HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Services Advisory Committee - Minutes - 3/20/2012
BAYFIELD COUNTY FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
Courthouse Conference Room A
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Committee Members Present: Ann Green, Lona Schmidt, Jim Crandall, Mary Skerik, John
Blahnik, Susan Davis, Nancy and Dale Johnson
Staff Present: Anita Haukaas and Nina Bucher
Others Present: Lorna Gamble, Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare
Call to order: Lona called the meeting to order at 4:34pm.
Adoption of 12/13/11 minutes: Anita read corrections to the minutes that were submitted by
Lynne Basina, Administrator of Red Cliff Family Service Division: Lorna Gamble was not hired as the
Indian Child Welfare Director, she was appointed by the Tribal Council as a Limited Term Employee;
the $3,000 raised by the Harley Davidson Clothing promotion was In-kind, not cash. Ann made a
motion to adopt the amended minutes, John seconded, and the motion passed.
Juvenile Court Intake Assessments presentation: Anita said that Family Services was looking
for the best assessment tool that could be used during the intake process to determine appropriate
services for youth. Angela Hernandez, the Mental Health Coordinator for Bayfield County, has
recommended the Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System (JAIS) developed by the National
Council on Crime and Delinquency as the best tool with a proven track record. JAIS is an evidence-
based program aimed at reducing recidivism by identifying needs for effective case management.
The assessment can recognize higher criminal thinking and target the triggers for therapy. Anita
handed out both the boy’s and girl’s sample assessments and stated that Pierce County is already
successfully using the program. While the program has an annual cost of $2,700, there is a grant
that would cover training for staff, the Judge, and DA. The Juvenile Justice Ad Hoc Committee is in
favor of using the JAIS program. No matter which assessment tool is chosen, it will be used to
assess every youth referred by law enforcement.
Susan conveyed that Ashland High School helps troubled kids in two ways: by arranging attendance
of a summer work camp called Crex Meadows, where NW CEP personnel supervise and the kids work
on projects; and Julie Flones, the Job Coordinator for AHS students can help them find jobs in the
community. Both have worked well with some kids to get them moving in the right direction.
Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare (ICW) update: Lorna Gamble, the current Red Cliff ICW Director
provided case numbers of: 6 formal cases, 25 informal cases, 30 cases in other location/states. They
are serving 50 families and 58 children. Lorna said they were also using vouchers to help keep
BAYFIELD COUNTY
Department of Human Services
117 East Fifth Street
P.O. Box 100
Washburn, Wisconsin 54891-0100
(715) 373-6144 Voice/TDD
(715) 373-6130 Fax
baycodhs@bayfieldcounty.org
/www.bayfieldcounty.org
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families together during crisis situations. The voucher recipients turn in receipts to validate their
purchases. Lorna reported that check scams are currently affecting vulnerable adults in the area.
The scam clears out the bank account after the promise of large amounts of money. She also
reported that many children turning 18 already have bad credit due to someone misusing their
personal information while they were a child.
Staffing update: Anita informed the Committee that Joseph Scribbins resigned, Denise Bailey
returned, and Ken Jepson is currently performing the duties of both the Youth Offender Project
Coordinator and Mentor Coordinator positions.
Youth Offender Grant Program update: Anita reported that there are 13 youth and 12 active
mentors in the program. Because spending requirements for the funds are very strict, Family
Services is identifying allowable ways to use the funds before the grant ends on 9/30/12.
Out of Home Placement update: There are currently nine out-of-home placements compared to
11 at this same time last year. There were a total of 26 placements in 2011.
Lorna relayed that Red Cliff is working with Anu, a non-profit organization that recruits and provides
training for foster homes geared for high risk children. Currently, Red Cliff only has three certified
foster homes and is hoping to develop more with the help of Anu.
Juvenile Justice Referrals: There were 113 juvenile law enforcement referrals from 2011. So far
in January 2012 there were 10 referrals, seven youth and total referred. One youth had three
referrals and another had two referrals.
Mental Health & AODA: Anita distributed a report comparing Emergency Detention (ED) data for
2010/2011. The totals included three youth of the 60 EDs in 2010 and 13 youth of the 70 EDs in
2011.
Other: Anita explained that the AODA provider agreement with Jon Tolliver for the Youth Offender
Grant was terminated. Ashland Area AODA services has been contracted to provide the service.
John suggested that Red Cliff could use programs like 4-H to get kids involved in positive activities.
Lorna said that they were encouraging the creation of a Boys & Girls Club for that need.
Future Meeting: Quarterly meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4:30pm. Future
dates are, June 19th, September 18th, and December 18th 2012.
Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by John, seconded by Susan. Lona adjourned the
meeting at 5:40 pm.
Minutes submitted by,
Nina Bucher, Clerk III