progrpt

		Children’s Home Society of West Virginia 2002-2003 Program Report

		The Programs of the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia are directed at enhancing family life, preserving and strengthening families, protecting children from abuse and neglect, providing shelter care and foster care for children, and finding homes for children who are free for adoption. Funds for these services come from contributions, program service fees, grants, purchase of service contracts with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and Medicaid fees. During fiscal year 2002-03, more than 6,887 children and their families benefited from agency services. Many of the service descriptions below have a link to participant experiences. Please click the link provided to read them.
	Adoption
		The agency’s Adoption Program provides services to children, birth parents, and adoptive parents. The program includes home studies, foster care, counseling, child placement, post-adoptive services and services to adult adoptees. The program is operated from offices in Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Princeton. The Adoption program expanded to the Martinsburg area during 2002-2003. During the year the Adoption Program completed 16 agency home studies and 20 court ordered home studies, and placed 22 children in adoptive homes. Adoption-related services were provided to 167 individuals. Program Participant Experience
	Adoption Resource Center
		The West Virginia Adoption Resource Center promotes adoption, advocates for the adoption of special needs children, provides services to adoptees and/or their families and operates both an adoption library and an information/referral service of adoption related services. During the year, the Adoption Resource Center provided post-adoption services to 63 persons and assisted in 11 reunions. Program Participant Experience
	Birth to Three
		The Society provides coordination for eligible infants and toddlers to age three at risk of developmental delay and to their families: helping them access needed services to promote the child’s development as well as to support the ability of the family to address the special needs of their child. During the year, 53 families received services. Program Participant Experience
	Catamount Day Care Center
		The Catamount Day Care Center in Keyser, with a capacity of 34 children, is a joint project between Potomac State College and the Society to provide quality day care for college staff and students as well as the community at large. Additionally, the Center provides a practical learning setting for early childhood education students at Potomac State. During the year, 65 children form 48 families have received service. The Society is considering a day care program expansion to include two-year old children. Program Participant Experience
	Child Advocacy Centers
		Opened in January, 2003, the Tri-County Child Advocacy Centers in Braxton, Nicholas and Webster Counties serve victims of sexual abuse or severe child neglect/abuse. The centers provide a non-threatening environment designed to minimize trauma to the child during the forensic interview process. 35 children were served during the first six months of operation.
	Children First ~ Children in the Middle
		Through agreements with local county court systems, the Society provides parenting education services to parents involved in divorce in Braxton, Fayette, Logan, Marion, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers, Webster and Wyoming Counties. These programs provide divorcing parents the opportunity to learn about and discuss the effects of divorce and the changing family situation has on children. By helping parents learn to communicate effectively with each other and focus on the best interests of the child, the impact of divorce can be mitigated. During the year, 1,448 parents took part in parenting education classes. Program Participant Experience
	Community Based Services
		The interventions provided by Community Based Services are flexible and are created to meet the needs of the client. Programs provided are time-limited and consist of: In-Home Treatment Services providing Clinical Evaluation, Treatment Planning, Supportive Individual Counseling and Targeted Case Management Services to children under 18 years of age. The services with the exception of Targeted Case Management are available to adults. Family Options Initiative (FOI) providing parenting instruction, budgeting, life skills, instruction and case management services to West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources clients. Fee for Service (FFS) providing services such as transportation, parenting education, life skills/support, peer support, case supervision, individual/family counseling and assessment to families. During the year, 275 clients received 28,417 days of service from Raleigh County, Lewisburg, Morgantown, Princeton and Martinsburg offices.
	Family Preservation Grant
		Funded through a grant with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, the Family Preservation Grant provided social casework in 18 counties including Berkeley, Braxton, Fayette, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Jefferson, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Preston, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers, Webster and Wyoming Counties. The Family Preservation team provides services to families which ensure safety to the child(ren) and support to the family. During the year, 255 families with 570 children received service. Program Participant Experience
	Family Visitation and Reunification Program
		The Family Visitation and Reunification Program in Nicholas, McDowell, Wyoming, Braxton, Webster and Mercer Counties provided supervised visitation, case management and monthly visitation reports for children and families referred by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Visits are individually tailored to meed the needs of the children as well as the parents or grandparents involved. During the year, 133 families participated in 1,984 supervised visits and benefited from 13,928 hours of staff supervision. Program Participant Experience
	Foster Care Services
		Foster Care provides a treatment environment for troubled children within the private homes of trained families. The approach combines the normalizing influence of family-based care with specialized treatment interventions, creating a therapeutic environment within the context of a supportive family home. During the year, the Society’s Foster Care Program has trained 13 foster families who have provided 7,532 service days to 33 children. We celebrate several of our foster homes converting to adoptive homes during this year. This process decreased our number of foster homes. However, we have added several new foster homes and have many more in the training process. Program Participant Experience
	Mediation Services
		The Mediation Program provides an informal, non-adversarial process by a credentialed, impartial mediator to aid parents with minor children who are divorced or are divorcing or unmarried parents who cannot resolve their parenting issues. The mediation process aims to minimize the harmful affects of family discord on children and to resolve disputes through voluntary mutual agreement. The Mediation Program operates in Mercer and Raleigh Counties and is funded by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia using TANF dollars. Program Participant Experience
	Neighborhood Social Work Program
		Since 1998, the Parkersburg Office has operated a series of neighborhood-based prevention and youth development services utilizing a variety of grants and serving 45 youth this year. The focus of the program is delinquency prevention, youth development and response to emergent child and fa,ily needs currently represented by the Med-Town Tinkers, a youth-based computer recycling project, that served 20 youth this year. Program Participant Experience
	Right From the Start
		This targeted case management service is provided to high-risk birth mothers and high-risk infants to meet their medical, economic and social needs. The service is provided through offices in Charleston, Piney View, Huntington, Lewisburg, Martinsburg, Northfork and Webster Springs. During the year, 102 women and 99 infants received services.
	Shelter Care
		The Children’s Home Society of West Virginia operates ten shelters providing short-term and emergency care for youth in crisis. The program is designed to accomplish two basic purposes: to meet the child’s emergent need for residential care in a safe, supportive setting and to provide a period of time for the Department of Health and Human Resources and shelter staff to assess the child’s needs and develop the most suitable plan for continued care and protection. During the 2002-2003 fiscal year, the shelter program provided 27,507 days of residential care and comprehensive social services to 1,086 children. The average length of stay was 25.3 days. Most youth served were in need of emergency shelter care due to abuse and neglect in their own homes, family conflicts or delinquency. Program Participant Experience Davis Child Shelter The Davis Child Shelter is a 10-bed facility in Charleston. During the year, the shelter provided 3,377 days of care to 150 children. Paul Miller Home The Paul Miller Home is a 10-bed facility located in Northfork. During the year, the shelter provided 2,602days of care to 100 children. Romney Shelter The Romney Shelter is an 10-bed facility. During the year, the shelter provided 2,467 days of care to 101 children. Martinsburg Shelter The Martinsburg Shelter is an 8-bed facility. During the year, the shelter provided 2,402 days of care to 80 children. Cherry Hill Shelter The Cherry Hill Shelter is an 8-bed facility located in Daniels (near Beckley). During the year, the shelter provided 2,325 days of care to 107 children. Huntington Shelter The Huntington Shelter was a 10-bed facility. During the year, the shelters provided 3,743 days of care to 157 children. A new 15-bed facility opened this summer in Ona, WV. Arthur N. Gustke Shelter The Arthur N. Gustke Shelter is an 8-bed facility located in Parkersburg. During the year, the shelter provided 2,400 days of care to 82 children. A new shleter facility is under development in Parkersburg and is expected to open in December, 2003. Lewisburg Shelter The Lewisburg Shelter is an 8-bed facility. During the year, the shelter provided 2,906 days of care to 92 children. June Montgomery Harless Children’s Home The Harless Shelter is a 10-bed facility in Holden . During the year, the shelter provided 3,027 days of care to 125 children. Kathleen and John Faltis Children’s Shelter The Faltis Shelter is a 10-bed facility in Muddlety (near Summersville). During the year, the shelter provided 3,213 days of care to 127 children.
	Truancy Diversion Services
		The Truancy Diversion Social Work Program provided services to students and their families in Wood County. These students range in age from 12 to 15 and are experiencing truancy problems at VanDevender Junior High School. The school provides a referral to the Truancy Diversion Social Worker who works with the student and family to develop an individualized plan. The social worker also assesses the student and family to determine need, links the student/family with appropriate programs and services and facilitates communication. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources funds the program. This program served 178 children and their families from January 15, 2003 through June 30, 2003. Efforts to reestablish this program continue throughout the state. Program Participant Experience
	WE CAN Volunteer Program
		The WE CAN Volunteer Program recruits, trains and makes volunteers available to Child Protective Services (CPS) workers to: augment services provided by CPS workers, provide direct services to children and parents, and involve the community in CPS efforts. The geographic area served by the Volunteer Program includes Berkeley, Logan, Mercer, and Greenbrier Counties. During the year, 207 children benefitted from 27,669 hours of volunteer time from 124 volunteers. Program Participant Experience
	Youth Services
		The Youth Services Program, funded through a grant from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, provides services to children and youth whose inappropriate behavior problems necessitate immediate intervention to prevent the child’s formal involvement with the Juvenile Justice and/or child welfare systems. The program benefits from the partnership of Elkins Mountain School, Burlington United Methodist Family Services, Inc. and the Society, all members of the Alliance for Children. During the year, the Society has provided services to 645 children and youth in Berkeley, Cabell, Greenbrier, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Morgan, McDowell, Pocahontas, Wayne and Wyoming Counties. Program Participant Experience
	Training and Development
		The Society provides excellent opportunities for staff development and maintenance of professional credentials through orientation, in-service training, tuition assistance, participation in external professional conferences and seminars, and continuing education opportunities for social workers and counselors through agency-sponsored regional and statewide trainings. Last year, more than 300 agency employees received 29,868 hours of training. An additional 550 staff from other agencies received 4,950 hours of training. The agency sponsored its eighth major statewide conference, “Values and Visions.” The agency is pleased to participate in a collaborative effort to plan statewide trainings with the West Virginia Child Care Association, the Alliance for Children and the Children’s Justice Task Force.

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