Maine Governors Childrens Cabinet Orientation Chair, First Lady Karen Baldacci

Childrens Cabinet History An Overview Created by Former Governor Angus King and First Lady Mary Herman in 1996 as a way to coordinate on policies and programs for children and youth First Chaired by Commissioner Joseph Lehman, DOC from Legislative Task Force recommended formalizing in statute in 2000 Chaired by Commissioner Duke Albanese, DOE from

2006 Childrens Cabinet First Lady Karen Baldacci, Chair Commissioners: Susan Gendron, Education Brenda Harvey, Health/Human Services Anne H. Jordan, Public Safety Marty Magnusson, Corrections Laura Fortman, Labor Patrick Ende and Daryl Fort, Governors Advisors Cabinet Staff

Maine Childrens Cabinet

Executive Staff 2006 Barry Stoodley, Corrections Valerie Seaberg, Education Jane Gilbert, Labor Janet Richards, Public Safety Jim Beougher, DHHS, Child/Family Services

Senior Staff 2006 David Stockford, Education Dan Despard, DHHS, Child Protection, Dr. Richard Aronson, DHHS, Maternal and Child Health Joan Smyrski, DHHS/Childrens Behavioral Health Susan Savell, Communities for Children/Youth Mary Fran Gamage, Labor David Giampetruzzi, Public Safety Roxy Hennings, Corrections Patti Woolley, DHHS, Early Childhood Leslie Rozeff, Muskie Institute Susan Savell, Communities for Children/Youth Lauren Sterling, Cabinet Staff Regional Childrens Cabinet Chairs

Childrens Cabinet Staff Lauren Sterling – Staff Support for: –Childrens Cabinet, Senior /Executive Staff, Task Force on Early Childhood, 21 st Century grant management, Bullying/Harassment Prevention Team, and Communities for Children & Youth Program replication and technical assistance Susan Savell – Executive Coordinator: –Communities for Children & Youth Executive Coordinator Diane Maxwell – Administrative Assistant: –Childrens Cabinet, Communities for Children & Youth

Childrens Cabinet Common Values Family/Child Centered, Strength- based, Humane, and Collaborative

Mission To provide cross-agency coordination, and program and policy development with a common mission --- to measurably improve the well being of Maines children, youth, and families through evidence-based practices and strength-base approaches to positive child and youth development

Childrens Cabinet Public Value: Coordinates approaches to the delivery of services; Establishes administrative priorities across departments and agencies/bureaus; Distributes through its Senior Staff and the Regional Childrens Cabinets Pooled Flexible Funds to fill one-time family needs where there is no other eligibility-related service available to keep a child or teen safely in the home; Leverages resources both human (staff) and financial, that maximizes funding by collaborative grants and best use of federal funding streams, as mandates allow; Operationalize the Governors commitment to creating better outcomes for children and youth in Maine.

Priorities Early Childhood – with the goal to create coordinated and humane systems and policies at the state and local level and to ensure quality early childhood services to all young children. Youth in Transition, expand, coordinate and strengthen supports for youth ages 14-24, with the goal to ensure that EVERY youth and young adult, especially those with few assets and high risk factors such as youth in care, substance abuse, mental health issues, academic failure, or marginalized in any way, is connected to a permanent home, family, and community through collaborative wrap-a-round planning partnerships between the Childrens Cabinet agencies, families, schools, and communities.

Priorities Contd Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), which links adverse experiences in childhood - such as abuse, alcoholism in the family, mental illness, etc. - to adverse health outcomes as the child becomes an adult. In understanding the research behind ACE, the Childrens Cabinet seeks to foster conditions that: 1) Prevent, to the extent possible, such trauma in childhood; 2) Minimize the impact of traumatic experiences and events; and 3) Strengthen the resiliency of children, families, and communities in dealing with trauma.

STATE Planning & Tracking Change

Maine Marks Design, Data-gathering, Reporting Muskie Institute Maine's Marks are a set of social indicators that monitor the status of child, family and community well-being for the state of Maine. Measurement # of indicators tracking % of improved child and family well-being.

Partial List of Outcomes Recognized nationally as a positive child/youth and community development measurement tool. Increased percentage of Maine businesses that report they take an interest in and get involved in local school and civic events (Mark 69) Decreased number of public welfare recipients (Mark 61) Increased number of teachers with Early Childhood Education Certification (Mark 27) Increased percentage of public kindergarten students in schools with all-day kindergarten (Mark 25) Increased home care of youth with severe behavioral health problems (Mark 18) Decreased percentage of youth reporting illicit drug use (Mark 10) Decreased number of incidents of prohibited behavior that resulted in student removal from school (Mark 6)

New 2006/2007 Marks with Dashboard Through a partnership with Muskie, the Childrens Cabinet is launching its new Maine Marks web site design that will highlight key indicators and federal performance measures relating to each of the Cabinet Priorities: Early Childhood, Youth in Transition, and Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resiliency.

Cross-system Practices The Childrens Cabinet leadership agrees to common practices across consumer populations, especially those with the highest need and who require multiple agency supports.

Collaborative Service Planning Models Among Maines successful case planning models are: High-Fidelity Community Wraparound Child and Family Teams Family Team Meetings Family & Systems Teams

Core Principles The specific and comprehensive plan builds on family, child and team strengths from which options can be developed to meet the needs of children and families. Families are full members of the planning team and participate fully in developing their plan that is reflective and respectful of their beliefs, values, preferences, and customs.

Contd The plan builds on family, child and team strengths from which options can be developed to meet the needs of children and families. Coordination, collaboration, follow-through and accountability are the responsibility of all team members and will support the family to reach its goals. Access to services and resources to implement the comprehensive plan are easily accessible

Benchmarks The team member structure should include one-third natural supports and not more than half of team membership should be advance degree professionals. No child/youth should have more than one integrated plan across complex needs and or multiple systems. We do not have a comprehensive plan until the child/youth and parent agree it is so.

Measurements # of agency, community, family members trained at all systemic levels # of disciplines/systems trained # of case practice systems barriers identified and removed

Trauma-Informed Systems of Care Intervention and/or treatment that is delivered taking into consideration the totality of the clients past trauma and experiences, as a holistic and humane approach to service delivery and supports.

Major Cross-systems Initiatives Childrens Cabinets

Task Force on Early Childhood Chaired by First Lady Revised from the 1998 Legislated Task Force born of the Start ME Right Legislation supporting home visiting and childcare. Current body of action funded from the Maine Title V Agency (Bureau of Health) Federal Maternal and Child Health grant

Task Force Activities Foster humane ways to help families and young children live, grow and learn in a safe, healthy environment to reach their highest potential Encourage and engage critical thinking about systems of silos: funding streams, data collection, reporting and accountability Map exiting programs and systems linked to early childhood, mental health and related supports Address capacity of early learning: Zero-Three & Pre-K Advocate for early investment as part of Maines Economic Development Plan

Hig-FidelityWraparound Maine High-fidelity Wraparound is a family-centered, community-oriented, strengths-based, highly individualized planning process that relies on a balance of formal and informal or natural supports to help children and families achieve important outcomes while they remain, whenever possible, in their homes and communities. The target population for Wraparound Maines Initiative includes multi-agency involved children and youth, ages 5-18, with serious emotional or behavioral disturbance who are either in residential care or at high risk of such placement.

Desired Wraparound Outcomes Increase permanency and stability for children; Decrease restrictiveness of residential environments; Improve behavior and overall mental health; Improved school and early care outcomes; Decrease family and child safety issues and risk factors; Increase family and child protective factors; Increase family engagement and satisfaction with services and increased family resources to support their own children.

Wraparound Funding The 122nd Legislature, though LD863 supported a resolve to ensure Community base Wraparound for children in need of care. The 123rd Legislature authorized an annual reinvestment of funds saved through the reduced used of residential care to support implementation of High Fidelity Community Based Wraparound in Maine.

REGIONAL PLANNING & PARTNERSHIPS

Regional Childrens Cabinets Region I: Chaired by Ansley Newton, DOE - Cumberland and York Counties Region II: Chaired by Holly Stover, DHHS/Behavioral Health - Androscoggin, Kennebec, Sagadahoc, Oxford, Waldo, Somerset, Knox, Lincoln, Franklin Region III: Chaired by Bobbi Johnson, DHHS/CPS – Hancock, Washington, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Aroostook

Homeless Youth Coordinated through the Regional Childrens Cabinets and supported by Legislated funds. Engages regional providers, schools, and policy-makers around issues facing homeless youth to include the Rapid Response initiatives through regional collaborations led by each RCC.

Measurement # of youth identified and returned to permanent safe place # of youth healthy physically and mentally # of youth staying in school # of youth succeeding in higher education # of youth prepared to enter the workforce

Keeping Maine Children Connected (KMCC) From… hospital/psychiatric and residential facilities back to school & community Coordinated through the Regional Childrens Cabinet & state agency staff: –Brings community providers, schools and hospitals together to share innovative programs; –Trains school, crisis unit and hospital staff; and –Establishes a protocol that facilitates communication to assist youth returning from psychiatric facilities.

Measurement # 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 # of youth completing high school on schedule

LOCAL PLANNING & PARTNERSHIPS

Communities for Children & Youth Susan Savell, C4CY Serves 65 local C4CY coalitions representing over 300 towns. Provides local coalitions and their partners with Americorp Vista Volunteers (151 since 1999) to carry out the task of capacity-building, prevention and youth development efforts locally.

C4CY Coalition Purpose Develop Childrens Leadership Councils to assess the needs (assets and risks) of children and youth, implement prevention and positive youth development programs and policies, and evaluate changes in the community through effective collaboration.

C4CY Desired Outcomes # 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 and positive youth development programs established, tracked and measured. # of coalitions following plans based on assessment/data.

Local Case Resolution Committees LCRCs: Regionally coordinate/oversee case review committees that process individual and family cases with Pooled Flexible Funds (PFF) where there is an identified barrier to service, no other means of funding, and seeks immediate solutions for the family/ies. 16 total LCRCs total

Senior Staff Proposed Criteria for Pooled Funding Priorities & Initiative Endorsement Is initiative cross-systems/agencies? Is it addressing an unmet need? Is it a shared responsibility by all agency leadership and staff? Is it a new initiative needing seed funding? Does it have potential for sustainability? What is the impact on who and how many without our support? Is there evidence that the initiative is improving services and systems process and function? Does it bring collaboration along to work on behalf of children and youth (builds relationships in communities and organizations)?

Pooled Flexible Funds Spent Overall by Expense Class, FYE

Systems Issues in Case Review with over $10,000 Spent in FYE

Additional Childrens Cabinet Interagency Initiative Leadership Best Practices in Bullying/Harassment Prevention ( Maine Youth Suicide Prevention ( Gender and Socioeconomic-specific programming Statewide Cross-disciplinary Prevention Plan/Data- collection Planning/input for the emerging local prevention centers or comprehensive health coalitions as part of the State Public Health infrastructure Statewide/Interagency Asset Development