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OUR KIDS
July 26, 2002
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CONTACT: Dr. John Ziegler at (334) 242-3417
Fax (334) 353-3894
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We are pleased to announce a collaborative initiative to expand
services to children served by the Alabama Department of Mental
Health and Mental Retardation, the Department of Human Resources,
and the Department of Youth Services. This joint effort is titled
Our Kids to express the shared responsibility for providing the
needed services. Funding will be made available to local communities
to develop new family, school, and community based services that
will help to identify children in need of specialized services at an
earlier time and to offer interventions in the child’s natural
environments. Interventions that occur earlier are typically more
successful and less costly. Children served at this earlier juncture
are less likely to experience more severe crises later on and are
more likely to remain in their own home and their own school during
treatment and afterward.
The Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the
Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Youth Services
will each commit one million dollars to this effort. The funding was
made available through the Children First initiative. These state
funds may be used as matching funds to obtain additional funding
from other sources. Public and/or private service providers may
provide the needed services.
In order to be considered for this funding, applications must:
• Be jointly submitted by a local mental health/mental
retardation/substance abuse treatment provider and a County
Department of Human Resources, and supported by the DYS Regional
Coordinator;
• Be endorsed by the County Children’s Policy Council and Juvenile
Judge(s); and
• Have the agreement from the County Children’s Services
Facilitation Team to participate in and support the project.
These endorsements and commitments to collaborate are necessary to
successfully implement the desired services. Communities that are
interested in seeking these funds to expand local resources for
children are encouraged to bring together the appropriate parties to
secure the necessary endorsements and commitments and to reach
consensus on service needs which could be addressed through this
effort.
The three department heads hosted a meeting of interested persons in
the Archives Room in the State Capitol at 1:30 on July 22, 2002 to
discuss the project. Over 100 interested parties attended the
meeting. Applicants will be asked to submit a Letter of Intent
expressing their desire to apply for these funds. The state agencies
will provide technical assistance to prospective applicants who
evidence the support of appropriate local entities required to
successfully implement the proposed activities.
Kathy E. Sawyer, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental
Health and Mental Retardation stated, “All too often, a child is
placed in a maze of services after a crisis event has occurred. This
cooperative initiative focuses on early intervention so that a child
may receive treatment in the natural environment of their family,
school and community.”Attachment:
Fact Sheet |
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