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Maine Children’s Cabinet
Annual Report Update 2004
The Maine Children’s Cabinet is honored to provide this Report Update on the activities and growth of its initiatives over the past FY03. Although the Children’s Cabinet continues to oversee and support a growing number of priority programs and initiatives making measurable improvements in the lives of children and their families through interagency and community collaboration and coordination, this Report Update details those initiatives marked with significant change or exciting news over the past calendar year. The Children’s Cabinet is looking forward to supporting the “merging” unified department currently in progress to better coordinate services for Maine families and their children and youth in both collaborative, effective program design and leadership. For more information about all of the Children’s Cabinet activities, please refer to the Children’s Cabinet website at http://www.maine.gov/cabinet
Table of Contents
Priority Initiatives and Leveraged Resources
Communities For Children and Youth
Statewide Homeless Youth Initiative
Keeping Maine's Children Connected (Formerly: Psychiatric Facility And School Transition Initiative)
Family System's Teams (formerly known as Integrated Case Management)
Local Case Resolution Committees
Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program (MYSPP)
Maine's Marks are a set of 80 social indicators that monitor the status of child, family and community well-being for the state of Maine.
These indicators, tracked since 2000, are organized to report on the different categories of outcomes that were established by the Governor's Children's Cabinet. While not intended to measure the specific performance of any one governmental program, they do provide a way to monitor trends in the quality of life here in Maine. The Marks are updated annually and are presented on the Internet at: www.mainemarks.org. In addition, every other year a publication is produced for use by policy makers, public agency managers and Maine citizens.
Data in this edition shows some significant improvements in well-being of children, families and communities in Maine. Nineteen of the 80 measures (Marks) rose or fell by more than 10% between the two most recent years for which information is available. Twelve of these moved in a direction that indicated enhanced well-being and they include:
In contrast, seven of the Marks trended in an undesirable direction:
This edition features the first trend data on the attitudes of youth statewide, showing that Maine youth are in a stronger position to succeed in life than youth elsewhere in the country. This data is from the Maine Youth Survey, which has been specially commissioned for Maine Marks for the past three years by the Children’s Cabinet. Data comes from a statewide telephone survey of Maine youth in grades 9-12 done by Critical Insights, a strategic marketing research firm in Portland, Maine. A total of 403 interviews were done in November 2000; 402 additional youth were interviewed a year later, and 400 more in November 2002. The Surveys asked various questions developed by the Search Institute that tap whether youth have attitudes and experiences that have been shown to help them succeed in life.
The results of the Survey consistently tell us that Maine youth are doing well compared with the nation as a whole. Similar national data is available from A Fragile Foundation: The State of Developmental Assets Among American Youth (Search Institute, 1999). The Search Institute data is not from a nationally representative sample, so it is not strictly comparable to the Maine youth data. Nevertheless, on virtually every question, twice as many Maine youth display assets for success than the nationwide samples. Results show that significant numbers of Maine youth in grades 9-12:
These consistent results for the last three years buttress previous data that have shown that Maine does a good job in raising its children. Clearly, our young people are emerging from high school with significant assets for life-long success, compared with elsewhere in the nation. This gives special urgency to current discussions of how we can keep more of our young people from leaving the state; losing these young assets can only injure the state’s ability to grow and prosper.
Additional measures are being developed to see how ready Maine’s children are to learn when they enter school. Research on brain and early childhood development continues to show how critically important a child’s early years are in laying the basis for life-long learning and success. Recognizing how vital it is for children to enter kindergarten fully prepared to learn and to thrive, Maine has joined sixteen other states in a special project funded by the Packard Foundation, the Kauffman Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Through this initiative, Maine and the other participating states are creating expanded sets of measures related to school readiness. These will be used to identify and fill gaps in current knowledge, to track children’s school readiness over time, and to report to citizens and decision-makers regularly on what the measures say. Indicators will focus on young children from birth to the beginning of fourth grade.
While this special initiative is not officially a part of Maine Marks, Maine’s team began its work by focusing on several of the relevant Marks (Marks 14, 15, 22-27, 55, 56, 58 and 79). It is expanding on those by adding measures in several areas: family environment (for example, family support for learning, home environment stability, family health, family-community relationships, and learning environments), community conditions (including availability and quality of early childhood education programs, and family supports), availability of effective services (for example, health, child development, intervention, child welfare, and income support services), and child development (including physical well-being, how children approach learning, and children’s motor, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills). Initial results from this project should be available later in 2003.
Priority Initiatives & Leveraged Funds
Over this past biennial, the Children’s Cabinet and its various priority initiatives have worked hard to document and report on the funds working to support the specific goals and outcomes of the programs and to articulate the resources leveraged as a direct and/or indirect result of the collaborative efforts present in each initiative.
Report is for FY01-March of FY03
To ensure that primary infrastructure supports are in place with staff to sustain collaborative and coordinated policies and service delivery systems for priority initiatives.
|
Initiatives |
Maine Marks and/or Initiative Indicator(s) |
Funds Received |
Funds Leveraged/ Saved |
Outcomes for Children and Families |
|
Every Community is a Community for Children & Youth 71 communities have develop Children’s Leadership Councils to assess the needs of children and youth, implement prevention programs and policies, and evaluate changes in the community through effective collaboration. |
# of community coalitions partnering with state. % of citizens who feel positive about youth in their community. % of young people who believe that adults in their community care about them. # of children/youth receiving all Five Promises. # of coalitions awarded collaborative prevention grants. # of community members/sectors formally engaged. # of prevention programs established. # of coalitions following plans based on assessment/data.
|
Funded by the Children’s Cabinet
Investment of $263,871 |
$2,584,157 Leveraged by state C4CY office in grants and passed on $1,753,500 to Partner Communities. Local C4CY’s leveraged over $8,876,806. |
· 10 new C4CYs in 2002/03
· 16 out of 23 funded One ME coalitions are C4CYs.
· 5 of the DOE 21st Century grants projects are C4CY partners.
· Replicating model college community mentoring program in 4 sites.
|
|
Initiatives |
Maine Marks and/or Initiative Indicator(s) |
Funds Received |
Funds Leveraged/ Saved |
Outcomes for Children and Families |
|
Homeless Youth: |
# of youth identified and returned to permanent safe place |
Charged by the Legislature, funded by the Children’s Cabinet
$225,000 |
Leveraged by Regional Children’s Cabinets I & III (RCCs) $607,000 |
· Over 500 youth contacts · 142 youth served in 2001/02 · Over 75 local collaborators partnering with Regional Children’s Cabinet agency chairs |
|
Youth Suicide Prevention: (Maine Youth Suicide Prevention) |
% of reduced suicide attempts/successes # of youth and adults recognizing the signs of suicide and how to successfully intervene |
Funded by and Children’s Cabinet
$209,160 |
Leveraged by MYSP $259,000 |
· 3,751 adults trained in suicide prevention · 284 youth trained · 3 teens successfully intervened to save a life |
|
Regional Children’s Cabinets/Local Case Resolution Committees (LCRCs): |
# of families receiving immediate one-time support/service avoiding systems barriers. |
Funded by Children’s Cabinet
$600,000 |
Leveraged by LCRCs & Local Collaborators $653,642 |
· Over 400 families served · 16 local case committee collaborations statewide |
|
Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
(Formerly named, “Transitioning Youth”) |
# of children/youth making successful transition back to school from psychiatric residential treatment or correctional facilities.
# of school, clinical, and state liaisons trained in coordinated transition planning for youth. |
Regional Children’s Cabinets I & II $60,000
|
Leveraged by all RCCs $466,000
|
· Over 500 school staff trained; 8 psychiatric hospitals, 5 crisis units and 33 school districts on appropriate, effective protocol. · 805 youth served under Medicaid alone. |
|
New Residents Committee:
Sec. SS-1. LD 2220 |
# of immigrants and refugees receiving timely and appropriate services and support. # of state and local organizations partnering to improve service delivery to NR. # & $ from grants researched and awarded for priority funding needs |
$0/Legislated |
Leveraged by Portland/Lewiston Collaborative $1,612,000 |
· Refugee and Immigrant children, youth and their families feel welcomed, and engaged in learning the skills needed to prosper in Maine. |
|
Initiatives |
Maine Marks and/or Initiative Indicator(s) |
Funds Received |
Funds Leveraged/ Saved |
Outcomes for Children and Families |
|
Homeless Youth: |
# of youth identified and returned to permanent safe place |
Charged by the Legislature, funded by the Children’s Cabinet
$225,000 |
Leveraged by Regional Children’s Cabinets I & III (RCCs) $607,000 |
· Over 500 youth contacts · 142 youth served in 2001/02 · Over 75 local collaborators partnering with Regional Children’s Cabinet agency chairs |
|
Youth Suicide Prevention: (Maine Youth Suicide Prevention) |
% of reduced suicide attempts/successes # of youth and adults recognizing the signs of suicide and how to successfully intervene |
Funded by and Children’s Cabinet
$209,160 |
Leveraged by MYSP $259,000 |
· 3,751 adults trained in suicide prevention · 284 youth trained · 3 teens successfully intervened to save a life |
|
Regional Children’s Cabinets/Local Case Resolution Committees (LCRCs): |
# of families receiving immediate one-time support/service avoiding systems barriers. |
Funded by Children’s Cabinet
$600,000 |
Leveraged by LCRCs & Local Collaborators $653,642 |
· Over 400 families served · 16 local case committee collaborations statewide |
|
Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
(Formerly named, “Transitioning Youth”) |
# of children/youth making successful transition back to school from psychiatric residential treatment or correctional facilities.
# of school, clinical, and state liaisons trained in coordinated transition planning for youth. |
Regional Children’s Cabinets I & II $60,000
|
Leveraged by all RCCs $466,000
|
· Over 500 school staff trained; 8 psychiatric hospitals, 5 crisis units and 33 school districts on appropriate, effective protocol. · 805 youth served under Medicaid alone. |
|
New Residents Committee:
Sec. SS-1. LD 2220 |
# of immigrants and refugees receiving timely and appropriate services and support. # of state and local organizations partnering to improve service delivery to NR. # & $ from grants researched and awarded for priority funding needs |
$0/Legislated |
Leveraged by Portland/Lewiston Collaborative $1,612,000 |
· Refugee and Immigrant children, youth and their families feel welcomed, and engaged in learning the skills needed to prosper in Maine.
|
Communities for Children and Youth (C4CY) is a statewide initiative of the Maine Children's Cabinet designed to create a partnership between state government and local communities as they work on:
Since 1997, 71 communities have joined the network, representing more than 325 municipalities and 70% of the state's population.
In the seven years since its inception,
· The Children’s Cabinet has spent $828,567 on the state level Communities for Children and Youth office and $157,000 on communities.
· The state C4C office has generated $3,064,637 in grants and passed on $1,753,500 to Partner Communities.
· The local communities have, in turn, generated at least $8,876,806 million for local child-focused programming that furthers the goals of Communities for Children in communities across the state.[1]
New Name for the Initiative
At the statewide C4CY “Reasons for Hope” conference in November, 2003, Governor John Elias Baldacci announced a change in the name of the initiative from Communities for Children to Communities for Children and Youth. This change represents an acknowledgement of the role teenagers have played in the success of the initiative throughout the state, as well as the fact that the partnership between state government and local communities includes a genuine partnership with the youth in each community.
New Advisory and Executive Councils
The partnership with youth is reflected in the fact that the new Advisory Council, constituted by the Baldacci Administration in September 2003, includes 30% youth representation. In addition, key C4CY adult leaders throughout the state serve with key Children’s Cabinet agency representatives to provide guidance for the initiative. The new appointees are:
David J. Faulkner, Executive Director, Day One; Chair, C4CY Advisory Council – Cape Elizabeth
Ashley Plossay, C4CY Advisory Council Youth Co-Chair – Augusta Capital Kids/The Edge C4CY
Rich Abramson, Superintendent of Schools, Union#42/CSD#10 - Readfield C4CY
Diane Brandon, Coordinator, Community Wellness Coalition, York Hospital - Southern York County C4CY
Jodi Burgess, Cherryfield Youth Representative
Tyler Camick, Winthrop Youth Representative
Mario Carmine-Moretto, Greater MDI Youth Representative
Alberta Cole, President, Loving Learning – Northwest Somerset County C4CY
Chip Curry, C4CY VISTA Project Supervisor
Malorie Delpero, Southern York County Youth Representative
Candy Eaton, Program Director, Hancock County Children’s Council – Ellsworth C4CY
Rob Ellis - Bath C4CY
Dona Forke, Lake Region Healthy Community Coalition – Bridgton C4CY
Dorothy Grannell, United Way of Greater Portland - Portland C4CY
Samantha Grover, Biddeford Youth Representative
Wendy Harrington, The EdGE - Cherryfield C4CY
Margaret Jackson, Northwest Somerset County C4CY Youth Representative, Smithfield
Jake LaRochelle, Winthrop Youth Representative (alternate)
Diane Maxwell, C4CY Research and Planning Associate - Augusta
Doug Michael, Partnership Director, Healthy Acadia Coalition – Greater MDI C4CY
Hester Mishkin, Director, Riverview Foundation – Brunswick/Topsham C4CY
Alan Morris, Director, Carleton Project, Inc. – Presque Isle C4CY
Rachel Phipps, Town of Kennebunk – Kennebunk/Kennebunkport/Arundel, MSAD#71 C4CY
Gladys Richardson, Winthrop C4CY
Patty Robinson, Public Health Representative, Bureau of Health, Department of Community Health, Augusta
Anne L. Rogers, Public Health Representative, DHS/Public Health, Augusta
Susan Savell, Executive Coordinator, Communities for Children and Youth – Augusta
Trish Shorey, Lake Region C4CY Youth Representative
Ingrid Stanchfield, Program Director, Gardiner Recreation, Gardiner C4CY
Lauren Sterling, Children’s Cabinet Special Projects – Augusta
Andy Tiebout, Southern York County Youth Representative (alternate)
Mary Trescot, Program Director – Youth Promise of Lincoln County
Kathi Wall, Program Director – Augusta Capital Kids/The Edge C4CY
Carl Walsh, Program Director, Biddeford Recreation Department – Biddeford C4CY
Linda Williams, Prevention Team Manager, BDS Office of Substance Abuse - Augusta
C. Shawn Yardley, Director of Programs, The River Coalition, Inc. – Old Town C4CY
Sara Yasner, United Way of Eastern Maine – Greater Bangor C4CY
During its first meeting in October 2003, members of the Advisory Council identified what is working well in the initiative and what needs to be improved or created. Consensus was that the vision, leadership and customer service provided by the initiative is excellent, while more work needs to focus on public identity and communication.
The Advisory Council makes recommendations to the Executive Council for action on policy and program development. The Executive Council is made up of the Commissioners of the six Children’s Cabinet agencies, with the addition of another six state leaders, including:
Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner, Maine Department of Education, Chair
Sabra C. Burdick, Acting Commissioner, Maine Behavioral & Developmental Services
Michael Cantara, Commissioner, Maine Department of Public Safety
Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Court, Portland
Susan Savell, Executive Coordinator, Communities for Children and Youth, Augusta
Jane G. Smith, Samantha Smith Foundation, Boothbay
Daniel Wathen, Former Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court; Pierce Atwood, Portland
At its meetings in July and November, 2003, the Executive Council focused on securing resources for the continued administration of the initiative, as well as exploring funding and program possibilities for the development of the local partners’ work on youth asset development.
The Communities for Children & Youth AmeriCorps*VISTA Project represents a significant investment in our partner communities and state agencies. Currently 39 full time AmeriCorps*VISTAs (our largest team yet) serve across the State of Maine in non-profit organizations and State agencies. AmeriCorps*VISTAs (A*VISTAs) commit a full year of service and live on a federally capped subsistence allowance set at the poverty wage of the state. They also receive a small stipend that can be applied to college tuition or current student loans.
2) This investment in communities is conservatively valued at $865,000 a year. In keeping with the mission of AmeriCorps*VISTA to alleviate poverty and build the capacity of communities, this initial investment is magnified through the efforts of the A*VISTA Members and host organizations. Since 1998, C4C VISTAs have recruited and supported community volunteers who have contributed a total of 124,664 hours of service. In the same time period the C4CY VISTAs have had a significant role in raising $410,185 in in-kind gifts and over $3,472,119 through grants, fund-raisers and donations.
C4CY partner communities and governmental agencies are eligible to host an AmeriCorps*VISTA for up to three years. Our AmeriCorps*VISTA team is currently serving in the following communities:
|
Communities For Children A*VISTA Sites 2003 /04 |
|
|
Augusta |
Communities For Children VISTA Leader |
|
Augusta |
DHS/Office of Child Care and Head Start |
|
Augusta |
Governor's Office |
|
Augusta |
Maine DOE, Vocational Ed |
|
Augusta |
Maine Mentoring Partnership |
|
Bangor |
Bangor YMCA |
|
Bangor |
Bangor-Brewer YWCA |
|
Bangor |
Region III Children's Cabinet |
|
Bangor |
United Way of Eastern Maine |
|
Bar Harbor |
Healthy Acadia Coalition |
|
Bath |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick |
|
Belfast |
Waldo County Head Start |
|
Belfast |
Waldo County YMCA |
|
Biddeford |
Citizenship Service Learning Center University of New England |
|
Blue Hill |
Healthy Peninsula Project |
|
Cherryfield |
The Edge, Seacoast Missions |
|
Ellsworth |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hancock County |
|
Ellsworth |
Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities |
|
Gardiner |
Getting Healthy |
|
Kennebec County |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kennebec Valley |
|
Kittery |
Community Wellness Coalition, Kittery |
|
Kittery |
Family Resource Center at Landmark Hill |
|
Lewiston / Auburn |
KIDS Consortium |
|
Newcastle |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-coast Maine |
|
Old Town |
River Coalition |
|
Portland |
Cultivating Community |
|
Portland |
Preble Street Shelter |
|
Portland |
Yes! To Youth |
|
Saco |
Community Service Opportunities |
|
Saco |
Crossroads Youth Center |
|
Saco |
Saco Career Center and Volunteers of America |
|
Scarborough |
Southern Maine Agency on Aging |
|
Skowhegan |
Loving Learning, Inc. |
|
Southwest Harbor |
Harbor House |
|
Topsham |
Riverview Foundation |
|
Waterville |
Colby Cares about Kids |
|
Waterville |
Greater Waterville's Communities For Children |
|
Waterville |
Kennebec Valley Community Action Program |
|
Weld |
The Electronic Grange Network |
|
Winthrop |
Healthy Futures |
|
York County |
United Way of York County |
All C4CY AmeriCorps*VISTAs work to measurably improve the lives of children and youth in Maine, incorporating a focus on one or more of the five promises identified by “Maine’s Promise:”
· A Healthy Start
· A Caring Adult
· Safe Places and Structured Activities After School
· Development of Marketable Skills
· An Opportunity to Give Back through Service
More specifically The C4CY AmeriCorps*VISTAs support community efforts in the following positive youth development program areas:
After-School and Teen Center Programming School Readiness
Restorative Justice Raising Youth Aspirations
Parent and Family Education Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Reduction
Youth Homelessness Educational Innovation
Youth Health and Fitness Mentoring
AmeriCorps*VISTAs generate resources, promote partnerships, develop volunteer management systems, design new programs, and engage in numerous other activities designed to improve the organization’s capacity to meet the needs of youth and youth serving organizations.
This year we have been able to take increased advantage of the partnership with the Muskie School of Public Service, Institute for Public Sector Innovation (IPSI). Members of the capstone graduate research class in Public Policy and the professor are conducting a study this Winter to determine the impact the AmeriCorps*VISTA program has had on youth, community organizations, and local collaborative efforts. In addition, the technology experts at IPSI have developed methods to track efforts and aggregate the accomplishments of VISTAs across the state. We expect both of these efforts will result in national models of best practices in VISTA management.
In March 2002, the 120th Legislature approved $375,000 for services for homeless children in all three regional cabinet regions of the State (the Homeless Children’s Initiative.) The Regional Children’s Cabinets supported two pieces of legislation to address the issue of homelessness among youth in their regions:
1) Partnership for Homeless Youth[2] established a mandate for development of comprehensive community plans for youth who become homeless.
2) Youth in Need of Services (YINS)[3] extended services by establishing a one-year pilot to provide outreach and intensive case management to youth 14 years and younger in need of assistance for securing stable housing.
In response to L.D. 2181, an Act to Homeless Young People Returning to home or Safe Living Situations, March 8, 2000, the three Regional Children’s Cabinet Chairs and their local partners made tremendous strides in collaboratively implementing creative ways to deliver services to youth who are homeless or may become homeless statewide. Although state budget cuts reduced the Homeless Youth Funds from $125,000 to only $55,000 per region in FY03, tremendous outcomes were achieved through the coordination of the Regional Children’s Cabinet and their regional and local community partners.
The continuum of care for homeless youth in Greater Portland was strengthened in 2003 by the integration of new to the street program (YINS) and street involved services (pilot) under one organizing umbrella known as Greater Portland Partnership for Homeless Youth.
Under the direction of Greater Portland Partnership for Homeless Youth, a collaborative of 30 individuals representing non profit agencies, municipalities, state agencies, schools, legislators, and others steps were taken to link the two programs resulting in a single community plan for homeless youth. Opportunities for meaningful engagement of youth were increased through continued expansion of hours at Teen Center; strengthening of a service approach addressing employment, physical health, mental health, substance abuse, housing and education; improved linkages between providers, state agencies and community and availability of wraparound funds to be used to engage and support youth.
10,397 meals were served to homeless youth at Preble Street Teen Center and 111 new intakes were opened in 2003. Teen Center moved its existing operation into new and improved space, which has greatly enhanced service effectiveness and collaboration for its youth.
With funding from DHS, BDS and Regional Children’s Cabinet, the Partnership continued to strengthen the model of strategies aimed at rapid and effective intervention with homeless youths who are street involved or at risk of becoming street involved.
At the same time, services have been significantly enhanced for youth 14 years and younger living in Region I, who are at risk of becoming homeless or already homeless (YINS). The YINS program delivers rapid, assertive and intensive case management services designed to reengage youth with their families (whenever appropriate) and support youth returning to school. An added component for 2003 has been a paid culinary work experience at Stone Soup for five youth, funded collaboratively by Portland Public Schools and Region 1 Children’s Cabinet. This was designed to support the engagement of youth in school.
Working with families, schools, treatment services, and state agencies, since the start of the YINS program 60% of 96 youth served remained with their families or relatives, 39% of 63 youth received long term out of home placements and 100% were enrolled schools. Pre and post measures show that youth were less at risk in all areas measured after a three-month period.
Similar efforts of coordination and service enhancement for homeless youth are ongoing in Saco, Biddeford, and Old Orchard Beach through the work of York County Homeless Youth Partnership. The Partnership continues to work toward improved linkages between providers, state agencies, and community. Crisis response services have been established and wraparound funds are available for security deposits and other needs as identified by Partnership. Increasing affordable housing for homeless youth has been recognized as an immediate need and steps have been taken to explore resource development in this area.
The Region II Children’s Cabinet offered homeless youth service providers, and homeless youth, expansion and new opportunities in the Lewiston/Auburn area this past year. The Lewiston/Auburn Area Homeless Youth Task Force (LAAHYTF) funded a case management position. This person provides outreach, assessment and intake to youth who are homeless. The contract for this service was awarded to Volunteers of America and they have named the program the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP), which offers the following assets: