Conferences,
Trainings, and Events:
•NCADA'S Statewide Prevention conference "Ignite
Our Spirit, Illuminate Our Communities"
•Next
ICA/FSTM training is Wednesday, June 23
We're
Changing
Welcome
to the new and improved newsletter. You say you're a long-time
reader of St. Louis Neighborhood Network's newsletter and it
doesn't look different to you? That's because the change is
internal- it's in the contributors, the writers, the news articles.
You say you're a long-time reader of the Family to Family newsletter
and you can't figure out what this new-fangled format is all
about? Read on-you'll recognize some of the contributors, the
writers, the news articles.
So what's
happened? The answer is: We've merged! St. Louis Neighborhood
Network and Family to Family, in the spirit of true partnership,
have combined their separate newsletters into one, serving both
audiences. Why? Because we serve similar and sometimes overlapping
constituencies, because we are often concerned with similar
issues, and because we share similar philosophies and values.
How will
the newsletter be different? The combined newsletter will be
published bimonthly, beginning with this June 2004 issue. Regular
columns in both newsletters, such as Hub Corner, Announcements,
and Team Decision-making Meeting Results, will be retained.
Other articles will address issues, events, and concerns for
both Family to Family and St. Louis Neighborhood Network. Staff
of both the Neighborhood Network and the Children's Division
will contribute to the writing, editing, and publication of
the newsletter.
For those
of you new to St. Louis Neighborhood Network, it is a Community
Partnership for the Protection of Children. Funded by a grant
from the Center for Community Partnerships in Child Welfare,
the mission of the organization is to strengthen families and
the community to keep children safe, reducing the incidence
of child abuse/neglect. For those of you unfamiliar with Family
to Family, it is also a community partnership; however, its
mission is to reduce the number of children entering out-of-home
care and to improve the foster care system. Family to Family
is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
We hope
you'll like our new, improved newsletter!
Community
Partnership— Is There Any Other Way to Do Business?
It is hard to
believe that was only about 10 years ago that the Children's
Division began its journey to purposefully partner with the
community in regard to our child welfare program. Our agency
and in particular, we in St. Louis City recognized that we could
and should not be the only entity responsible for keeping children
safe and supporting families. We had for many years joined with
other community organizations and agencies to support families.
What really changed was that we made partnerships a central
value of our practice and programs.
In the past 10
years, we have seen a number of ways that this partnering has
occurred…out-posting staff within the community, the Web
of Cruelty training; cross-training with other agencies; Family
to Family, Community Links, School-based staff, and Foster and
Adoptive Care Coalition all co-located within our agency; Foster
care case management contracts; People of Faith for Foster Care;
One Church, One Child; Critter Camp for Foster Children; Community
Partnerships for Protecting Children; to name just a few.
Our child welfare practice has been impacted by our belief that
collectively we can do best practice. We have seen this in Family
Support Team Meetings, Alternative Care Team, Psychiatric Diversion
Teams, Team Decision Making, Performance Development Reviews,
and our Youth Advisory Board.
Now we are entering a new phase of Community Partnering: Contracting
with community partners for visitation centers, meeting spaces,
and our upcoming Circuit Self- Assessment Process are more ways
in which key stakeholders and those we serve will be partnering
with us in new and different ways.
We look forward to our future partnerships with our community
and that the 10 or so years we have experienced with community
partnerships will provide us with a wonderful foundation for
continued opportunities.
I always like
to quote Dr. Carol Williams-Spigner * who stated that "…the
reason we work with community is simply that families do not
live in government agencies, they live in communities!!"
*Professor
Williams-Spigner is at the University of Pennsylvania School
of Social Work and former Associate Commissioner of the Children's
Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services'
Administration for Children and Families.
--Tena
Thompson, CS Director, Children's Division, St. Louis City
Hub
Activities & Achievements
To the
Family to Family readers new to St. Louis Neighborhood Network's
news, you might be asking "What Is a Hub?"
Throughout the 63104, 63107, 63115, and 63118 zip codes in the
city of St. Louis there are "hubs," or centers of
activity, that link families to resources and connect a community.
Each hub has a team of parents, teachers, community leaders,
and service providers. Hubs build and coordinate strategies
that reflect both the concerns and dreams of the community.
Such strategies include family, community and school celebrations,
parent support groups, and family welcome centers.
There are currently six hubs:
Shenandoah
Hub
Shepard Hub
Sigel Hub
Benton Park West Hub
Dutchtown Caring Community Hub
Penrose O'Fallon Hub
Onto
some Hubs' news….
Dutchtown Caring Community Hub held a successful Blue
Ribbon Family Picnic, Saturday, April 17, 2004, 11:00 a.m. -
3:00 p.m. at Laclede Park, next to Taproots School of the Arts.
Free barbecue, health information, and family fun was had by
all.
Shenandoah Hub is holding a school fun day on the last day of
school. The 5th graders will have a promotion party from moving
up (and out) to the 6th grade. The last week of school will
also be them week country western or wearing your favorite sportswear.
Sigel
Hub commemorated Child Abuse Prevention Month with several
Blue Ribbon Campaign activities during the month of April, including
a blue ribbon tying event, gifts to Sigel support staff and
faculty, and a "Back to Loving" day where the kids
wore their shirts backwards.
The spring- summer Community Education Centers' brochure has
many citywide summer programs for kids and adults--see the color
insert section in the middle of the brochure (pages 24-25) and
see our article on "Summer Activities for Kids" on
page 5 of this newsletter. Copies of the brochure are available
at Sigel (2029 Russell) and were also mailed earlier this year
to households in the community.
Benton
Park West Hub will hold a picnic and barbecue on Thursday,
June 24, 7:00 p.m. at Salvation Army Temple Corp, 2240 Arsenal.
Hub leaders' heads are still spinning from the last 3 months'
of overwhelming attendance at monthly meetings. The Hub outgrew
its meeting space at Booth Manor and returned to its 'roots'
at Salvation Army.
Penrose
O'Fallon Hub. Plans are afoot for a cheese-and-wine fundraiser.
Watch for more news.
Foster
Parents Honored By St. Louis City's Children's Division
The Children's
Division had the honor of recognizing our foster parents on
May 23, 2004. This event provided an opportunity to thank the
foster parents for the time and commitment they give to the
children in their care.
The Mistress
of Ceremonies was Bonita Cornute with Channel 2. She was great
and did a wonderful job of keeping the afternoon flowing! Bonnie
Washeck, Assistant Deputy Director of Missouri Children's Division,
shared words of appreciation for the gift foster parents give
to children. Leslie Mar'Na, Family to Family Coordinator, gave
an update on Family to Family.
The keynote speaker was Judge David Mason who spoke of the experiences
of being an adoptive parent. Judge Mason and his wife have adopted
two sons and he humorously related the joys of parenting. Judge
Mason praised the foster parents for sharing their lives and
spoke of being humbled by their commitment.
Clemmie
Walker received special recognition for 23 years of service
as a foster parent. This included a plaque, flowers, and a standing
ovation from the crowd. She is retiring from fostering and has
been a valuable caretaker for many children in St. Louis City.
We will miss her !!! We also recognized those who had been foster
parents for 20 years or more with flowers.
We were entertained with the musical talents of Phillip Hughes,
one of our foster youth. His vocal and piano talent was praised
by all in attendance. It was truly an honor to be involved in
this event.
Team Decision Making
Results
Team Decision
Making meetings (TDMs for short) are a relatively new program
of the Children's Division that started in the fall of 2003.
These meetings are held with parents whenever a decision is
made to bring a child into alternative care. These meetings
also take place whenever a child is moved from one placement
to another. In their continuing commitment to partner in the
community, the Children's Division will be presenting this table
in the newsletter showing total numbers of childrens' placements
based on these meetings.
| Category |
TDM
Totals for April 2004
|
TDM
Totals to Date (4/30/04)
|
| TDMs |
46
|
176
|
| Children
that went home |
17
|
59
|
| Children
placed |
58
|
326
|
| Families
that had children placed |
31
|
184
|
|
Where
Children Are Placed
|
| Category |
April
2004
|
To
date (4/30/04)
|
| Relatives |
29
|
110
|
| Residential |
6
|
39
|
| Foster
homes |
14
|
140
|
| Kinship |
9
|
31
|
| On
run |
0
|
4
|
| Pre-adoptive |
0
|
1
|
NCADA'S
Statewide Prevention conference "Ignite Our Spirit, Illuminate
Our Communities"
NCADA's
conference "Ignite Our Spirit, Illuminate Our Communities"
will be held at the Millennium Hotel August 5 to 8, 2004. This
is a great opportunity to educate and celebrate individuals
committed to a non-violent, drug-free lifestyle. Cosponsored
by the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, ACT Missouri, and
the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA), the
Conference will provide youth participants in middle school
and high school, school faculty and administrators, parents,
faith, and community leaders, coalitions, and law enforcement
with the highest quality prevention leadership.
Focus Groups and Educational Tracks will give participants hands-on
training according to their age and interest level. Tracks include
"Hands on Advocacy," "Prevention for Middle School
and High School," "Officers Training for Youth Groups,"
"Celebrating Diversity," "Prevention Works,"
and "Beating Addiction?Proactive Prevention of Problem
Gambling and Other Addictive Behaviors." The Conference
also will feature nationally renown keynote speakers such as
Kevin Wanzer and Dr. Peter DeBenedettis plus a Resource Fair
showcasing community successes.
The registration fee is $200 for students and adults, which
includes all educational sessions, resource materials, meals,
a t-shirt and tote bag. Lodging at the Millennium Hotel is $95.00
(including tax) per night, with up to 4 persons in a room but
hotel registrations must be made no later than July 8th through
NCADA. Contact Karen Jones at 314-962-3456, ext. 329 or e-mail
kjones@ncada-stl.org to receive a registration packet.
Next
ICA/FSTM training is Wednesday, June 23
When
and Where? 9 am to 4 pm, Family Resource Center, 3309 S.
Kingshighway, 63139
Training is free, Breakfast and lunch provided
Call SLNN at 772-0646 by June 21 for more information and to
register
(sponsored by the St. Louis Neighborhood Network)
What
Is It? The Individualized Course of Action (ICA) is a process
that carefully tailors activities to meet the unique needs of
a child and family. A Family Support Team Meeting (FS.TM) is
a planned meeting of family members, the family's personal friends
and support persons, and community service providers, who all
join together to strengthen a family and develop a safety and
care plan for their children. The Family Support Team Meeting
can be a step used during the ICA process to help secure the
family's investment in the plan or course of action.
Workgroup
Achievements
Domestic Violence
Advocates Participate in Family Support Team Meetings
Caseworkers
with families experiencing domestic violence now have more resources
to call upon when they facilitate a Family Support Team Meeting
(FSTM) to help the family develop an Individualized Course of
Action. Through the work of the Children Affected by Violence
Committee Domestic violence community advocates were trained
earlier this year is effective ways to participate in a Family
Support Team Meeting when domestic violence is an issue. Seventeen
of those trained have agreed to be place on a "call list"
of advocates willing to assist by participating in Family Support
Team Meetings, depending on scheduling and availability. Of
course, not all the advocates are available all the time, since
they all have their regular job duties to fulfill.
Domestic violence advocates can help with screening, assessment,
safety planning, resource referral, and more. Remember to schedule
the Family Support Team Meeting with as much lead time as possible
to make it easier for the advocate to fit it into her schedule.
The "call list" of advocates and their phone numbers
is provided below.
Cathy Blair,
877-2576
Ilene Bloom-Ellis, 646-7500
Elizabeth Bouravnv, 533-1313
Terri Brown, 423-1117
Lillie Dale, 772-4535
Sue Dersch, 362-9273
Joan Di Pretore, 773-2939
Mary Fox, 535-0666
Valerie Glenn, 772-4535
Sarah Godden, 771-4411
Susan Hartrich, 423-1117
Misty Hause, 993-7080
Melissa Hobbs, 772-4535
Sr. Jeanne Meurer, 645-4848
Janet Ross, 524-4130
Sandy Wilson, 535-0730
(Hotline: 535-5229)
Summer
Activities for Kids
Free Summer
Camp A
free Summer Day Camp is being provided by St. Pius and Neighborhood
Houses from June 21 to July 30...for all children ages 5 to
12.
Activities include:
· field trips
· cooking
· nutritious meals and snacks
· parade and picnic
· book club
· music and dance
· character building
· structured recreation
· cultural field trips
· academic reinforcement
· arts and crafts
· and…..fun, fun, fun!
For more information contact NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSES, Roxanne Crawford,
Program Director, 5621 Delmar Blvd. Suite 104, 314-383-1733.
You can also stop by NEW DAWN Health Foods on Arsenal just east
of Grand Avenue for a flier and application.
Carla Mae
Streeter, OP
Aquinas Institute of Theology
3642 Lindell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108-3302
streeter@slu.edu
phone: 314-977-3887
fax: 314-977-7225
SLPS
Community Education's Citywide Summer Programs
include a variety of activities at several of the CEC centers
around the city. Many of the schools are sponsoring programs
that start June 21 (usually running 6 weeks) including:
- Bevo-Long
Summer Camp ($25/child/wk, call 353-1034),
- Clay
Summer School Extended Day Camp (call 231-9249 for more information),
- Fanning
Summer Camp ($15, call 865-4894);
- Sigel
Summer Camp (call 865-5050 for schedule and more information),
Yeatman-Liddell Summer Camp (following summer academy, Free,
call 261- 8134)
You can find the full listing if summer programs on pages 24-25
of the Community Education Spring Summer brochure , which is
also on the Internet at http://www.slps.org/, click on Directory
of Services (in left column), Office of Community Education,
Links of Interest, and finally Spring/Summer 2004 Citywide Brochure.
It is also available on the city's CIN website at http://stlouis.missouri.org.
Northside
Community Center:
Summer Basketball Camp will be held at Beaumont High School
for players age 13 to 18. Camp runs June 22 to August 6 from
9 am to 1 pm for $50 per participant. All participants receive
a free T-shirt, skill instruction, awards, field trips, exciting
competition, and classes in substance abuse prevention and health
education. Spots are filling fast so call Torrey Davie at 531-4161
for questions and registration.
Comings
and Goings
Sigel and
the St. Louis Neighborhood Network bid a fond farewell to Betsy
Antolinez, former SLPS Regional Specialist at Sigel CEC
and producer of the citywide CEC program brochure. We with her
the best of luck in her at her new position at Novus International.
Leslie Mar'Na is leaving the Children's Division to work
with her husband's real estate development firm. Leslie has
coordinated the Family to Family initiative of the Children's
Division in the City of St. Louis for the past 3 ½ years.
We will miss her and we wish her well in her new endeavors.
Ron Miller, long-time partner and Council officer of
the St. Louis Neighborhood Network, has been hired by the Special
School District. He plans to return to school himself to prepare
to teach public school music.
