HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Services Advisory Committee - Minutes - 12/16/2014
BAYFIELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Courthouse Conference Room A
Tuesday, December 16th, 2014 at 4:30 pm
Committee Members Present: John Blahnik, Anne Green, Nancy and Dale Johnson.
Staff Present: Anita Haukaas and Nina Bucher.
Call to order: In the absence of the Chairperson, Anita called the meeting to order at 4:34 pm.
Discussion was had regarding “excused” absences and that they should be listed separately in the
minutes. Anita will look into this.
Adoption of 9/16/14 minutes: John made a motion to adopt the minutes, Nancy seconded,
motion carried.
Public Comment Opportunity: No one was present for public comment.
Extended Out of Home Care to Age 21 Presentation: Anita explained that the WI Legislature
passed an act stating that as of 8/1/2014, children who turn 18 while in foster care may be eligible to
remain in foster care until age 21 if certain criteria are met. The child must be a full time student with
an IEP (Individualized Education Program) plan in effect and agree to the terms of a court ordered or
voluntary “Transition to Independent Living” agreement with the County. Anita said that while there
currently are not any children in foster care through Bayfield County that would meet these
requirements, there have been in the past and it is a much needed allowance for some children who
turn 18 and are not ready mentally and emotionally to live independently and make good choices.
FSAC Recruitment: Anita relayed that the individual suggested to fill Mary Skerik’s position on the
Committee had declined. Anita asked for suggestions and does have one person in mind that she
received approval to inquire if they have interest. If that does not work, we will place an ad in the
paper.
Staffing update: Two family services employees have recently returned to full time from leaves of
absence. Tom Moran is retiring on 1/2/15 and recruitment has begun. The Social Worker position open
from September has had two rounds of unfruitful interviews. Anita is worried that her staff is stretched
too thin and she may need to look at subcontracting help if the shortage continues.
Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare update: Bayfield County’s Corporate Counsel is suggesting changes
to verbiage in our 161 Agreement with Red Cliff. This agreement generally outlines how the two
entities work together, share information, and who is responsible for what. Now that Red Cliff has
their own Child Support office, it is important to make sure support is assessed at the time a child is
being placed out of the home to help pay for cost of care. It is also important to specify what situation
the County is financially responsible for when tribal members are living/places out of our county.
Mental Health/AODA Services update: Family Services is fully staffed in this area and they are
hopeful that continued funding for Family Treatment Court is approved for 2015. The Criminal Justice
Department and Family Services are working with a family that might qualify for Family Treatment
Court. Loretta Livingston has been hired as a “Family Specialist” guidance/support person (parent
aide) to teach parenting without the use of alcohol or drugs. The goal is to keep the family together
and functioning this way for 18 months to increase the likelihood of success. The Family Recovery
Room is now ready in the lower level of the courthouse for supervised Family Treatment Court family
visits.
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The joint Ashland/Bayfield County Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) program has not yet
been certified by the State. Peppy (BCDHS Director) and staff have been working very hard to create a
plan to submit. Originally the State said the CCS Program would cover eligible individuals with
MH/AODA diagnoses covered by Medicaid only. Now they say that CCS should be for anyone that
meets the guidelines. This may lead to the County incurring costs for coverage and they are looking
into the ramifications of this new information.
In Bayfield County, there have been 42 emergency detentions to date in 2014 compared to 62 for the
entire 2013.
Child Protective Services update: Child Protective Services reports are down throughout the State.
Foster Home providers update: Bayfield County has licensed 15 Foster Homes of which 11 are
actively servicing children. One is located out of the County to meet the unique needs of a Bayfield
County resident.
Juvenile Justice Update: To date, there have been 68 Juvenile Court referrals compared to 51 last
year. The delinquent acts are trending to more severe and the youths in placement have significant
mental health issues.
The assessment tools contract with JAIS will end in November of 2015. It will be replaced by the
Compass system that was purchased by the State and will be free for the County to use. It is hoped
that the Compass system will standardize agency’s use/intercommunication throughout the State.
Future Meetings: Future meeting dates are quarterly on the third Tuesday of the month: 3/17/15,
6/16/15, 9/15/15, and 12/15/15.
Adjournment: John made a motion to adjourn, Dale seconded it, motion carried. Meeting adjourned
at 5:52 pm.
Minutes submitted by,
Nina Bucher
Nina Bucher