HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 10/27/2016BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
EOC Room
October 27, 2016
Board Members Present: Lona Schmidt, Pat Carver, Phil Milam, Larry Fickbohm,
Fred Strand, Jim Crandall, Rusty Williams,
Kent Seldal arrived at 4:02p.m.,
Rachel Coughtry arrived at 4:09 p.m.
Board Members Excused:
Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Carrie Linder
Call to Order and Introductions
Williams called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Introductions were made.
Review of the September 22, 2016 Meeting Minutes
Motion by Strand, seconded by Carver, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed
unanimously.
Public Comment – Limited to 3 minutes per person
None
Program Presentation – ACCESS Reporting, Social Worker Crystal Clark-Gregoire, Family
Services Section
Access is a process for receiving, analyzing, and documenting reports of alleged child abuse or
neglect. The access worker is the first point of contact for information/referral or for a Child
Abuse/Neglect (CAN) report. It is important for the caller/reporter to be able to speak with
someone, receive appropriate assistance, and feel heard. The primary responsibility of the
access worker is to receive and document calls/reports regarding alleged abuse or neglect.
However, the worker is subject to a variety of calls that may or may not relate to CAN’s such as
child custody, housing, domestic violence, etc. It is very important for the access worker to have
knowledge of the community resources and services offered. With most of the calls/reports,
the caller/reporter is in distress and may be upset or angry. It is important for the worker to
have the ability to deescalate the caller to gather the information. All Child Abuse and Neglect
data goes into the electronic Wisconsin Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information
System (eWiSACWIS). This creates a report and a screening decision is complete within 24
hours.
During regular business hours, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Family Service
staff rotates Access duties. There is always a worker available to take calls/reports. Wisconsin
State Statutes requires Human Services to have 24/7 coverage for child protective services.
After hours, on-call coverage rotates between Family Services staff. The primary function of the
on-call worker is to provide child custody decisions for CAN and juvenile justice referrals. On-
call workers are subject to late night calls and may remove children from their home for safety
issues at any hour of the day or night.
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October 27, 2016
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Detailed brochures are available regarding the process for reporting and receiving CAN reports.
When DHS Board members receive contact form someone in the community regarding CAN,
please immediately direct them to call the Access worker for assistance.
Monthly Section Reports
Support Services – Nikki Revak
Worked with the Aging and Disabilities Resources Coordinator, Barb Peterson on the 2016 State
Business plan. Worked with the Accountant Technician on the audit finding. Worked on the
Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources 2017 Budget. Working with the state on the
2016 and 2017 Children’s Long Term Services funding. Met with Ashland County Financial
Manager regarding the MA billing of Northland Counseling services.
Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler as reported by Elizabeth Skulan
Energy Assistance in now in full swing as of October 1. There are two hundred, thirty-six 2017
applications processed, which is well ahead of the number of applications processed this same
time last year. Staff accepted applications at outreach sights. Heating assistants payments are
on hold until the Federal funding determination is received by the State.
In September, all Northern Income Maintenance Consortium staff met in Fifield for training.
Each employee received a Certificate of Achievement because the Northern Consortium
received an award at the national Food Share conference a couple of months ago. The award
recognized efforts to improve efficiency and timeliness of processing FoodShare Applications
and renewals. A trainer proved information about Time Limited Benefits for Food Share Able
Bodied Adults without Dependents. NIMC is extremely busty at this time with open enrollment
applications and benefit renewals.
Spuhler participated in a Salvation Army meeting in Ashland. Angela Ochsenbauer has stepped
down as the local coordinator for Salvation Army budgets, supplies and questions. Tom Bremer
accepted the duties.
Aging & Disability Services - Carrie Linder
This summer an individual with early stage dementia drove from Green Bay and arrived
confused but unharmed in Bayfield County. A Bayfield sheriff deputy found the individual in his
vehicle in a ditch and worked with A&D staff to find a safe place for the individual until family
could arrive to retrieve them. This individual stayed at the Memory Lane Day Care program. As
the needs and numbers of individuals with dementia increase, the second in a series of First
Responder training for working with individuals with dementia will take place in December. The
program focusses on how to approach and speak with those suffering from dementia.
Brain Wellness Checks scheduled throughout the five county Aging and Disability Resource
Center of the North consortium in November. See handout for times and locations.
BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
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DHS staff met with Carol Lund from Northland Counseling regarding the process for emergency
detentions involving individuals with dementia. A decision tree will improve Northland
Counselling’s ability to process emergency detentions when the individual has dementia.
Family Services – Anita Haukaas as reported by Elizabeth Skulan
Haukaas and Social Worker Courtney Rauschenbach are currently attending the Trauma
Informed Peer Learning Collaborative Training session in Eau Claire.
Haukaas and Social Worker Cheryl Hanson attended the Ethics and Boundaries in
Community Mental Health training presented by Dr. Ronald Diamond. The training and
content was excellent.
Haukaas attended the documentation training facilitated by New Horizons North for the
Comprehensive Community Services and Community Services program. The training
was to improve the quality of documentation used for Medical Assistance
reimbursement.
The Community Intervention Program grant evaluation is due October 28, 2016.
Approximately $2,200 Voluntary Kinship Care funding for 2016 was de-obligated.
Bayfield County did not have enough eligible expenses to use the full allocation.
Social Worker Mary Anich is learning the Bayfield County processes and getting out into
the community visiting clients, attending court hearings and becoming familiar with Red
Cliff Indian Child Welfare.
Social Worker Rebecca Kruit will become a certified Forensic Interviewer for Child
Welfare after successfully completing the Advance Forensic Interviewing training in
November.
Haukaas is currently attending the Supervising Safety in Child Welfare program.
Statistics:
o Juvenile Justice – there are more referrals through October of this year than the
total referrals in 2015
o The number of Emergency Detentions is similar to last year.
Monthly Reports
Monthly reports reviewed and placed on file.
WCHSA Update (This will be a monthly item) – Update, Skulan reported:
Opiate use has increased in the southern part of the state
Methamphetamine use has increased in the northern part of the state
Lincoln Hills, the only State juvenile correctional facility in Wisconsin is under scrutiny
due to alleged assaults between staff and juveniles and alleged assaults between
juvenile inmates and other juvenile inmates.
The Wisconsin Counties Association distributed information packets to Human Service
directors to use to advocate for additional funding in Child Protective Services. There
has been an increase in caseloads and drug endangered children across the state due to
methamphetamine and opiate drug use in families.
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Some counties are placing children in out of home placement outside the state of
Wisconsin due to the needs of the children and the lack of resources in Wisconsin for
children with severe mental health needs.
Committee Meeting Times, Discussion and Possible Action – The County Board directed all
advisory committees to include this on their meeting agendas for review, discussion, and
potential action.
Coughtry opened up the discussion. She would like to have the meetings begin at 5:00 p.m. or
later as she works until 5:00 p.m. Coughtry also said that she feels that then meetings would be
more accessible to the working public. Crandall and Schmidt suggested beginning at 4:30.
Fickbohm stated that it would be nice to start the meeting later so the public could attend.
Motion by Strand, second by Crandall to move the meeting start time to 5:00 p.m. Motion
passed unanimously.
Resolution DHS 2016-05 Recommend that the Bayfield County Board of Supervisors contract
with Arrowhead Regional Corrections for the Short-term Housing of Juveniles – Family
Services Manager Anita Haukaas has been researching requirements to allow Bayfield County
to contract with Arrowhead Regional Corrections for short-term detention. The County Board
of Supervisors must contract with the Minnesota County.
Skulan reviewed the recommendation to contract with Arrowhead Regional Corrections for
short-term (under 72 hours) housing of juveniles.
Motion by Crandall, second by Schmidt, to approve the recommendation to contract with
Arrowhead Regional Corrections for the Short-term Housing of Juveniles and to forward to the
County Board of Supervisors for their approval. Motion passed unanimously.
DHS Single Audit 2015 Finding –
Skulan and Revak reported that DHS had its first ever audit finding in the course of the 2015
single audit. The finding was the result of a simple error perpetuated throughout the year. The
error is corrected.
DSH Single Audit 2015, Change in Fiscal Reporting Revenues –
Skulan and Revak reported that the auditors determined that all funds not receipted by March
1st must be posted to the next fiscal year. Approximately $227,000 of the revenue previously
reported by DHS in 2015 is now 2016 revenue.
Resolution DHS 2016-06 – Recommend Enabling Resolution to Allow DHS as Fiscal Agent to
hold Aging and Disability Resource Center of the North (ADRC-N) Contingency Funds in a Non-
Lapsing Account. This resolution distinguishes ADRC-N funds held by but not belonging to
Bayfield County. Presented and passed by recommendation of the auditor
BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING
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October 27, 2016
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Skulan reported that Bayfield County DHS is the fiscal agent of the ADRC-N. ADRC–N
reimburses counties for indirect expenses and agency management support and overhead
related to regional positions when funds are available, rather than allowing funds to revert to
the State. The ADRC-N Governing Board asked those counties to return 50% of 1.) the contract
funds identified with the indirect and AMSO costs and 2.) funds received by counties that are
over their contract allocations. The funds are in a contingency fund held by Bayfield County on
behalf of ADRC–N.
Motion by Crandall, second by Carver, to allow DHS as Fiscal Agent to hold Aging and Disability
Resource Center of the North Contingency Funds in a Non-Lapsing Account on behalf of the
consortium. Motion passed unanimously.
Family Services Section Advisory Committee Appointments – The appointments of John
Blahnik, Dale Johnson, and Nancy Johnson are expiring. All three individuals are interested in
serving another term on the committee. The Family Services Section Advisory Committee
recommended the appointments to the Human Services Board for consideration.
Motion by Carver, second by Coughtry, to renew the appointments of John Blahnik, Dale
Johnson, and Nancy Johnson to the Family Services Advisory Committee. Motion passed
unanimously.
Other (Informational Items)
Future Meetings
A. November/December Meeting, Tuesday, December 6, 2016 (to begin with a
potluck to celebrate the holidays) at 4:30 p.m. with the meeting to follow at
approximately 5:00 p.m.
B. January 26, 2017
C. February 23, 2017
Adjournment
Adjournment 5:15 p.m.
Submitted by Nikki Revak, Financial Manager