The Washington County Community Partnership for Children & Families’ (WCCP) Board would like to announce some changes in leadership and membership. The WCCP would like to congratulate the following WCCP Board members on their new leadership appointments:

• David Engle, W.C. Department of Social Services, Chair
  
  
• Paul Pittman, Community Representative, Vice-Chair
  
  
• Melicent Malchenson, Community Representative, Treasurer
  
  
• Carolyn Brooks, W.C. CSAFE, Secretary

The WCCP also extends a warm welcome to the following new board members. Each brings a wealth of knowledge of the issues affecting children and families in Washington County. Their insight will be invaluable as the WCCP presses forward in assessing community needs and developing a strategic plan to address the identified needs for Washington County. To view a full list of the WCCP Board members, please see below.

• Lori Connolly, Community Representative - Ms. Connolly, a parent of a child with specials needs, is a co-teacher for Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland. She serves as Co-Chair of Washington County Public Schools’ Special Education Advisory Committee and as the Special Needs Chair for the Washington County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations.
  
  
• Michael Keifer, Community Representative - Mr. Keifer, a retired State of Maryland correctional officer, is currently employed at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He has served as 1) a member of various Parent- Teacher Associations, 2) a Board of Director for the Maryland State Council of Parents and Teachers, 3) Chairman for the Maryland Council of Parent-Teacher Association’s annual convention, 4) a member of the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Task Force, and 5) President of Chapter 10 of the Maryland Classified Employees Association.
  
  
• Ladetra Robinson, Community Representative - Ms. Robinson is employed with Central Coca Cola in Hagerstown and is a licensed real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Hagerstown. She serves on the Usher Board at Second Christian Church and on the Washington County Commission Board for Women.

The WCCP extends a huge thank-you to outgoing Board member and Chair Millie Lowman for her many hours of dedication and leadership over the past two board terms (6 years). Ms. Lowman served in many different leadership capacities during her tenure including Grant Review Committee (Board subcommittee) Chair in fiscal years (FYs) 2004, 2005 and 2006, Board Secretary in FYs 2003 and 2004, Board Vice-Chair in FY 2005 and Board Chair in FY 2006. Ms. Lowman also served on the Community Partnership Team and the Board Development and Membership Committee, which are Board subcommittees. Ms. Lowman was instrumental in the development of policies and procedures for grant review and in the examination and updating of the By- laws.

The WCCP would also like to express appreciation to Milissa Sibley and Nicole Perini for their time and effort while serving on the Board. Both members recently resigned their Board seats. Ms. Sibley began her service in FY 2005 and served as Board Secretary in FY 2006. Ms. Perini began her service in FY 2006.

Thank you all very much! Your contributions have been invaluable to the long-term goals of the WCCP.

The Governor’s Office for Children (GOC) recently awarded the Washington County Community Partnership for Children & Families (WCCP) $115,000.00 in flex funds to be used by the Local Coordinating Council (LCC). These flex funds will be used for community-based services and community- based out-of-home placements needed by children with mental or developmental disabilities not in State custody. These youth may be eligible for these funds regardless of the requirements for the State Medical Assistance Program, if 1) the child is in an out-of- home placement and has been recommended for discharge but the child’s family is unwilling or unable to have the child return home or 2) the child remains in the home but the child’s family is unable to provide appropriate care for the child without additional services and the child is either at risk of requiring an out-of-home placement or the treating professionals have recommended an out-of-home placement.

These funds will provide the LCC the opportunity to be more flexible and creative in developing plans of care independent of funding eligibility constraints. For example, these funds could be utilized to purchase a service deemed helpful by the LCC, but not covered by the youth’s insurance. Another example would be enhancing the viability of a natural support. For instance, if it was discovered in the treatment planning process that a youth responds well to a particular relative who lives a distance away and cannot afford the gasoline to visit, the LCC may opt, as part of the treatment plan, to pay for gasoline for the relative to be available to the youth. Although simplistic, these examples illustrate the great benefit of flexible funding under the purview of the LCC.

During the 2002 session of the Maryland General Assembly, House Bill (HB) 1386 was passed. This bill mandated the development of a plan for the improvement of local access to services for children with intensive needs through the development of community-based resources. The desired end result is the reduction of the number of children in out-of- home placements. The task for developing this plan was given to the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet (formerly Subcabinet for Children, Youth and Families), which is composed of State-level child- serving agency representatives.

In fiscal year (FY) 2005, the Governor’s Office for Children (GOC) requested that the Washington County Community Partnership for Children & Families (WCCP) and other Local Management Boards across the State submit a Local Access Plan (LAP), detailing the development of an access mechanism for providing services to families of children with intensive needs.

Each jurisdiction submitted their LAP by the close of FY 2005. During FY 2006, the GOC took the plans submitted by the jurisdictions and compiled a report for the Maryland General Assembly to request monetary support. The GOC received $3,300,000.00 for the various components of an integrated System Of Care (SOC). In addition to support for local access mechanisms, the funding is targeted for wraparound services as well as resource development for community-based residential placements.

In May of this year, the GOC released an invitation to jurisdictions to negotiate for a portion of the funding. The deadline for the proposals was July 7, 2006. The WCCP and its community partners involved in the LAP development, formally known as the Washington County Local Planning Team (WC LPT), met to discuss what Washington County would request. The WC LPT decided to request funding, through a partnership with Frederick, Allegany and Garrett counties (Western Maryland Partnership), for a contract with the Mental Health Association of Frederick County, Inc. (MHA) to utilize their Frederick County Hotline, a future 2-1-1 call center, as the 24/7 information and referral (I/R) center for the SOC. Additionally, through the Western Maryland Partnership, the WC LPT requested funding for a family navigator (FN).

The FN, who will have experience as a family member caring for a child with special needs, will be assigned to a family that, based on a brief screening tool, has been determined to have a child, birth through 21 years of age, with intensive behavioral, education, developmental, and/or mental health needs and: 1) the family is not currently linked with, has been ruled as ineligible for, or has exhausted case management services elsewhere; 2) coordination of multiple service agencies is requested; and/or 3) assistance identifying linkages to appropriate resources and services is requested. For calls or walk-ins received at the WCCP, the FN will provide I/R and administer the brief screening tool if warranted based on the family’s needs.

In addition to the Western Maryland Partnership proposal, the WC LPT requested funding for the provision of cultural competency and wraparound trainings. Furthermore, the team requested funding for a 2-1-1 public awareness campaign, for assessments, for parent stipends and for a care coordinator position responsible for the oversight of the Expanded Local Coordinating Council (ELCC), the Washington County SOC wraparound component.

Over the coming months, the WC LPT is scheduled to negotiate for the funding, requested in the July 7 proposal, with a team composed of Children’s Cabinet members and staff from the GOC. The WC LPT is hopeful that the funding being requested in the proposal will be received.