The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and the Charlottesville City Council agreed to join together to form the Commission on Children and Families (the “Commission”) in 1997 “whose sole responsibility shall be to plan, coordinate, monitor and evaluate a community wide system of children and family agencies”.  CCF was further charged to “improve services to children, youth and families, to be accountable for the efficient use of public/private resources and to be responsive to the changing needs of the community” in addition to carrying out the mandated responsibilities for managing a range of human service funding for the localities.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

3.1 Make the County a safe and healthy community in which citizens feel secure to live, work and play

DISCUSSION:

This annual report shows how the CCF has served the communities as originally charged, and has evolved to become a vital resource as an information source, advisor, coordinator, and catalyst for improved conditions for children and their families. The report highlights the achievements in fiscal year 2005 and identifies future directions.  The annual report presentation provides an opportunity for Board members to ask questions, suggest directions, and approve the policy and direction set by the Commission.

The Commission’s work is carried out by 22 board members, seven staff and over 190 work group members composed of citizens, human service and educational agency representatives, and government leaders.  During 2005, CCF’s membership, staff and independent work groups accomplished a great deal through public and private partnerships. In one year, CCF completed five major studies and calls to action – one on the needs of low-income teens for after-school involvement, another on containing Comprehensive Services Act Costs, a third encouraging quality youth service learning, a fourth on the feasibility of developing a local Child Advocacy Center, and a fifth identifying focus areas of need for investment for the localities. The resulting recommendations of all these reports are now informing and shaping the human service delivery and educational systems and improving the quality and level of local services.

Pilot efforts were initiated in four work groups, including the launch of a Seal of Quality Child Care by the Partnership for Children, development and funding of a Child Advocacy Center by the Impact of Family Violence work group, the launch of an automated information-sharing mechanism by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, and the compilation of the first Human Services Investment Portfolio by the Outcome Measurement work group.

During 2005, local Charlottesville and Albemarle County agencies used data and technical assistance provided by CCF to leverage an estimated $717,000 of grant funds during 2005 (13% increase from 2004), and grants totaling $439,230 are still pending. In addition, the CCF experienced increases in the numbers of individuals using its website (19% jump), the number of

calls and requests for technical assistance (40% jump), the media coverage of issues raised by CCF related to children and family conditions (32% increase) , and the number of participants attending CCF public education events (32% increase). During this time, members also invested in a continuous improvement project focused on the Commission itself by publishing the Case for Change at the end of the fiscal year.

As for the future, 2006 looks to be an exciting year. In 2006, CCF will continue as a strong information source and coordinator – publishing its signature documents such as Stepping Stones and the Guide to Youth Services, and coordinating service providers for effective service delivery. CCF will strengthen its advisor role by delivering prioritized recommendations to the localities through an annual meeting process and new tools for recommending strategic investments. Finally, as a catalyst, CCF members will work in partnership with the community to spark and support policies and programs that deliver measurable improvement in local residents’ quality of life.

BUDGET IMPACT:

None

RECOMMENDATIONS:

This report is presented for the Board’s information and requires no action at this time

ATTACHMENTS

Commission on Children and Families FY2005 Annual Report

Stepping Stones

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