A Community Idea For A Better Future: The Pulaski County Commission on Children and Families John Bumgarner Project Associate, Institute for Policy Outreach

The Assessment  The Assessment of the Child and Family Service Array in Pulaski County, Virginia  Conducted on October 21, 2005  Reported Back on January 12, 2006

Indicators on the Well-Being of Children and Families Pulaski County Rates of Abuse and Neglect Time PeriodPer 1,000 ChildrenRank in Virginia FY th FY nd FY rd FY th FY th Virginia Department of Social Services—CPS Statistics

Indicators on the Well-Being of Children and Families  2003—SAIPE, Census Bureau  Age 0-17 in Poverty  19.3% in Pulaski County  13.5 % in Virginia  17.3% in United States

Indicators on the Well-Being of Children and Families Office of Comprehensive Services Statistics

Indicators on the Well-Being of Children and Families

Additional Indicators  The Low Utilization Rates of a Number of Prevention/Early Intervention Services  The Lack of Coordination and Integration of Service Provision and Prevention Efforts to Children and Families  The Dramatic Rate of Staff Turnover within Pulaski County Department of Social Services  Data Accumulated by PCPC in its Endeavors on Substance Abuse by Youth in Pulaski County  Lack of an Intensive Out-Patient Substance Abuse Treatment Program for Youth

Additional Indicators  The problematic (and extremely expensive) increase in the utilization of out-of-home residential and therapeutic foster care placements due to the lack of proactive intervention through community-based services and the severe shortage of “regular” foster care families in the New River Valley.  The lack of a mechanism for the community to systemically measure progress and outcomes and take “stock” of its past efforts and future endeavors.

Next Step: Resource Development Plan  Pulaski County’s Resource Development Plan for Child and Family Services  April 28, 2006—Revealed to Community  28 Strategies to Address Identified Issues  Most Important Strategy  Pulaski County’s Commission on Children and Families

Mission of the Commission  Identifying community needs, resources, and trends related to local children and families;  Planning and facilitating community strategies for improving child and family outcomes;  Implementing coordinated initiatives to address identified needs in targeted areas;  Increasing access to information on local conditions and services pertaining to children and families; and  Recommending the investment of state and local resources.

Structure of the Commission  The Commission would certainly include:  County Administrator, Pulaski County  Director, Pulaski County Department of Social Services  Director, 27th District Court Services Unit  Executive Director, New River Valley Community Services  Representative, Pulaski Community Partners Coalition  Superintendent, Pulaski County Public Schools  Other additional commissioners could be:  Representative, New River Valley Community Action  Representative, New River Valley CARES  Representative, Private Vendor  Representative, Pulaski County Recreation Department  Representative, Radford University School of Social Work  Representative, Other Volunteer Organizations  At-Large Appointed Citizens

Structure of the Commission  Work Process  Commission Establishes “Work Groups”  Provides “Work Groups” with Assigned Tasks  “Work Groups” Report Back to Commission with Information and Recommendation  Commission Makes Decisions and Takes Action  Commission Reports Back Regularly to Board of Supervisors on Activities and Initiatives

Capacity-Building of Commission  Must Have Capacity to Meet the Mission  Work to Occur:  Planning and coordinating Commission activities, such as “work groups”;  Facilitating brainstorming sessions to implement the resource development plan;  Gathering data and information; analyzing data and information;  Preparing written and oral reports or presentations;  Developing and submitting appropriate grant applications;  Assisting with program evaluation; and  Assisting with other such tasks related to assisting the Commission carry out their mission.

Overall The Commission would be a collaborative mechanism to provide integrative leadership to plan, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate a community- wide system for child and family services through providing (1) up-to-date information on the well-being of children and families, (2) the development of an outcome measurement system to understand the impact of County and State investments, and (3) addressing future needs of the community, BUT

Without the creation of the capacity to administer, coordinate, and facilitate the activities of the Commission, the Commission will NOT be able to successfully fulfill its intended purposes as outlined in Pulaski County’s Resource Development Plan.