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Norwalk
Youth Services Advisory Board Actions
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| Youth Services Advisory Board Actions June 6, 2006 | Youth Services Advisory Board Actions August 1, 2006 |
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006
ATTENDANCE: Shirley Sarkin; Richard McQuaid; Maria Borges-Lopez;
Elaine Andersen; Darlene Young; Michael Mocciae
STAFF: Linda Wilock
CALL TO ORDER
Ms. Wilock called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m., saying that Mr. Wien was not able to attend.
INTRODUCTIONS
Ms. Wilock had everyone in attendance introduce themselves.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 6, 2006 AND AUGUST 1, 2006
** MS. SARKIN MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JUNE 6, 2006.
** MS. YOUNG SECONDED.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
** MS. BORGES-LOPEZ MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 1, 2006.
** MS. YOUNG SECONDED.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
NORWALK’S YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU
Ms. Wilock explained that at the last meeting, they had a presentation given by Ms. Susan Radway, the Director of the Youth Services Bureau in Waterford and is President of the Connecticut Youth Services Association. Ms. Wilock said the presentation she will give today will follow the same format as the presentation given last month, but it will be on the Norwalk Youth Services Bureau.
She explained that as Director, she reports to the Mayor. She said that there are two advisory groups, the Youth Services Advisory Board which advises on the Youth Service Bureau, and the School Readiness Council, which advises on issues pertaining to the School Readiness Program and it’s grant. There is one part-time secretary. There is a counseling program, prevention programs, the School Readiness Program, and they have some subcontracted programs.
Ms. Wilock continued to present the Norwalk Youth Service Bureau presentation, saying that they are required to do research and evaluation. They perform a needs assessment, and at this time they are conducting a survey of pre-school capacity. The survey was just sent out on Friday, and it was sent out to all the licensed day-care providers in the community asking what their licensed capacity is, what the enrollment is, and what they are willing to enroll. They maintain statistical information on their clients.
Ms. Wilock spoke of how they model some of their programs after other groups’ programs. They work with the staff to find ways to work with children that have behavioral issues. The peer outreach program meets one night a week during the school year and is led by one of the part-time staff. The idea came from the children that wanted to be peer counselors, and the staff thought it would be a good way for the children to be better listeners for their friends and identify someone who may be in trouble. She said that the Middle School Service Clubs were originally in the schools during the day, but have since been switched over to the After School program as an enrichment piece. It takes place in the Roodner Court Housing Complex.
She said they have just been asked by the Mayor to take over the JAG Grant, which is a justice grant, and has funds designated towards the Urban Youth Coalition. It was run by volunteers, and now there is funding, roughly $62,000 over four years, from the US Department of Justice for someone to do the staff work for the Coalition. She said that the Project Coordinator for this will be housed out of their office, and Rev. Dancy and Chief Rilling will supervise program issues.
Ms. Wilock then spoke about the counseling components. She said that they have one full-time licensed family therapist, and two part-time counselors, one of which is an MFT and one who recently left. She made an offer to an MSW who has accepted the position. She is bi-lingual. They also have an MFT intern at Fairfield University who functions as a counselor and handles some of the caseload. They also cover some clinical consultation through the Learning Center in Westport. Ms. Wilock, in response to Ms. Sarkin’s question, said that the hourly rate for the part-time position was low, and she couldn’t find anyone for the position. She said that they reduced the number of hours, and increased the hourly rate, but it is still an issue. She mentioned that the biggest referral source, 63%, is from the schools. They also receive some referrals from Juvenile Court. The biggest issues they see are the parent/family issues and school issues.
Ms. Wilock explained some of the funding and budget information. She said there is a Quality Enhancement Grant, partnered with the School Readiness Grant, which they use to improve the quality for the providers they fund, in addition to all the pre-school providers and family day care providers. They do have good attendance at all the professional development programs they offer during the year. Mr. McQuaid asked if there was a back-up plan in place should the grants get cut. Ms. Wilock said that there wasn’t a plan in place, but she said that the School Readiness Grant was firmly committed.
She went on to discuss the grants that had been cut recently. They are the DCF Substance Abuse Prevention grant, the Neighborhood Youth Center grant, the Delinquency Prevention grant, and the CDBG grant.
In summarizing, Ms. Wilock said that the presentation should give some framework for priorities and direction.
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION
Ms. Andersen asked if they need any assistance with children that are looking to do volunteer work. Ms. Wilock thanked her, and said that right now they are focusing on the pre-school and elementary population, and the youth violence issue. Ms. Andersen said they received a grant for youth violence as part of the Norwalk Youth Council. Ms. Wilock asked where everyone wanted to go from here as far as strategic planning, but felt that it would require a large block of time. Mr. McQuaid said that he felt they would get a good sense of direction from reviewing the surveys. They would need permission to use the surveys. It was suggested that they have a roundtable discussion, and perhaps reach out to the children that didn’t make it through the program.
Ms. Andersen mentioned that there is a Safe Haven Night this Friday night from
7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. at the YMCA. The Norwalk Youth Council is coordinating
it, and due to limited capacity, the mailing was sent home through the middle
schools. There were already two of these events held, one at the Carver Center
and the other at the YMCA. It is funded through the United Way. There will be
a dance, swimming, and a film on substance abuse prevention.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Wilock thanked everyone for attending, and she said that she will coordinate with Mr. Wien the timing for the next meeting.
Mr. Mocciae distributed the Fall/Winter Recreation and Parks brochures.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn Marr
Telesco Secretarial Services
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