DHS NEWS May 2016
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“We have been able to speak to decision makers about both recruitment and training for foster parents for adolescents, and regarding issues affecting foster families.... I feel like I have a front row seat to watch our tax dollars working as they are supposed to.” Sara Bennet, Foster Parent Advisory Board Member, from “Board’s work boosts current, prospective foster parents”
Board’s work boosts current, prospective foster parents A Foster Parent Advisory Board established by the Department of Human Services (DHS) is supporting not only current foster parents but helping in DHS’s work to encourage more adults to become foster parents for teens. Under the facilitation of veteran foster parent Hank Lipinski, Director of Development/Supervisor of Allegheny Family Network (AFN), the 14-member board has been providing input to DHS about foster parenting and support to current and prospective foster parents.
The Department of Human Services marks Foster Care Month every year. Foster care provides the individual attention to behavioral and physical health needs that can help children and teens thrive.
Specifically, the board has been helping with DHS’s Foster Goodness campaign to recruit new foster families, giving input to the marketing firm, Blender Inc. of Shadyside, about content, and it has assisted in a survey about foster care services distributed to all Allegheny County foster parents. The board has also sponsored foster care information and appreciation events and gave input to a foster care handbook that is under development. Hank said it has been impressive watching how the Foster Parent Advisory Board has channeled decades of foster care experience to support the parents who are helping teens. Board members come from established foster care providers, including Three Rivers Adoption Council, Project STAR, Wesley Spectrum, Pressley Ridge, Auberle, Mon Yough Community Services and Every Child Inc. Foster Parent Advisory Board member Bridgette Jodon is among those who leaped at the chance to help other foster parents. As a special education teacher and foster parent who also adopted two children, volunteering for the board offered “the perfect opportunity to serve and hopefully, make a positive change for not only the children but those who serve our children,” she said. “Seeing a group of passionate people come together for the common good of children is inspiring.” Sara Bennett, another foster parent who is a board member, said she welcomes the voice the board gives to foster parents. “We have been able to speak to decision makers about both recruitment and training for foster parents for adolescents, and regarding issues affecting foster families in broader contexts. The professionals we have been working with have been wonderful. I feel like I have a front row seat to watch our tax dollars working as they are supposed to to make a better situation for these children and families,” Sara said.
DHS established AFN to support and partner with families raising children with emotional and mental health needs. AFN contracts with DHS and Community Care Behavioral Health to provide programming, serving about 350 families a month, including about 50 foster families. The Foster Parent Advisory Board and the Foster Goodness campaign are both part of DHS’s participation in a $1.5 million federal Diligent Recruitment grant to increase capacity in the foster care system and to improve supports to children and families. As part of the grant, AFN also has provided two foster family support partners for families who are fostering adolescents. In the board’s first year of operation, the support partners assisted 107 foster families. The partners have assisted families at court hearings; made referrals to therapists; assisted at school conferences and with applications for programs such as school lunches; and provided families with lists of services that are available for foster children.
Former foster youth serving on National Foster Youth and Alumni Policy Council A former foster youth and participant in the Department of Human Service’s Independent Living Initiative (ILI) is one of 20 youths nationwide who are serving on the National Foster Youth and Alumni Policy Council. Nico’Lee Rohac recently returned from meeting with other members of the council and Rafael Lopez, U.S. Commissioner of the Administration of Children, Youth and Families. Also attending the meeting was Chereese Phillips, Diversity Officer with the DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF), who is coadministrator of the council. Above, Nico’Lee, right, Nico’lee said meeting and Chereese at a Commissioner Lopez was an meeting of the National invaluable Foster Youth and Alumni experience and fit May is Council. Left, Nico’Lee her desire to bring National with Rafael Lopez, U.S. the needs of former Foster Care Commissioner of the foster youth to Month Administration of policymakers. Children, Youth and “He hears what we have to say,” Families. Nico’Lee said of her meeting. “The commissioner was very honest with us and very approachable. I really respect that he was willing to acknowledge that there are some areas that need to be improved in our child welfare system on a national level.” The council also met with policymakers from the American Association of Pediatrics, and representatives of the nonprofits Youth Villages, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth. Topics discussed included reducing barriers to public and private housing for former foster youth; savings programs; congregant care, specifically needs for LGBTQ youth; and rights related to birth control. Nico’Lee was supported in part by ILI while attending Washington & Jefferson College, where she earned a degree in psychology. She interned with ILI and the Allegheny Link and received her Master’s in social work from the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. She currently is an outpatient therapist for Three Rivers Adoption Council. Her participation in the National Foster Youth and Alumni Council came about during
and impromptu visit with JoAnn Hannah, ILI Manager. She expressed to JoAnn that she wanted to be an advocate for foster youth. JoAnn knew that Chereese had been seeking to nominate someone from Allegheny County, and so she recommended Nico’Lee. Nico’Lee will serve 18 months on the council, which meets via phone conference and in person every six months. She is excited to be able to tap her knowledge base to help foster youth. Council members are not lobbyists but they do get to meet with those who develop policy and inform them as they do their work. “I am in a position to use my voice,” she said, adding that she is particularly keen to ensure that foster youth know what supports and opportunities exist for them. “If you haven’t gone through the foster care system, it’s hard to understand. I’ve met a lot of really great people in being on the foster council.” The National Foster Youth & Alumni Policy Council, in partnership with Foster Care Alumni of America and FosterClub, is supported by Casey Family Programs. Advisory organizations include the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Foster Care to Success, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, and Foster Youth In Action.
Third ‘Stand Together’ class is the largest group to participate The Stand Together program sponsored by the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) concluded May 6, with more than 150 students from seven schools attending a celebration at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District. The students presented the projects they developed during “Stand Together” to promote dialogue about mental illness and substance use, reduce stigma toward peers and encourage youth with behavioral health challenges to seek help before problems become severe. In its third year, “Stand Together” involved its largest number of students since its inception in 2013. The program came about under the guidance of a workgroup organized by OBH. School officials, representatives of OBH, program funder Staunton Farm Foundation, Community Care Behavioral Health and people recovering from mental illness were among the attendees at this year’s celebration. Michael Gruber, Systems Transformation Coordinator in OBH, emceed the event. He and OBH Deputy Director Denise Macerelli praised the students for their creative work and dedication to “Stand Together,” noting that they will have had impact.
Above, from left, Glenn Ford, junior; adviser Lauren Rowe; Jaquayla Jenkins-Lawson, senior; and Jessica Halbleib, senior, participated in “Stand Together” at West Mifflin Area High School. They hold their recognition plaque and the 2015 Educator Award the 2015 Stand Together Team received from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Pittsburgh chapter. Below, Steel Valley High School students’ encouraged peers to take “Selfies with a Stranger.” frame.
“Someone, somewhere, sometime will have their journey lessened because of what you have done with ‘Stand Together,’” Denise told the students. Participating school districts were Propel Braddock Hills High School; West Mifflin Area High and Middle Schools; Brentwood High School; Arsenal Middle School; and Steel Valley Middle and High Schools. Before they undertook projects funded with mini-grants from Staunton Farm, “Stand Together” participants attended trainings, conducted by Stand Together Coordinator, Holly Turkovic, to explore meanings and myths about mental illness and substance use.
Afterward, students distributed literature, offered peers the chance to take “Selfies with a Stranger” as ice breakers, and decorated classroom doors and lockers with the message that one out of four people will experience a mental illness or know someone with it. They held dances and “Break the Silence Days,” engaged social media to spread the anti-stigma message and had staff and students sign an antistigma pledge. Some attended “Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art” at the Society for Contemporary Craft in the Strip District, an exhibit that had been supported in part by OBH. The students also raised thousands of dollars with dances, races and bake sales to benefit nonprofits, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Sojourner House, which provides recovery services to mothers and their children. “We can certainly end stigma with all the enthusiasm you have demonstrated,” Mike told this year’s participants in concluding remarks. All told, nearly 400 students in Allegheny County schools have participated in “Stand Together” over its three-year existence. Plans are underway for another year, with the hope of expanding the number of participating schools.
Recycled bottle caps become mural at Urban Pathways K-5 Thousands of colorful bottle caps donated by Department of Human Services staff to a drive initiated by AmeriCorps KEYS Service Corps are now part of a large artwork at Urban Pathways Charter School K-5 in the Downtown Cultural District. KEYS member Keisha West, who works with the school’s kindergartners, hit upon the idea for the mural while planning her service project for KEYS. Bottle cap artwork hit the mark. “I wanted to do something that everyone would appreciate and makes them feel good, and that has a strong meaning for the children,” Keisha said.
Above, AmeriCorps KEYS member Keisha West, left, and Urban Pathways K-5 art teacher Jessi Mitchell with the mural made of donated bottle caps. The mural is on display in the school’s front window. Right, a close up of the artwork.
The project began with drawings that the kindergartners had made prior to working on the mural. Using the drawings as inspiration, art teacher Jessi Mitchell sketched out a final design on a piece of plywood and the students, with Jessi and Keisha’s assistance, colored the sketch to use as a guide while gluing. Meanwhile, thousands of bottle caps were pouring to collection sites. Not only did DHS staff at the Human Services Building, Downtown, and at regional offices make a large contribution, but Kenneth Lee, manager of Sneaker Villa, Downtown, collected caps at his store. He had worked with a KEYS service project on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Homewood YMCA and learned about the bottle cap drive. Staff and students at Urban Pathways also chipped in. “I was given bottle caps everywhere,” Keisha said. The mural also incorporates lids from jars. Another KEYS member, Kevin Nguyen, who serves at Urban Pathways Charter School 6-12, named the artwork “Reaching for the Sky,” noting the piece has literal and symbolic interpretations. Not only are its flowers and the rocket projecting upward, but they might inspire students to know that “the sky is the limit and your options are limitless. With enough effort, you can do just about anything,” Kevin said.
Emily McMahon, an art teacher at the 6-12 school who supervises KEYS members at both schools and who served with KEYS at Urban Pathways, said the mural also imparts the important message of recycling. “The kids right now are talking about recycling as part of their curriculum, so they have an example in their own lives,� Jessi added. The mural was posted in the sidewalk-level window of the school on Penn Avenue, where visitors to the Downtown Gallery Crawl on April 22 could view it. It remains in the window for now but will eventually have a permanent home in the school.
Computer security and privacy tips: Mobile devices In conjunction with the Office of Administrative and Information Management Systems (AIMS), the DHS News is offering tips for using your computer safely and securely. DHS employees and contracted personnel are required to adhere to laws and regulations regarding confidentiality and Protected Health Information (PHI). These tips are designed to enhance knowledge on avoiding use that could compromise data. If you have additional questions, contact the DHS Service Desk at 412-350-4357, option 2.
Keeping mobile devices secure Your mobile devices make it easy to connect to the world but they can also divulge a lot of information about you and your friends and family, such as your contacts, photos, videos, location and health and financial data. For DHS employees and contracted personnel, who are required by law to protect the personal information of consumers, it is especially important to ensure that any mobile device that is used in their work is secured. Regard personal information like money – value it and protect it. If you practice “Stop-Think-Connect” when you use your mobile devices you stand a greater chance of protection. STOP: Make sure security measures are in place…THINK: About the consequences of your actions and behaviors online…then CONNECT and enjoy your devices with more peace of mind.
Here are some measures that you can take to improve mobile security: • Secure your devices: Use strong passwords, passcodes or touch ID features to lock your devices. These security measures can help protect your information if your devices are lost or stolen and keep prying eyes out. Always be in physical possession of your devices and carefully handle them in public places and do not share your devices with others. • Think before you app: Be thoughtful about who gets information about you – your contacts list, where you shop, your location – and how it’s collected through apps. Limit the installation of unsigned thirdparty applications to prevent the bad actors from requisitioning control of your devices.
• Limit Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use: Some stores and other locations look for devices with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections turned on to track your movements while you are within range. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use. • Get savvy about Free Wi-Fi hotspots: Public wireless networks and hotspots may not be secure, which means that potentially, your mobile network traffic may be intercepted or monitored. Limit your public Wi-Fi mobile usage and avoid accessing sensitive email and financial services. Consider using a virtual private network (VPN) or a personal/mobile hotspot for a more secure connection on the go. • Keep your mobile phone and apps up to date: Your mobile devices are just as vulnerable as your desktop or laptop computers. Having the most up-to-date vendor software updates, security software, and apps is a good defense against viruses, malware and other online threats. • Delete when done: Many of us download apps for specific purposes, such as planning a vacation, and no longer need them afterward, or we may have previously downloaded apps that are no longer useful or interesting to us. It’s a good security practice to delete all apps you no longer use. • Report lost/stolen devices promptly: DHS requires county and contracted employees to promptly report county-issued lost or stolen mobile devices to their supervisors. See more at staysafeonline.org.
Kudos: Pat Valentine
Pat Valentine with the engraved clock she received as the first AFN Champions Award winner, named in her honor. With her is Ruth Fox, Executive Director of Allegheny Family Network.
Kudos goes to Pat Valentine, Executive Deputy Director for Integrated Program Services. Allegheny Family Network (AFN) has named an award after her, in recognition of the work she has done as an advocate for families. That work helped in the formation of AFN. Pat recently was surprised with the first Patricia L. Valentine Champions Award, to be given annually, while making remarks at the 2016 AFN Expo. She received an engraved clock. Members of many families who participated in and supported the DHS System of Care as far back as 1998 reviewed a timeline of her work while placing flowers in one of three vases to represent the progression of the system of care leading to the establishment of AFN and to honor Pat.