources. The focus is on empowerment to overcome obstacles and through advocacy, education and support help families to make their dreams a reality. The PACE program targets children ages 7 to 14 and coordinates between school and family to increase collaboration and positive engagement thereby increasing school attendance, social competence and academic achievement. PACE assists families to assess needs, strengths and goals and connects them with resources that will de-escalate crisis, increase stability and promote child and family competencies. PACE commits to remaining involved until the child graduates from high school (or is on track to do so). Human Services Value Curve PACE /HOPE Page 2 of 8

3 Entering Program Participants Entering HOPE Youth Adult (18 plus) Families entering HOPE in 2014: Of all families of color, 88% were female head of household, with over half of the children in the family under the age of seven. The average adult age was 35 years. Half of families entered the program due to parenting/family challenges. Other issues included alleged child maltreatment and employment cases 18 cases 16 cases 13 cases 13 cases 8 cases Families entering PACE in 2014: Referrals were from school (3), self-referral/ family (3), social worker (1) and mental health provider (1). The majority are families of color (88%), 82% of the adults are female. Of the 75 children in the PACE households, 61% were between ages 7 and 14, 27% under age seven and 12% ages 15 to 17. Two-thirds of referrals were from the schools (20), the rest were from family/self referred (5), social services (4), law enforcement (1) and other providers (2). 40% of cases entering in 2014 had alleged educational neglect. Other reasons for referral were due to school and family, although two referrals had housing listed as the presenting problem. Entering PACE Youth Adult cases 15 cases 20 cases 37 cases 49 cases 33 cases Page 3 of 8

4 Build the Community PACE STRATEGIES Increase coordination with schools and families to serve at risk youth of color. Provide culturally competent services including Hispanic and East African specific truancy services. PACE Cases Served During the Year PACE Youth Served During the Year Black/ African American Hispanic Multi-ethnic White Asian Native American Total *Includes all youth in PACE family (targeted youth plus siblings) Outcomes In family members participated in PACE programming incoming PACE cases decreased slightly after several years of increase. The number of Hispanic youth involved in PACE continues to rise (30 to 63 to 70). Families will overcome obstacles and work towards personal and family goals. Families will improve stability and well being. Children will be safe. Strategies Continue to provide culturally competent services. Support collaboration around the topic of chronic neglect. Address and seek solutions to racial/ethnic disproportion in child welfare systems. Page 4 of 8

5 CFS Balanced Scorecard Measure : Child Safety Percent of Cases Closed with No Maltreatment Report at One Year Follow Up 100% 94% 82% 86% 100% 93% 87% 86% 90% 87% There have been no cases of maltreatment determination at one year follow up. HOPE PACE Target: 100% of children with no maltreatment determination at one year follow up Number of Cases Closed HOPE PACE CFS Balanced Scorecard Measure : School Attendance Percent of youth with at least 90% school attendance rate at end of school year K-5th Grade (n=28) 6th-9th grade (n=21) 62% 93% Attendance rate declines as students get older. As students age, parents tend to have less control over influencing their attendance. Due to complexity of Federal laws and the tracking of systems it is somewhat difficult to compare the rate of attendance decline simply by the age of the child th Grade (n=13) 31% Page 5 of 8

6 Manage the Resources EXPENSES Program Expenses: PACE/HOPE 2014 BUDGET Salaries 359,850 Indirect Costs 43,293 Direct Client Costs 17,218 Direct Service Contracts 0 Case Management Contracts 104,696 Total Program Expenses 525,057 Administrative Expenses 91,031 Total Program & Administrative Expens- $ 616,088 REVENUE Service Revenue 195,907 Grants 92,318 Total Revenues 288,225 The Child and Family Services PACE/ HOPE budget reflects a combination of direct case management expenses as well as public/private partnerships via contract for services. Program expenses include partnerships with community providers and the public school system to provide an array of targeted services that include case management, peer mentoring and afterschool activities to achieve positive academic, social and emotional outcomes for high risk youth of color. Tax Levy/Reserves 327,863 Total Revenues and Tax Levy/Reserves $ 616, Revenues CFS Balanced Scorecard Measure, Maximize Potential Revenue 32% Target: 90% or greater Targeted Case Management (TCM) recapture rate 53% Service Revenue Grants Tax Levy/ Reserves HOPE/PACE % HOPE/PACE % 15% Page 6 of 8

7 Run the Business PACE Grants In July, for the 6th straight year, PACE received $14,000 in Integration funds from the Rochester School District. We are not certain that the funding will continue in PACE has been awarded a grant from the United Way for $30,000 to support the expanded LEAD Mentorship Program. The proposal is for a collaboration with the SAFE Program (ISD 535) and Sports Mentorship Academy. It is intended to serve 280 high risk youth of color in Olmsted County. We believe in the power of peer mentorship. With receipt of the United Way grant, we are expanding the LEAD program from 12 to 32 high school peer mentors. A senior social worker has been given the responsibility to coordinate the overall PACE program and to implement the LEAD expansion. Expanding School Partnerships We are as committed to the academic and social success of the teen mentors as we are to the 7 to 14 year olds in the program. LEAD mentors work with the youth on the PACE caseload in a peer mentorship relationship and at the same time benefit from the leadership responsibilities and support from the PACE staff. An integral part of the supports for the LEAD program is the participation of teen mentors in the SAFE Page 6 program operated by the Rochester School District. SAFE is an asset based career and college readiness leadership program for at-risk youth and youth of color. The mission of the SAFE program is to help youth master the necessary social, academic and leadership skills to become active citizens who are career/college ready. They also participate in the Bamber Beavers, a forum for children of color at Bamber Valley Elementary to discuss issues impacting minorities and to instill the value of education. Plans are to expand this type of program to Harriet Bishop Elementary. Page 7 of 8

8 Develop The Employee From the inception of PACE and HOPE, it was a core value that staff be reflective of the population being served, namely African-American. When the program criteria opened to include all people of color, it remained critical to recruit a more diverse staff. We have been fortunate to have been able to accomplish this goal setting these programs apart from others in the community. Current staff include five African Americans, one Kenyan and one Hispanic staff; five are contract employees and 2 are County staff. We are in effect the only game in town with this level of professional diversity. HOPE staff provide information and referral, brief supportive service, case management, and coordination of services with other agencies both within and outside of Child and Family Services. PACE staff provide case management, facilitation of case planning meetings, parent and teacher education, family activities and advocacy supportive services. Collaboration is a key component in the work of Project HOPE and PACE Next Steps In the coming year, both PACE and HOPE will continue to provide an important access point for services for families of color. PACE staff plan to respond to the decreased number of referrals by doing information sessions at various elementary and middle schools. Hope staff will also develop a marketing strategy to other providers in the community. We hope that the number of educational neglect referrals will at least continue at the present rate. These are cases that would have been admitted to child protection if not for an alternative pathway. Even though the formal collaboration with SAFE and SMA is over, we are planning to do some joint college trips in the coming year. Attendance data is not available electronically and requires internal resources to interpret and analyze. Discussions continue with the schools on how to share attendance data and streamline data collection processes. The CIA program evaluator will be facilitating PACE staff through the Results Based Accountability process in to document program processes and strengthen outcome measurement. Service planning is underway to prepare for the Gage East Homeless Youth project to come on line. The presumption is that there will be a significant representation of youth of color. Page 8 of 8