Carroll County Results for Child Well-Being
This scorecard tracks the county-level results and indicators for Carroll County.
Story Behind the Curve
Strategies to improve these indicators
Why Is This Important?
Story Behind the Curve
Carroll County has a graduation rate that exceeds 95%. Opportunity youth make up a very small portion of our population and are typically difficult to locate and engage. This population can be seen in part in community college students who begin classes but drop out due to lack of transportation or support. Many of our opportunity youth are also parenting and lacking support. Untreated mental health issues and substance use disorder also contribute to the disconnection.
Strategies to improve these indicators
Providing intensive case management with one on one servcies will help to keep youth engaged and also assess the barriers that are keeping youth out of the workforce or higher education. The clinical case managers will insure youth are not only inquiring about services but will accompany youth to appointments, and provide warm hand offs to existing services. A council including workforce development, DSS, the community college and outpatient mental health services will meet regularly to discuss each youth that is participating and also those that are referred to the program.
Why Is This Important?
Too often youth are left to navigate systems on their own, and often fail to follow through with referrals and appointments. Providing youth with intensive and consistent case management, as well as coordinated services will help keep youth engaged and avoid duplication or missed services. Youth will also be able to obtain on demand metnal health and substance abuse services when they need it the most, rather than be waited listed for intakes and services and then failing to engage.
Story Behind the Curve
Strategies to improve these indicators
Why Is This Important?
Story Behind the Curve
Carroll County's juvenile serious non-violent arrests have been on a downward trend since 2006. Factors attributed to this success date back to LMB strategic planning beginning in 2005 and an ongoing commitment to proved evidence-based services for families with school-age youth in Carroll County. In this way, services would reach younger children and their parents before issues lead to costly deep-end services. Addressing family issues (parental over or under-involvement, lack of adult supervision, poor communication, poor bonding, negativity, reasonable consequences for behavior) has been shown to decrease risky or acting-out behavior in youths. Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) was selected because it has shown to be effective with elementary, middle and high school students, and is both a prevention and intervention model. It successfully reduces problem behaviors in children and strengthens their families.
The Local Access Mechanism (LAM) provides easy access to information and service and improved coordination and utilization of existing services through a two-pronged approach: Family Navigators (legacy parents of children with special needs) field phone calls and provide parents with immediate, up-to-date information and referrals. These navigators are trained in active listening and can quickly determine callers' needs. In addition, that initial phone call provides a single point of access for families needing more intensive services.
Strategies to improve these indicators
Brief Strategic Family Therapy
LAM- SPA & Family Navigators - Get Connected Family Resource Center
Why Is This Important?
Safety is paramount to the well-being of children, families and communities. In the absence of safety, we see its effects in abuse, neglect, juvenile delinquency, low educational attainment, unemployment, substance abuse, crime and homelessness.
Carroll County is focusing on juvenile delinquency and the indicators of juvenile offenders start on average at age 7, much earlier than the average age of first court contact for Crime Index offenses, which is age 14.5 (US Department of Justice-OJJDP). The Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency, research teams at the State University of New York at Albany , University of Colorado, and University of Pittsburgh found the following: the development of delinquent behavior by boys generally takes place in an orderly, predictable fashion, with less serious problems preceding more serious problem behaviors. Therefore, it is better to intervene with younger children at the beginning of these problem behaviors. The children more at risk include those that are predisposed to mental health problems, low academic achievement, substance use, poverty, and problematic family-functioning. This includes parents/caregivers who are over or under-involved with their children, lack rules and consequences for behavior, are inconsistent, have poor family communication, cohesiveness and bonding. To change a child, we must change a family dynamic.
When juvenile problems are overlooked or not addressed, communities pay a high price-monetarily and otherwise. The cost of detention and out-of-home placement (average=$240.99/per day/per youth) is expensive and does not necessarily improve public safety. (Justice Policy Institute)
Program Summary
BSFT is an evidence based treatment (SAMHSA and OJJDP.) Brief Strategic Family Therapy is a therapeutic program with an overall goal of improving the problematic family relationships that contribute to problem behaviors of youth who without the BSFT intervention will remain on a trajectory of becoming disconnected from either school or employment. BSFT is effective in reaching the overall goal through developing effective means of problem solving, increasing appropriate communication, and solidifying hierarchial family roles.
Target Population
Youth age 6-17 exhibiting acting-act like behaviors and their family members residing in Carroll County.
Promising Practice/Model/EBP Employed
BSFT is rated Exemplary 2 from Strengthening America's Families, are effective program by OJJDP and Effective Communities that Care and is in review by SAMSHA and Blueprints for Violence Prevention. CCYSB clinicians are certified in BSFT and maintain high fidelity to the model.
Story Behind the Curve
Strategies to improve these indicators
Why Is This Important?
Data Discussion
Story Behind the Curve
The Carroll County Local Management Board has long been focusing attention on school readiness and in 2007 established a county-wide, inter-agency Parents-as-Teachers (PAT) Initiative. In 2008 mental health consultation and training were fully integrated into PAT. In 2013, 96% of Carroll County kindergartners were fully ready for school. Beginning in 2014, focus was directed on subgroups that did not achieve 90% or more, low income, children with disabilities and English-language learners.
Strategies to improve these indicators
Parents-as-Teachers
Brief Strategic Family Therapy
Why Is This Important?
A child's experiences in the initial years of life heavily influence growth, development, school and work achievement. Social-emotional skills including communication, cooperation and cognitive skills are the basis for school readiness. Factors that influence a child's skill development are profoundly influenced by their relationship with parents and primary caregivers. These relationships can protect a child from harm, or place a child at risk for harm. Since the parent-child relationship is crucial for healthy development, it makes sense to support parents as their child's first teacher. Implementing Parents-as-Teachers is a major strategy for promoting school readiness in Carroll County.
Data Discussion
Story Behind the Curve
Strategies to improve these indicators
Why Is This Important?
Data Discussion
Story Behind the Curve
Strategies to improve these indicators
Why Is This Important?
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