From the Children's Advisory Commission FAQ's Handbook

How did the Children’s Advisory Commission begin?
What is the mission of the Children’s Advisory Commission?
What are the purposes of Children’s Advisory Commission?
Who supervises the Children’s Advisory Commission?
How is the Children’s Advisory Commission funded?
How does the Children’s Advisory Commission spend its money?

What groups and program does the Children’s Advisory Commission support?
How does the Children’s Advisory Commission solicit community backing for its programs and events?
Does the CAC advertise its activities?
How does the Children’s Advisory Commission improve outcomes for Indiana County children?
How does the Children’s Advisory Commission track and analyze data for outcomes?

What will my role be with the Children’s Advisory Commission?
How will my membership benefit the Children’s Advisory Commission?
How will membership on the Children’s Advisory Commission benefit me, and the organization I represent?
How can I be sure my voice will be heard and my ideas will be considered by the Children's Advisory Commission leaders?
What Children’s Advisory Commission information should I relay to the organization I represent?
What networking possibilities does the Children’s Advisory Commission offer?

INTRODUCTION

Greetings! Welcome to the Children’s Advisory Commission of Indiana County! This Handbook has been developed to assist with your orientation to the CAC’s history, it’s present goals, and it’s vision for the future. As you will discover, much adventurous hard work has gone into this collaborative organization, which has involved a group of members who are committed to the cause of healthy child and family development.

While this Handbook will provide you with some simple background information, it cannot adequately relay the importance of this group, or the relationship among its members. Those things you will find out through your involvement here. Please know that we hold your association in the CAC in high priority. We want to help you fulfill your purpose here. The Handbook is arranged in a question and answer format. Some of the questions asked by newcomers to the CAC are answered below. As you will see, there have been a number of questions members have asked throughout the Commission’s development and organizing process. That same opportunity is officially extended to you. If you have any questions, comments, ideas, or suggestions, please feel free to contact the CAC Executive Committee members at (724) 465-3894, or the CAC Program Coordinator at (724) 463-9200. We wish you the best as you grow with us.

SECTION ONE

The first section of the Handbook describes the Commission’s formal organizing processes, and briefly explains the Commission’s funding procedures.

How did the Children’s Advisory Commission begin?

A small group of individuals met in 1994 to discuss a method of pulling together schools, human services, and other community representatives. This group of people met with the Indiana County Commissioners to ask for their support in developing this organization. The Commissioners invited representatives from all schools and major human service funders to a meeting at the Courthouse in July of the same year. After agreeing to join together, a committee was formed to develop the structure, and the Commissioners appointed members to the Children’s Advisory Commission (CAC) in December.

The first task of the CAC was to write a proposal for funding through the PA Department of Public Welfare’s Family Services System Reform (FSSR). The first grant was a planning grant, and included monies for mini-grants. The members of the CAC decided to develop a Family Center in Indiana County, and visited Family Centers in neighboring counties for ideas. Other activities that occurred during 1995 included

v site sponsorship of a state children’s teleconference

v publication of a children’s services booklet

v interagency training’s on children’s services.

By 1996, bylaws were written for the twenty-five-member commission. The first Stand for Children event was held and the commission received a third grant through FSSR, which was used to fund the Family Center and home visitation programs.

The Family Center opened in Regency Mall in the fall of 1997. Members of the CAC provided oversight for the Family Center and for the Home Visitation Program. Members also held community meetings, attended Together We Can trainings, and sponsored the second Stand for Children event.

In 1998, the Commission submitted a proposal to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) for a three-year grant that would allow for the development of the Communities That Care (CTC) program.

Skill building workshops were offered at the Family Center, a community meeting with Dr. John VanDenBerg was held, and Stand for Children again received sponsorship in 1999.

Communities That Care instituted the Born to Learn Program in the year 2000, and sponsored the first Baby Fair at the Family Center. Another three-year grant was submitted, with the request made to FSSR to continue the operation of the Family Center and the Home Visitation program.

In 2001, the Bylaws were revised to expand the CAC to its present 41 members. The Commission held a retreat in February where it was decided that the Commission could function more efficiently through some streamlining. As a result, the CAC decided to reorganize its structure, its mission, its purposes, and its goals. The CAC also simplified its standing committees and its procedures for forming ad hoc committees and work groups.

In June of 2001, the Family Center closed. However, ARIN Intermediate Unit 28 absorbed the Home Visitation Program. An application to PCCD was approved for an America’s Promise grant, to fund the position of a Coordinator and to complete a comprehensive, countywide needs assessment. Through Memorandums of Understanding, the CAC began acting as an umbrella for other programs, projects, and organizations, such as the Child Care Resource Development group. Communities That Care received a grant for a Caring Homes project, and published directories of parents in the Indiana School district who supervised safe home settings for children and adolescents.

What is the mission of the Children’s Advisory Commission?

There is no better place to turn for the answer to this question than to the Commission’s Bylaws, which state, “The members and organizations represented on the CAC seek to improve the outcomes for children, adolescents, and their families in Indiana County.”

What are the purposes of Children’s Advisory Commission?

The purposes of the CAC are to

v develop and enhance communications and collaboration among schools, social services, juvenile justice system, religious organizations, and the community

v identify needs of children and their families in order to implement services

v leverage resources to support these services

v to examine and evaluate the services.

Who supervises the Children’s Advisory Commission?

The Indiana County Commissioners appoint members to the CAC, and oversee all of the Commission’s legal functions. As such, the commissioners sanction each new and ongoing initiative or project that comes under the CAC umbrella. The Indiana County Commissioners review, agree on, and sign contracts with grantees, other funders, and service organizations.

How is the Children’s Advisory Commission funded?

The Children’s Advisory Commission is not a legal entity, but an advisory body or authority. The Commission is responsible for directing the activities and funding for services to children who reside in Indiana County on behalf of the County Commissioners.

The Children’s Advisory Commission’s Coordinator is paid from funds the commission oversees, including America’s Promise and Family Services Systems Reform (FSSR). Beyond the programs under its umbrella, other CAC activities are paid for from a “Fundraising Account,” administered by the office of Children and Youth of Indiana County. These monies accumulated from past rentals and fundraisers (i.e., the sale of lapel pins and cookie cutters, and workshop fees).

How does the Children’s Advisory Commission spend its money?

The entire membership of the Children’s Advisory Commission is responsible for deciding how grant money and fundraising account money is spent. Usually an organization submits a proposal to the Executive Committee of the CAC, who reviews the project for the linkage of the project to the CAC’s mission and purpose. The Executive Committee will then notify the proposing organization, which will then present a project description and budget to the members for consideration. If the members of the CAC and the grantor approve the project, the proposing organization will then complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) describing the project’s activities and costs, and indicating the relationship between the CAC and funded program. The MOU is reviewed by the Executive Committee and then presented to the full board for approval.

SECTION TWO

This section will describe the current programs that are supported by, funded through, and supervised under the CAC. Section Two will also give you some understanding of the CAC’s procedures for rallying community backing for its events and projects. Finally, this section will explain the benefits of its projects for Indiana County families.

America’s Promise supports the CAC coordinator’s position, and receives funding through the Governor’s Community Partnership for Safe Children and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. This initiative links America’s Promise with Communities that Care by conducting community-wide needs assessments that will lead to the development of projects for CTC and AP. Indiana County children, families, and human service agencies are served through AP endeavors.

Funded through the Department of Public Welfare, the CCRD consultant analyzes childcare needs in Indiana County, and plans grants to meet some of these needs. The consultant uses standard research methods, such as surveys, interviews, or focus groups, to determine community needs. The CCRD projects links persons involved in child development, including parents, teachers, and other service providers in the common goal of developing future funding strategies for childcare in Indiana County.

CTC is funded by Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and serves children in the Indiana County School District and interested community members. The CTC’s primary goal is to reduce juvenile delinquency and risk-taking behavior in youth. CTC employs a community mobilizer who implements various programs in schools throughout the academic year. CTC funds the Born to Learn program, which employs one instructor who offers classes and home visits to expectant parents and parents of infants and toddlers.

The Family Focus Program serves Indiana County children, ages birth to five years, and their parents. The program is funded through the Family Services Systems Reform (FSSR) grant, and the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund. Family service specialists that offer home visits based on the Parents as Teachers (PAT) curriculum. Additional parent education and child development classes and activities are offered throughout the communi ty. The FFP currently serves approximately 45 Indiana County families.

As the newest project supported by the CAC, the PCHP provides instruction to parents and children ages 18 months to three years in specific rural Indiana County townships. Home visits are designed to optimize parenting skills, school readiness, and school success. PCHP receives support through the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, and employs program coordinator and home visit specialists.

The CAC is an umbrella organization, not an agency. Though it does not use direct marketing or advertisement for its activities and projects, the CAC does use various media opportunities to promote its activities. Grant sponsored projects supported by the CAC—such as Communities That Care, America’s Promise, and the Family Focus Program—notify the community of its activities though local newspapers and project newsletters.

The Children’s Advisory Commission is an organization that determines the needs of families and children in Indiana County, and attempts to meet these needs through collaborative human service programs. By working together, member agencies impact families in creative and innovative ways. The efforts of the CAC and its supported programs eliminate gaps and overlaps in services for Indiana County families. Through collaboration, CAC member agencies strive for quality services for community members, and can be prepared to act with efficiency in emergency or crisis situations. The CAC also provides a forum through which human services and education professionals can discuss broad-based family and child needs. Here again, the commitment to collaboration embraced by the CAC allows for composite views of needs, as well as holistic and comprehensive methods for lessening trauma and increasing support. By acting as a source of financial support for small projects, employees of these projects are released from the fund raising duty, leaving them with more hours for direct client contact.

The CAC uses the Family Access Management System (FAMS) to track client and organizational data. Developed by the Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc., FAMS is a computerized client tracking and case management system. Case managers can quickly see which agencies and programs their clients are using. FAMS makes referrals to appropriate agencies, designing client service plans, and providing clients the services they need much more efficient.

v Ability to track clients, households and family members with automated linking

The Indiana County Department of Human Services houses the main server for FAMS, and provides the FAMS software and technical assistance to agencies that wish to use the system.

SECTION THREE

Section Three will answer questions concerning your role as a member of the Children’s Advisory Commission.

What will my role be with the Children’s Advisory Commission?

As a member of the CAC, you will have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for children in Indiana County by participating in the following ways:

At the larger meetings, members learn about the work of all of the committees, as well as the work of the various projects overseen by the Commission. In addition, they vote to approve or disapprove committee and project recommendations. Because the CAC is responsible for the actions of the projects it oversees, members nee to be fully informed about these projects. They should pay careful attention to project reports and ask question about anything that is not clear to them.

Much of the real work of the CAC occurs outside of the monthly group meetings. Members may join one of the standing committees: Policy, Planning, or Finance. In addition, each member should become involved in one or more of the working groups that function as subcommittees of the standing committees. The work of these groups is more specialized than the work of the committees and may include activities such as identifying community needs, writing grant proposals or lobbying for children’s services.

After serving on the CAC for a while and coming to understand its mission and operations, members may seek to be elected as officers of the Committee, which conducts the business of the Commission between meetings and sets the agenda for the monthly meetings.

The CAC is composed of a diverse group of members, including representatives of human service agencies, school districts, IUP, and other community organizations, as well as parents and other community representatives. As a representative of your organization or community, your voice is important. Everyone has a unique perspective on the needs of children in Indiana County, and the strength of the CAC is in the diversity of perspectives it represents. Moreover, advocating for children is hard work. Members are needed to help with activities such as grant writing, staffing tables at community events such as Stand for Children and helping to evaluate CAC projects. Each member has a unique set of skills to contribute, whether it is knowledge of the community, the ability to work with people, the ability to write well or analyze data, or simply, the time and interest to identify needs or locate resources.

The CAC is a large entity with a total of 41 members. The size of the CAC may hinder input from every member at meetings. However, the CAC has several ways for members to make a positive impact on the operation of the CAC. First of all, the CAC currently functions through several standing committees, including the Executive Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Policy Committee, and the Budget and Finance Committee. The CAC also forms various work groups that attend to project needs as they arise. Since most of the work is accomplished through these committees and work groups, members are encouraged to contribute through one them. Member’s voices are heard though the work done by these teams.

Second, every member of the CAC holds a voting position. Members can express views, make suggestions, clarify objections, and dispense information through the formal voting processes at the CAC meetings.

Third, members can offer to represent the CAC at various civic or community events. The CAC places informational tables at community fairs and other events, and always needs volunteers to assist at these events. Members may also offer to make formal presentations at area schools, governmental agencies, and human service conferences, along with other awareness-raising opportunities that frequently arise.

Finally, CAC members are always encouraged to discuss CAC activities at social functions. It is every member’s privilege to bring knowledge of the CAC to the Indiana community.

v Meet others in the community who share your concern about the well being of children.

The information you relay depends—to some degree—on the goals of your group or organization. Grant supported programs of the CAC give a report at each meeting. Often they describe upcoming programs or services that they will be providing to children. That information may be relevant to the children and families served by your agency or organization. Also, at the end of each CAC meeting, members share information about upcoming events or services sponsored or provided by their agencies. This information might also be relevant to your organization. You might also want to share the information about funding sources or collaboration opportunities for grant development that sometimes are announced at CAC meetings.

Because of diverse membership representation, the CAC provides substantial opportunities to learn about services for children, adolescents, and their families. A wide range of networking opportunities exists, from just hearing about a new program being offered by an agency, to collaboration in grant development. However, since CAC meetings take place only once each month, members must take the initiative to follow up with contacts outside of the usual meetings times.