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CABARRUs COUNTY , , Departmentp. o.°[ o. S°cial66s Services Concord, North Carolina 28026,0668 Telephone: (?0,1) 786-'/141 James F. Cook, Jr. Dimetor May 10, 1988 RD: Mr. Jams Lentz, Chairman of The Pt~xcaentv Cc~Mssinners FIJI: ~' Jim Couk, Social Services Direclor x~, ~/~ _~_.. SUBJECT: lk~e-Based Services Progr. am for Yent~ ~ For the past few ~eks ~ Imve been consulting with the Division of Yonth Servtces of the North Carolina Dixrinion of Yenth Services b~q ouraging counties throughout the state to use soam of the al/onated commn~ty based alternatives funds in dsve/oping heine-breed programs to serve de/inqusnt end undisciplined youth and their families. Recently our interest in developing a family based services progrzm received the support of the C~akarrus County Conmm~ty Based Alternatives Task Force. That group considered our plans for such a program and endorsed our applying for state fimding. Our plus for tbe program lnvelve htt~hag of a sOcial mrker, who %~rks with youth who are ~xhlbiting delinquent and undisciplined behaviors and with their famillas, k% ~xmld apply for state funding of th~s fuJ/-time Peslt~on. No county fending %x~dd be J~-Wolved for the cost of the pesifion. Shonld state fesdtng for the poslt~on becc~e umaveilab!e, we *x~dd cancel the program. Office space for the worker ~,tld be arranged at the DeF~artment of Scclal Services building on Cabarrtm Avenue. The target population to be served by this pregr~m %~ald be those youth ages [0-17 adjud~ented delinquent end/or undiscipl/ned and yond~ at risk. Referrals to the program could be nmde by District Court Judges, Juvenile Court C~mseJors, Parents/Caretakers~ esd School Persormel. The overall goal of the program is to help keep families together M~Je assisting identified 5~uth in changing thalr delinquent and pre-delinquent l~kmrlors. ~he program seeks to help parents mzd_ntain ~ysical and legal custody of their children and to avoid placement of youth in fester care or group care. The Divlsion of Youth Services standards for the program state that the hc~e-tx%sed concept aasmms that the family should be the primary osretaker of its children and tlmt children need permanency in their family ralat~onsh~ps for healt}~; develounent' To th/s end the social w~rker ~rn~ld be counseling intensively with the famil/es in the home on a frequent basis about parest~ng sk~J/s, fzm~ly relationships, end use of other c(mmrdty resota'ces. T~ proposal t/mt ~ have suhnitted to the Commnity Based Alternatives Task Force requests $28,253.00 of C~ Funds. 'lhose funds ~amuld cover the cost of a full-time social ~rker for the program, as ~1l as the provlsien of the Wilderness Challenge Progrom which in the past has been operated by the Cabarcus Ommty ~heol system. The school system and the task force have been extremely supportive of our agency's developing and mmmging these t*a) programs. l~'ith the approwal of the Board of County Comniss~oners. %~ ~uld Jtke to apply for state f~ueding for these prograns. No such services current ~dst in the county f~r famLlies expelJenCing these .types of prob~as. !~e feel that a Hrm~-Based Services Program could be a .valuable crmmadty set.ce to help keep famt/Ses together for as long as possible while trying to prevent youth frcm beccraing further ~nvolved with law enforcement and the court system. Thank you.