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Child Maltreatment PreventionMarion County Marion County Children’s Alliance Identifies needs, gathers resources and coordinates efforts among children’s organizations, parents, andcaregivers to ensure a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment for the children in Marion County. Back to School Bash – over 1,800 backpacks Gift of Christmas Toy Drive – served 923 children Workgroups:o Safe Kids Marion – works to reduce the number of preventable accidents to young people 17 yearsold or younger. Provided swim lessons for 80 children; 122 car seat checks and 50 children andparents participated in the annual Walk to School Day.o Family Violence Prevention- works to reduce family violence in our community by increasingawareness and providing education. Provided education, resources and emergency assistance to110 families in the amount of 15, 183.00o Generation Fit – works to reduce childhood obesity in our community. Provided Fit Kid services to 2,300 students in our extended day program and 800 children and families participated in Family FunDay.o Community Council Against Substance Abuse – works to reduce the impact of alcohol, marijuana,tobacco and other drugs on our youth. Provided drug prevention education to 550 families whoattend Red Ribbon Kick off and SADD Clubs (Students Against Destructive Decisions) has 150members.o Behavioral Health in Schools – works to identify collaborative opportunities to serve children inschools with mental health issues County, City and Misc. Activities Marion County Board of Commissioners – Human Trafficking Awareness Proclamation– January 2015 andChild Abuse Awareness Proclamation– April 2015 & Water Safety Awareness – July 2014 City of Ocala – Human Trafficking Awareness Proclamation– January 2015 Pinwheel Gardens – Marion Co. – Devereux Neighborhood Project and Paddock MallCircuit Wide – Kids Central Inc. (CBC) Primary Prevention Programming at Kids Central Kids Central believes investing in families up front, before a call to the abuse hotline, reduces the likelihoodthe children will be abused or neglected and need help later. Prevention programs include:o Neighborhood Projectso Family Team Coachingo Kinship Careo After School Fundingo Healthy Starto End Kids Tearso Resource Centero Baby Sleep Basicso Family Team Conferencing. Inmate Diversion Program at Kids Central - Kids Central continued its partnership with Lowell CorrectionalInstitution and Munroe Regional Medical Center in Marion County to divert children born to inmateskeeping them out of foster care. Lowell identifies expectant inmates and a Kids Central Family PreservationSpecialist assists the mother with identifying temporary or permanent caregivers available to safely care forCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 4

Child Maltreatment Preventionthe infant. From July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 there were 168 documented visits with the inmates.There were 74 women who received services during the time period. Of the 90 babies born, 64 weresuccessfully diverted. There were six inmates released prior to their scheduled delivery. There were 12infants sheltered and two born stillborn. Diversion Evidenced Based Programming funded by Kids Central, Inc. As a key component of Family Preservation, Kids Central utilizes internal and contracted diversion programsto divert families from the formal child welfare system. This community approach allows Kids Central and itspartners to put family support services in place without separating the family. A total of 1,701 cases werediverted to contracted and community-based service providers for the 2013-14 fiscal year. During 2013-14Kids Central implemented three evidenced-based programs:o Nurturing Parenting Programo Family Behavior Therapyo Family Connections ando Parenting Journey will be implemented during August 2014.Nurturing Parent Program - The Nurturing Parenting Program began accepting referrals through Circuit 5'sCommunity-Based Staffing process as of July 2013. This was a new evidenced-based in home parentingprogram. Initially the program only accepted referrals from Child Protective Investigators for cases deemedlow risk. During the course of the year, the program began accepting referrals for intermediate risk familiesand from Kinship Care and Dependency case managers through Kids Central's Utilization ManagementDepartment.99% of the Nuturing Parent cases which have closed successfully showing an increase in at least two of thefive constructs on the AAPI assessment tool and 100% of the successful closures occuring within the 120 dayprogram guideline.Parenting Journey will enhance the quality of care for families in our community facing challenges relating tothe occurrence of abuse, neglect and abandonment of their children which brought them to the attention ofthe child welfare system. The program helps parents explore the connection between how they wereparented and how they are raising their own children. The Parenting Journey helps parents identify negativepatterns and replace them with healthy, strength-based parenting approaches.Dependency: Parenting Journey will primarily serve unsafe families receiving formal case managementservices whose children are in out of home placements. The program structure calls for twelve (12) weeks of two (2) hours per week, group-based parentingskill building.Its emphasis is on adult development and the parent as a person.Focuses on identifying and building on a parent’s strengths.The program develops emotional skills critical to healthy parenting.Parents gain insight into the connections between their parents’ behavior and their own behavior asparents.Program Goals: Strengthen and educate parents exhibiting risks of abuse, neglect and abandonment oftheir children by providing a group-based approach to working with parents to reduce parent isolation,building healthy social connections, fostering parent resilience, providing a model for creating a strong familyfoundation, improving parenting skills, and providing healthy social and emotional support. A total of 1,701 cases were diverted to contracted and community-based service providers for the 2013-14fiscal year. Each of the identified cases was diverted to at least one diversionary service. The diversion offamilies from the dependency system relies on community-based services that offer timely, appropriate andflexible services that ensure the safety of the child within the family’s home. The following diversion servicesCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 5

Child Maltreatment Preventionare offered by Kids Central’s contracted providers to prevent children from being removed from their homeafter a call was received at the Florida abuse hotline:1. Family Group Decision Making - Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) is an effective model ofpractice which addresses the needs and incorporates the strengths of families in relation to childsafety, permanency and wellbeing. The FGDM approach considers family strengths, familyengagement, and informed family decision-making as core values when working with children andfamilies. FGDM empowers families to take an active and leadership role in developing plans andmaking decisions to promote the safety, permanency, and wellbeing of their children. The FGDMservice models are considered best practice approaches to serving the needs of families who are atrisk of entering the child welfare system. Utilizing a model that supports family involvement over theentire course of the case, as opposed to a one-time event, truly demonstrates actualization of afamily-centered, empowerment-focused paradigm. Findings: Total families referred to FGDM this fiscal year for all maltreatments was two hundredtwenty-six (226). Fidelity to the FGDM Model was at 91% as of March 2014. 100% of participants completing FGDM would recommend the process to anotherfamily 100% of participants report satisfaction with the process There was no recidivism for cases closed successfully to FGDM within 6 months. FGDM has had a 85% successful engagement rate and a 72% successful closure rate withcases receiving facilitation and coordination this fiscal year.2. Family Connections: Wraparound services continue to receive a great deal of attention, but I oftenexplain Family Connections (FC) as wraparound on steroids. FC is a multi-faceted, community-basedservice program that works with families in their homes and in the context of their neighborhoods.FC offers linkage and referral, case management, in-home intervention, and service plans using anevidenced-based family assessment. The goal of FC is to help these families meet the basic needs oftheir children and reduce the risk of child neglect. Nine practice principles guide FC interventions:community outreach; individualized family assessment; tailored interventions; helping alliance;empowerment approaches; strengths perspective; cultural competence; developmentalappropriateness; and outcome-driven service plans. Individualized family intervention is geared toincrease protective factors, decrease risk factors, and target child safety and wellbeing outcomes. FCis based on several core components including: Extensive outreach and engagementEmergency and concrete service provisionUtilization of a comprehensive family assessmentDevelopment of outcome-driven service plansChange focused interventionsAdvocacy/service facilitationMulti-family activitiesService plan evaluation3. Family Behavior Therapy (FBT): FBT is an evidence-based practice model for the treatment ofsubstance abuse. Kids Central is working closely with the model developer to institute FBT. It hasdemonstrated effectiveness in achieving outcomes related to drug and alcohol use, depression,family relationship problems, employment and/or school problems, and conduct disordersymptoms. The California Evidenced-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare rated the program“High” for child welfare system relevance. FBT includes up to 20 intensive treatment sessions andlasts 4 – 6 months. A single therapist usually implements FBT in the home, or when substance abuseis severe and children are involved two therapists provide the intervention. One therapist assumesCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 6

Child Maltreatment Preventionprimary responsibility with the adults and the other treats the children. The child-focusedtreatments are designed to increase the reinforcement value of children, thereby decreasing theirrisk of child neglect and increasing the desire of parents to spend more time in activities with thechildren. Several positive parenting treatments are included to teach parents how to differentiallyreinforce desired behaviors and manage noncompliant behaviors.Desired Population Level Results1. Child Maltreatment Prevention – By June 30, 2015, the verified findings of child abuse rate will be reducedfrom the State Fiscal Year 2008 – 2009 statewide rate of 10.94 per 1,000 children.Child Maltreatment 17.1316.0411.6615.0116.407.77Circuit Rate17.3516.9815.8418.3217.0212.25State Target10.9410.9410.9410.9410.9410.94State Rate10.9412.0612.5113.2312.2711.42*The current Five-Year Prevention and Permanency Plan started on July 1, 2010.Child Maltreatment Ratesper 1,000 ResultCitrusHernandoLakeMarionSumterCircuit 5 RateState TargetCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 7

Child Maltreatment PreventionStatus of Strategies and ObjectivesStrategy 1: By June 30, 2015, Circuit 5 will have a network of neighborhood focused prevention efforts with the purposeof strengthening families, promoting the development of protective factors and addressing the comprehensive needs offamilies, especially those that research has demonstrated increase the risk of maltreatment.ObjectiveObjective 1.1 To continue to developand expand the neighborhoodproject model in Circuit 5.Objective 1.2 To increase parentaland community protective factors topositively impact the well being ofchildren.Neighborhood ProjectsStatusKids Central hastaken over themanagement andoversight of theNeighborhoodProjects as of July12, 2014.Kids Central isworking on othermodels to impactthe communitySummary/Action NeededKids Central is working on aligning projects to haveoutcomes tied to child welfare permanency, safety, andwell-being. Kids Central is working on loweringincidence of domestic violence and substance abuse in 4projects. This will be accomplished through educationand employment of residence in the neighborhood.They will expand their vision once projects are aligned.Kids Central is in the beginning phases of restructuringprevious neighborhood project.Kids Central is transitioning the Neighborhood Projects from Devereux to Kids Central in July 2014. Project specifichighlights for the Neighborhood Projects funded by Kids Central and managed by Devereux in 2013-2014 include: The West Ocala Resource Center implemented a women's support group that has been very successful. LIFE (LadiesInspiring Feminine Empowerment) Support was developed for women, in hopes to foster an environment conduciveto change. The women are actively involved in community activities and educational programs that restore andstrengthen their lives from the inner spirit to the confident woman by addressing social conditions, emotionalbarriers, financial hurdles and skill deficiencies that hinder progression in one’s life journey.Crystal River Neighborhood Project facilitated with the Children's Alliance an "Open Your Heart" event in Novemberat the Crystal River Mall to build awareness of foster care and adoption, as well as provide information oncommunity resources.In Spring Hill in January 2014 reported that the neighborhood residents continue to organize activities amongthemselves to support the mission of Devereux and the community to keep parents informed and children safe. TheFamily Night Fundraiser is completely being organized by residents and will hopefully be successful so that thecommittees can purchase family night crafts to share fun ideas to involve parents with their children.Strategy 2: Circuit 5 will support the statewide efforts to increase the availability and capacity of Healthy Families Floridato provide home visitation for families at high risk of abuse and neglect and in need of parenting education and supportover the five-year period from July 2010 – June 2015.ObjectiveStatusSummary/Action NeededObjective 2.1 Continue, enhanceOngoingHealthy Families exist in all 5 counties of Circuit 5. Healthyand expand Healthy FamiliesFamilies is promoting the Who’s Watching Your ChildFlorida.campaign and published a ching child.pdfCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 8

Child Maltreatment PreventionStrategy 3: By June 30, 2015, Circuit 5 will have year-round events, public education opportunities and campaigns tobuild awareness of child well being, positive parenting and civic responsibility to ensure the well being of all children.ObjectiveStatusSummary/Action NeededObjective 3.1 Ensure high level of Kids Central has the year roundKids Central is going to hold meeting in eachawareness of Pinwheels forEnd the Tears Campaign. The End county to coordinate Child Abuse PreventionPrevention Campaign.the Tears Campaign can bemonth and ongoing campaign. The meetingsaccessed via website or Facewill be held in an effort to not duplicatebook.services or events and to increase ourcollective impact of prevention in Circuit 5.This will take place in January of 2014.Objective 3.2 Increase knowledge Kids Central has a contract withNeighborhood Projects will collaborate withof child development, positiveDevereux Kids for two parentingexisting parent programs within theparenting and disciplineprograms. In addition, thecommunity. Internally, Kids Central offerstechniques to members in ourNeighborhood Projects will overparenting in-home to Healthy Start Clients incommunity.ongoing training.Lake County for eligible clients. In addition,Kids Central contracts with Devereux Kids toprovide evidenced based parenting programscalled Nurturing Parent and ParentingJourney.Objective 3.3 Increase knowledge Kids Central’s business plan goalKids Central will utilize their Board ofof community supports and social is to increase the number ofDirectors and other partners to increase ourconnections.partnerships in the community.mission of Protecting Children, SupportingFamilies and Engaging Families. Kids Centralcontinues to partner with the variouscommunity alliances in Circuit 5.Objective 3.4 Increase publicperception that child abuse andneglect can be prevented beforeit ever occurs.Kids Central utilizes social media,media, community presentations,and collaborative partnershipsfor child abuse awareness. Inaddition, Kids Central offers anumber of programs to preventchild abuse before it happenssuch as after school funding,neighborhood projects, kinship,and safe sleeping program.Kids Central will continue working on publicawareness through social media, media,community presentations and collaborationswith partners.Kids Central will continue their focus onpreventing abuse before it happens throughspecific prevention programming.Strategy 4: By June 30, 2015, Circuit 5 will continue to build upon and provide a variety of support services to improveaccess to resources, keep families stable and support young parents and relative caregivers in times of need.ObjectiveStatusSummary/Action NeededObjective 4.1 To enhance earlyKids Central provides assistance to theSince 2008, the Baby Sleepchildhood prevention services toELC’s throughout Circuit 5 to assist withBasics Program is offered tobuild upon strengths and improvechildcare.families that reside in Marion,resiliency of young parents andLake, Sumter, Citrus oryoung children.Kids Central also holds the contract forHernando counties. ThroughHealthy Start in Lake County.this program families are able toreceive SIDS and safe sleepKids Central employs two educationaleducation for their children thatliaisons who assist with educationalare under one year of age; ifoutcomes of children in prevention,income requirements are metCircuit 5 – Florida’s Five Year Prevention and Permanency Plan: SFY 2013 – 2014 ReportPage 9

Child Maltreatment PreventionObjectiveStatusdiversion, and dependency system.Kids Central Baby Sleep Basics providedsafe sleeping education and pack-n-playsto almost 300 people in Circuit 5.Summary/Action Neededthe family may qualify for a freecrib. Educational sessions areprovided once monthly in eachof the counties, or as needed ona case by case basis.Objective 4.2 To continue to supportand expand services to relativecaregivers.Kids Central has the only program of itskind in the state of Florida focusing onrelative caregivers providing supportgroups, case management, resource anddirection, legal services, family finding,and Kids Central provides support groupsin all five counties to kinship families onan ongoing basis.KCI provides: monthly support groupswith free childcare, educati

Published Lake County Community Resource Guide in English and Spanish; monthly - 11,129 visits to website Publish monthly newsletter- distributed throughout county - between 500 to 800 monthly Taught Social Problems Class at Lake-Sumter State College every semester