2017-18 Legislative Session

We kicked-off the 2017-2018 legislative session with a tour around the state hearing from area stakeholders and families. Kids Forward came in and presented on the 2017 KIDS COUNT data book for Wisconsin, and we also held informational hearings with the La Crosse Area Family Collaborative and the Penfield Children's Center which featured invited speakers who focus on primary prevention and serve at-risk families. Below are links to all of the referenced materials and videos from those hearings.

2018:

February 21, 2018 - The Behavior Clinic and Early Pathways Mental Health Program for Preschoolers in Poverty

Presentation Description:

The Behavior Clinic, a partnership between Penfield Children’s Center and Marquette University, was founded in 2003 to provide in-home mental health services to preschoolers with behavior and emotional problems including trauma who come from families in poverty. In addition to directly serving over 400 children in Milwaukee County each year, the clinic trains graduate students and other professionals in our treatment program, and conducts applied research. The clinic’s Early Pathways Program has been endorsed as a highly effective evidence-based treatment program by SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices, the California Clearing House, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Early Pathways Program Handout

Penfield PowerPoint Presentation

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Early Pathways Fact Sheet

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Abstract

February 7, 2018 - Early Interventions Through Innovative Collaborations: La Crosse County’s Neighborhood Based Approach

Presentation Description:

Learn how La Crosse County Human Services collaborated with community stakeholders to implement a successful preventative neighborhood-based social work program aimed at reducing entry into the child protection system. The La Crosse Area Family Collaborative (LAFC) is a partnership of local non-profits, faith organizations, schools, community stakeholders and governmental agencies. The LAFC strives to enhance the self-sufficiency of our community’s families. The model includes community social workers who are strategically located within neighborhoods. These highly experienced individuals work hand-in-hand with community leaders, teachers, clergy, police officers and other partners to identify and pro-actively engage at-risk families. They provide immediate assistance and serve as a navigator to a variety of supports that are available within the neighborhood and broader community. Their focus is on developing trusting relationships at the neighborhood level. Rather than offering help as a stranger, these workers approach children and families as a trusted neighborhood partner.