HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Services Advisory Committee - Minutes - 9/19/2017
BAYFIELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Courthouse Conference Room A
Tuesday, September 19th, 2017 at 4:30 pm
Committee Members Present: John Blahnik, Bev Lindell, Lona Schmidt, Susan Davis,
Jeremy Oswald, and Bev Patterson.
Committee Members Absent: Nancy and Dale Johnson.
Others Present: Cheryl Hanson, Elizabeth Skulan (Peppy) and Nina Bucher from BCDHS.
Call to order and introductions: Lona called the meeting to order at 4:30 and
introductions were made.
Minute Approval: John made a motion to approve minutes from the 11/29/16 and 3/21/17
FSAC meetings as written. Susan seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Public Comment Opportunity: No public comment.
New Family Services Manager introduction: Cheryl said she has been with Bayfield
County Human Services Family Services section since March 2008, and has background in child
welfare, library administration, and most recently Mental Health/AODA services coordination.
She is excited about her new position and learning many new things with the help of her staff
and other managers.
New FSAC member introduction: Bev Patterson said she is a retired Child Support
Director with experience in child welfare and social work who is very active in the community
through volunteering and serving on charitable boards/committees.
Arrowhead Juvenile Detention Center update: Cheryl relayed that Family Services will
continue to contract with Arrowhead in Duluth in 2018. Arrowhead allows better access for law
enforcement and families because it is much closer than the Wausau or Eau Claire juvenile
detention alternatives. Their rates will remain the same for 2018.
A question on the status of Lincoln Hills was raised and Peppy replied the facility was still
open, and the only state-run juvenile corrections center for both boys and girls in Wisconsin.
Family Services staffing update: Due to Ben Sheppard’s resignation and reorganization
within, the one position advertised is for a Juvenile Justice worker. This posting closes
October 1st.
Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare (RCICW) update: The Family Services/Red Cliff monthly
meetings are still occurring with the last one taking place via phone on Wednesday,
September 13th. RCICW Director Leah Thaldorf resigned and Gretchen Morris has taken her
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place. Thanks to a funding increase from the BIA, RCICW will be hiring three new workers
and a support staff person.
Program updates: Cheryl reported that the number of Emergency Detentions (EDs) were
down over the last couple months, but that the hospitalizations have been more serious and
involved.
Jeremy, who works for Northlakes Community Clinic responded to a question about the Health
Center Funding Cliff which threatens to take away Federal funding used to allow the Clinic to
offer a sliding fee scale to patients who qualify. Jeremy said the “cliff” is supposed to occur on
September 30, 2017 unless legislation passes to continue funding in some form.
The Indian Child Welfare Continuous Quality Improvement Project review of Bayfield County
took place earlier this year and results were positive. The review occurs approximately every
three years and assesses the compliance of the County to follow Indian Child Welfare
requirements by reviewing several cases.
New Horizons North is contracted regionally by Bayfield and Ashland Counties and must
submit an annual Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) plan to the State for approval.
Final edits are being completed before sending it to WI Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) for
review before submission.
Budget Update: Peppy explained that the 2018 Human Services budget has been submitted
to the County Administrator/County Board for approval. For 2017, all HS sections are
balanced except Family Services. While there are some additional revenues to offset the
shortage, the Department will request approximately one million dollars in additional spending
authority. Projections currently indicate that the Department will need an additional $280,000
in county levy to balance the budget. The overage is due to expensive placements for
complex individuals, many with dual diagnoses but the costs are driven primarily by mental
health/behavioral health issues. Only court ordered services are being provided.
Informational Items: A member asked what the role of the FSAC and it’s members were.
The response was to input and act on Family Services issues/plans, be a liaison between
Family Services and the public, and Peppy said she would distribute some more specific
information before the next meeting.
Peppy said the Bayfield County Health Department was offering human sex trafficking training,
and she would like all in Human Services to participate to help recognize signals.
Future Meetings: Quarterly FSAC meeting dates will continue to be held at 4:30pm on the
second Tuesday of the month in January, April, July, and October. For 2018, they will be
1/9/18, 4/10/18, 7/10/18, and 10/9/18.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:20 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by,
Nina Bucher
Nina Bucher