HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Services Advisory Committee - Minutes - 3/17/2015
BAYFIELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Courthouse Conference Room A
Tuesday, March 17th 2015 at 4:30 pm
Committee Members Present: John Blahnik, Anne Green, and Susan Davis.
Committee Members Excused: Lona Schmidt, Nancy and Dale Johnson, Jim Crandall
Others Present: Anita Haukaas, Elizabeth Skulan, and Nina Bucher.
Call to order: In the absence of the Chairperson, Anita called the meeting to order at 4:32 pm. It
was noted that there was not a quorum present, rendering the meeting purely informational.
Public Comment Opportunity: No one offered public comments.
Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment Presentation: Anita began by
explaining that the State had implemented state-wide changes in the foster care system a couple years
ago. The changes included a uniformed pay rate for providers that is determined by using the Child
and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Assessment. The CANS Assessment is completed by a
Social Worker using input from the child (if old enough), foster parents, biological parents, and other
appropriate sources. Anita handed out two sample CANS Assessment packs, one for children zero to
five years old, and one for five to 17 year olds. The Assessment uses a four level rating system that
translates into additional services for children rated twos and threes. This also corresponds to
supplemental rates because these children have increased needs that must be met with services.
Statewide, the CANS Assessments must be completed within 30 days of a child entering foster care,
and then redone every six months after that. Anita also handed out two Wisconsin informational CANS
tools; one aimed at families and one more general overview. The
FSAC Recruitment: Bev Lindell, a retired licensed mental health professional, has applied to become
a member of the FSAC. Due to the lack of a quorum, a recommendation to the Human Services Board
could not be made, but there were only positive comments regarding her from the Committee.
Family Services Section staffing update: Tom Moran retired on 1/2/15. Kelsey Byard has been
hired and it doing well with her training. She will be participating in First Witness training in Duluth for
Children’s Protective Services. Kelsey had come to Bayfield County with very good experience from
Gogebic County Juvenile Justice Services and has been working with several youth in our Juvenile
program. Courtney Rauschenbach has been hired as a part time LTE and is completing her Masters in
Social Work. Courtney is also a Criminal Justice intern with Bayfield County Human Services regarding
the Family Treatment Court and has been meeting with children and families primarily in Child
Protection capacity already.
Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare update: Bayfield County and the Red Cliff Tribe are currently in
negotiations over the 2015 161 Agreement. This agreement outlines procedures on how the two
entities work together in Family Services situations, share information, and who is responsible for what.
Mental Health/AODA Services update: Anita reported that the Family Specialist (for supervised
family visits and services) had resigned while still in training and a replacement was being sought.
There currently is one qualified family entering the Family Treatment Court process. The Family
Recovery Room is being used by other counties and needs a monitor installed. The newly approved
joint Ashland/Bayfield County Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) program is now up and
These are notes from
the informational only
(no quorum) meeting-
not minutes.
K:agenda&minutes/FS/mintes/2015/2015-3-17_FSAC_notes 2
running, has clients enrolled and is receiving referrals. The 2015 New Horizons North service contract
with Bayfield County for CSP and CCS clients is currently being estimated to include a partial shift from
the higher cost CSP program to CCS as clients change programs. Emergency Detention numbers in
Bayfield County are down significantly in 2014 compared to the prior three years. Peppy relayed that
this may be due to the onset of available healthcare for child-less adults that occurred in April of 2014,
allowing people to seek help before a crisis situation develops.
Child Protective Services update: The number of Bayfield County clients re-entering out of home
placement is comparably high within the State. Anita handed out a flow chart describing the appeals
procedure for substantiated determinations of child abuse or neglect. The chart shows that when a
determination of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated within Family Services (not criminally),
a letter is sent to the individual letting them know they have 15 days to request an agency review.
Eight letters of this type have been sent since 1/1/15 and two of those have responded that they would
like a review. If the determination becomes final, the maltreater’s name will be put on a registry of
abusers and, if they have the ability to, go through a rehabilitation process.
Juvenile Justice Update: The COMPAS juvenile assessment tool will replace the JAIS system
currently used in November of 2015. The new system was purchased by the State and is free for all
Counties to use. There is a short form that is used at the time of juvenile court intake. Ten Juvenile
Court Intake referrals have been made to date in 2015.
Annual Meeting: The Family Services/Law Enforcement/ Schools annual meeting will be held on May
29, 2015.
Future Meetings: Future meeting dates are 6/23/15 (please note this is the third Thursday of the
month), 9/15/15, and 12/15/15.
Adjournment: The meeting concluded at 5:45pm.
Notes submitted by,
Nina Bucher
Nina Bucher