The estimated number (strongly believed to be on the low side) of Dorchester County children with a parent incarcerated or on parole is 1,021, which is 20% of the student enrollment in our public schools.The impact of incarceration on children and families includes:family instability, reduced household income, higher rates of child welfare involvement, post traumatic effects such as hyper-vigilance, caregiver and child feelings of despair and powerlessness, poor academic outcomes, children being victims of bullying and mental health issues/involvement.

Communities with high rates of incarceration have high unemployment, increased community crime and drug problems, low incomes, high rates of public assistance participation, low educational attainment, and high rates of student drop outs, lower life expectancy and community disorganization/lack of civic engagement.

FY'21 Year-end 

Status detail for Goal #1:

The jail-version of the Parenting Inside Out (PIO) program was not offered during this reporting period.  Our program continued to be restricted from accessing the jail for groups due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Our Outreach Workers assessed level of family involvement on intake assessments and/or support plans with 44 justice involved parents during this reporting period.

Our Mental Health therapists served 19 children with a justice involved parent and held a total of 283 individual, family or group sessions during which parent-child relationship issues were addressed ongoing.  These sessions were held both in-person and via teletherapy conducted via the secure platform doxy.me.

Status detail for Goal #2:

Parenting Inside Out (PIO) – (jail version) discussed in response to Goal #1.

A Parenting Inside Out (PIO) class was held in the community from April 20 – June 15, 2021.  This class started with five (5) participants; three (3) met all requirements to receive a certificate of completion.  We began the program at the Dorchester County Health Department, but ¾ of the way through, that space was required for Covid-19 vaccination distribution. However, were able to partner with Dorchester County Parole & Probation, who provided the physical space we needed in order to finish the program.

Of the three (3) justice-involved parents who completed the PIO class;

100% had an increased score on the PIO post-test which measures parenting knowledge and attitudes.

100% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the parenting information.

66.67% reported that the quality of their relationship with their child(ren) improved and one participant re-gained custody of her children as a result of completing the class.

Participant comments were:

“I really enjoyed coming to class and being comfortable talking in class.”

“I really needed and appreciate this class.”

CFS was unable to offer our Anger Management Mindful Movements (AMMM) yoga class during this reporting period, as we were restricted from accessing the jail for groups.

Our Outreach Workers served a total of 44 justice involved clients with case management services; a total of 345 face to face or video encounters (in the jail, community or office-based settings.  In addition, 5 caregivers were supported with case management services with a total of 55 face to face/video encounters.   Eight (8) “Getting Ahead” or Life Skills group sessions were held with 20 program participants.

Status detail for Goal #3:

Mental health services were provided both in-person and via telehealth.  Yoga and mindfulness techniques were utilized coping strategies for most of the clients we served.  Case management was a regular part of working with COIPs and their families in therapy.  Several COIPs were referred for psychiatric evaluations/medication management and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) services as a case management function of treatment.  COIPs were directed to community resources for summer programming that had recently opened up in the county.

Status detail for Goal #4:

The mental health therapists continued to assist COIPs with letter writing/drawings to his/her incarcerated parent as well as facilitate phone calls as part of the treatment process. 

Due to COVID-19 programming and visitation restrictions in the jail, were we unable to provide an in-person visitation event this reporting period.

1. Modification in the implementation of the project strategy: As this project has progressed, it may have been necessary to request approval from your Program Manager to make any modifications to your grant. Please describe any changes and grant adjustments that occurred during this reporting period and discuss the factors that precipitated the changes.

A no-cost extension (NCE) will be submitted to extend the project period.  All funds have not been spent as planned due to lack of access at the Department of Corrections and staff being reassigned to assist with COVID-19 related activities. We will request to use these funds to extend programming and provide in-person services, especially at the DOC, that we were not able to provide during the bulk of the pandemic.

2. Provide a summary of significant accomplishments during this reporting period:

Connecting For Success (CFS) staff continued to provide mental health counseling, outreach and case management, and limited parenting group services during this reporting period.  Despite obstacles beyond our control, some program highlights are as follows:

Throughout the past six-month reporting period, staff regularly assisted with weekly mass testing and vaccination clinics held at our Health Department.

Our research with Dr. Hayden Smith (University of South Carolina) on Correctional Officer Wellness was approved for peer review in May 2021.

Sue Radcliffe was a panelist on two web-based trainings; first in March for the John Jay College/Henry Frank Guggenheim Symposium discussing emotional trauma’s impact on the brain as it relates to Law Enforcement Officers.  The second was as a co-presenter with DDC’s Director Hughes for a Prison Yoga Project webinar in May 2021.

Staff participated in work group sessions and on committees to include the following:

Sue Radcliffe co-authored the following articles during the past six-month reporting period:

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (July 5, 2021). Why some children who are abused by their parents still want to be with them. New Jersey Law Journal.

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (March 5th 2021). Put a new tilt on Covid-19 guilt. New York State NASW Newsletter.

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (February/March 2021). Guidelines for social workers visiting and working inside corrections facilities. Social Work Advocates.

Radcliffe, S., Pollack, D., & Scott, C. (February 22, 2021). Law enforcement officers and trauma: The next public health crisis? The Crime Report.

Pollack, D. & Radcliffe. (January 6, 2021). Getting attorneys and public mental health therapists to trust each other. Texas Lawyer.

CFS continued to collaborate with many additional community partners, including Dorchester County Parole & Probation, Dorchester County Public Schools, DDC/Re-entry & pre-trial release coordinators, DCHD Behavioral Health/Addictions, Mid Shore Pro Bono, Mid Shore Council on Family Violence, Local Housing Authority, Choptank Properties, Dorchester County Department of Social Services, Channel Marker, Inc., Mid Shore Behavioral Health Services, Healthy Families Dorchester, Salvation Army, Delmarva Transit, Marshy Hope Family Services and additional community-based mental health agencies. 

3. Provide a summary of strategic meetings and/or activities that occurred during this reporting period:

As a staff, we had regular monthly virtual team meetings to discuss services, needs and progress.  Much of the focus has been navigating the challenges of maximizing services with pandemic restrictions in place and then the transition back to regular programming as the State has “opened up” while balancing safety, as many of the clients we serve continue to be unvaccinated.

4. List any training activities your program has conducted during this reporting period:

Sue Radcliffe conducted an “Officer Wellness/Emotional Trauma” segment during Sante’s CIT training in Easton, MD on February 12, 2021.

Staff also participated in the following continuing education opportunities:

5. Are you implementing the program according to plan without any significant obstacles or delays? YES ______   NO _X_.  If no, identify any challenges or obstacles faced during this reporting period. Provide details on how these challenges are being addressed so that program goals are effectively met:

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions resulted in limited service delivery, partial closure of our offices and restricted access to the jail (DDC) for a good portion of this reporting period.  This posed a significant challenge to the “normal flow” of service delivery.  However, as the State of Maryland has been in transition with “re-opening”, so have our services.  In June we resumed jail-based “Getting Ahead While Getting Out” groups.  We will begin our next jail-based Parenting Inside Out and Anger Management Mindful Movements (AMMM) Yoga classes on July 7^th and 8^th (with limited numbers due to restrictions on pod-mixing at DDC).           

Staff continued to offer a mix of virtual and in-person counseling and case management support.  Many incarcerated/justice-involved parents continued to work on life skills, employment skills, and anger management in 1:1 sessions.   Staff also used this time to engage in educational webinars, enhance group curriculum, assist at testing and vaccination clinics, collaborate on articles and network with other programs and providers.

We are excited to know that more Correctional Officers at DDC have been vaccinated as well as some program participants.   Regular inmate visitation procedures resumed at DDC in May.  Most school staff have been vaccinated as well and Dorchester County Public Schools will be holding fully in-person summer school sessions starting in July.   The school system is also expected to begin the 2021-2022 school year completely in-person which will provide a much more seamless treatment approach for those COIPs in therapy.

6. List any training and technical assistance you have received or would like to receive:

The Program Manager, Beth Spencer, and Social Work Supervisor, Mindy Black-Kelly, participated

in monthly technical assistance calls with Erica Nelson throughout this reporting period.  We also

participated in several “Quick Chat” grantee community/SCA learning community calls.

7. What is the current unobligated balance, as reported on your FFR, for this period?  ______. Explain how you will expend your funding by the end of the project period (assuming there is no extension available):  $91,512.67     If the no-cost extension is not approved, we will work with our local Department of Corrections to determine if there are needs related to parent-child interaction (i.e. technology or physical space upgrades) and seek appropriate approvals to spend by the end of the project period.

8. Have all points of contact (POC) and financial points of contact (FPOC) listed in GMS completed the OJP Financial Management and Grant Administration Training? YES __X___   NO ______.

Status detail for Goal #1:

The jail-version of the Parenting Inside Out (PIO) program was not offered during this reporting period.  Our program continued to be restricted from accessing the jail for groups due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Our Outreach Workers assessed level of family involvement on intake assessments and/or support plans with 44 justice involved parents during this reporting period.

Our Mental Health therapists served 19 children with a justice involved parent and held a total of 283 individual, family or group sessions during which parent-child relationship issues were addressed ongoing.  These sessions were held both in-person and via teletherapy conducted via the secure platform doxy.me.

Status detail for Goal #2:

Parenting Inside Out (PIO) – (jail version) discussed in response to Goal #1.

A Parenting Inside Out (PIO) class was held in the community from April 20 – June 15, 2021.  This class started with five (5) participants; three (3) met all requirements to receive a certificate of completion.  We began the program at the Dorchester County Health Department, but ¾ of the way through, that space was required for Covid-19 vaccination distribution. However, were able to partner with Dorchester County Parole & Probation, who provided the physical space we needed in order to finish the program.

Of the three (3) justice-involved parents who completed the PIO class;

100% had an increased score on the PIO post-test which measures parenting knowledge and attitudes.

100% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the parenting information.

66.67% reported that the quality of their relationship with their child(ren) improved and one participant re-gained custody of her children as a result of completing the class.

Participant comments were:

“I really enjoyed coming to class and being comfortable talking in class.”

“I really needed and appreciate this class.”

CFS was unable to offer our Anger Management Mindful Movements (AMMM) yoga class during this reporting period, as we were restricted from accessing the jail for groups.

Our Outreach Workers served a total of 44 justice involved clients with case management services; a total of 345 face to face or video encounters (in the jail, community or office-based settings.  In addition, 5 caregivers were supported with case management services with a total of 55 face to face/video encounters.   Eight (8) “Getting Ahead” or Life Skills group sessions were held with 20 program participants.

Status detail for Goal #3:

Mental health services were provided both in-person and via telehealth.  Yoga and mindfulness techniques were utilized coping strategies for most of the clients we served.  Case management was a regular part of working with COIPs and their families in therapy.  Several COIPs were referred for psychiatric evaluations/medication management and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) services as a case management function of treatment.  COIPs were directed to community resources for summer programming that had recently opened up in the county.

Status detail for Goal #4:

The mental health therapists continued to assist COIPs with letter writing/drawings to his/her incarcerated parent as well as facilitate phone calls as part of the treatment process. 

Due to COVID-19 programming and visitation restrictions in the jail, were we unable to provide an in-person visitation event this reporting period.

1. Modification in the implementation of the project strategy: As this project has progressed, it may have been necessary to request approval from your Program Manager to make any modifications to your grant. Please describe any changes and grant adjustments that occurred during this reporting period and discuss the factors that precipitated the changes.

A no-cost extension (NCE) will be submitted to extend the project period.  All funds have not been spent as planned due to lack of access at the Department of Corrections and staff being reassigned to assist with COVID-19 related activities. We will request to use these funds to extend programming and provide in-person services, especially at the DOC, that we were not able to provide during the bulk of the pandemic.

2. Provide a summary of significant accomplishments during this reporting period:

Connecting For Success (CFS) staff continued to provide mental health counseling, outreach and case management, and limited parenting group services during this reporting period.  Despite obstacles beyond our control, some program highlights are as follows:

Throughout the past six-month reporting period, staff regularly assisted with weekly mass testing and vaccination clinics held at our Health Department.

Our research with Dr. Hayden Smith (University of South Carolina) on Correctional Officer Wellness was approved for peer review in May 2021.

Sue Radcliffe was a panelist on two web-based trainings; first in March for the John Jay College/Henry Frank Guggenheim Symposium discussing emotional trauma’s impact on the brain as it relates to Law Enforcement Officers.  The second was as a co-presenter with DDC’s Director Hughes for a Prison Yoga Project webinar in May 2021.

Staff participated in work group sessions and on committees to include the following:

Sue Radcliffe co-authored the following articles during the past six-month reporting period:

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (July 5, 2021). Why some children who are abused by their parents still want to be with them. New Jersey Law Journal.

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (March 5th 2021). Put a new tilt on Covid-19 guilt. New York State NASW Newsletter.

Radcliffe, S. & Pollack, D. (February/March 2021). Guidelines for social workers visiting and working inside corrections facilities. Social Work Advocates.

Radcliffe, S., Pollack, D., & Scott, C. (February 22, 2021). Law enforcement officers and trauma: The next public health crisis? The Crime Report.

Pollack, D. & Radcliffe. (January 6, 2021). Getting attorneys and public mental health therapists to trust each other. Texas Lawyer.

CFS continued to collaborate with many additional community partners, including Dorchester County Parole & Probation, Dorchester County Public Schools, DDC/Re-entry & pre-trial release coordinators, DCHD Behavioral Health/Addictions, Mid Shore Pro Bono, Mid Shore Council on Family Violence, Local Housing Authority, Choptank Properties, Dorchester County Department of Social Services, Channel Marker, Inc., Mid Shore Behavioral Health Services, Healthy Families Dorchester, Salvation Army, Delmarva Transit, Marshy Hope Family Services and additional community-based mental health agencies. 

3. Provide a summary of strategic meetings and/or activities that occurred during this reporting period:

As a staff, we had regular monthly virtual team meetings to discuss services, needs and progress.  Much of the focus has been navigating the challenges of maximizing services with pandemic restrictions in place and then the transition back to regular programming as the State has “opened up” while balancing safety, as many of the clients we serve continue to be unvaccinated.

4. List any training activities your program has conducted during this reporting period:

Sue Radcliffe conducted an “Officer Wellness/Emotional Trauma” segment during Sante’s CIT training in Easton, MD on February 12, 2021.

Staff also participated in the following continuing education opportunities:

5. Are you implementing the program according to plan without any significant obstacles or delays? YES ______   NO _X_.  If no, identify any challenges or obstacles faced during this reporting period. Provide details on how these challenges are being addressed so that program goals are effectively met:

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions resulted in limited service delivery, partial closure of our offices and restricted access to the jail (DDC) for a good portion of this reporting period.  This posed a significant challenge to the “normal flow” of service delivery.  However, as the State of Maryland has been in transition with “re-opening”, so have our services.  In June we resumed jail-based “Getting Ahead While Getting Out” groups.  We will begin our next jail-based Parenting Inside Out and Anger Management Mindful Movements (AMMM) Yoga classes on July 7^th and 8^th (with limited numbers due to restrictions on pod-mixing at DDC).           

Staff continued to offer a mix of virtual and in-person counseling and case management support.  Many incarcerated/justice-involved parents continued to work on life skills, employment skills, and anger management in 1:1 sessions.   Staff also used this time to engage in educational webinars, enhance group curriculum, assist at testing and vaccination clinics, collaborate on articles and network with other programs and providers.

We are excited to know that more Correctional Officers at DDC have been vaccinated as well as some program participants.   Regular inmate visitation procedures resumed at DDC in May.  Most school staff have been vaccinated as well and Dorchester County Public Schools will be holding fully in-person summer school sessions starting in July.   The school system is also expected to begin the 2021-2022 school year completely in-person which will provide a much more seamless treatment approach for those COIPs in therapy.

6. List any training and technical assistance you have received or would like to receive:

The Program Manager, Beth Spencer, and Social Work Supervisor, Mindy Black-Kelly, participated

in monthly technical assistance calls with Erica Nelson throughout this reporting period.  We also

participated in several “Quick Chat” grantee community/SCA learning community calls.

To meet this goal, we plan to:

• Develop relationships with our local Detention Center, law enforcement, Parole and Probation, public schools, Addictions Program, child serving agencies, local churches and community agencies that may play a role in achieving our goal.
• Upon referral, the child and family will be evaluated by a licensed therapist and an individualized/family plan will be developed.
• The CAFAS (Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale) will be used as an evaluation tool and as a performance measure on a bi-annual basis.
• Hire a community outreach worker to work with incarcerated and recently released parents to obtain background information and evaluate their relationships with their children.Development of the survey tool to obtain demographic and pertinent background data is underway. The “Relational Inquiry Tool” developed by Family Justice will be used to support the incarcerated parent regarding family relationships and as an introduction to participate in the Parenting Inside Out (PIO) classes.
• As incarcerated parents in this program reenter the community, we will work with parole and probation to strengthen connections to the families.This may involve supporting the recently released parent in their mental health or substance use treatment.It may be supporting them with a job search, but the biggest emphasis will be on strengthening the parental roles within the family system.Some may return directly to home where family therapy will be included.Others may be working towards establishing a relationship with the child or others in the home.Using the PIO model as we become trained and proficient will help direct these parenting skills.
• Parenting Inside Out will be a major approach offered to incarcerated parents in the county detention center, to recently released parents and to caregivers of the identified children in the program.Performance measures are built into this program.
• School-based services to children of the identified families will include individual, group and family services.A wide range of techniques will be employed based upon the needs of the children.This may include trauma-focused services, play therapy, social skills groups along with new approaches; such as Yoga Calm, that addresses the emerging science of brain development.
• Ongoing evaluation will determine the level of parent and child involvement.The goal is that all parents and caregivers involved with the child will improve their parenting skills and work together to strengthen the family and improve the family life of the children.

Connect for Success will serve a targeted population of elementary-aged children who have been impacted by an incarcerated parent, inclusive of their caregiving family members and the incarcerated parent.

Impact of Incarceration on Child, family and community

CFS have continued to build relationships within the local detention center and have learned much about the "culture" of that environment and how they can best provide a service to incarcerated parents "inside" and they transition to the "outside"  The Outreach Worker lends her expertise as a former corrections officer in helping navigate the forensic system.  Therapists continued to regularly provide counseling sessions to children and their families around the impact of incarceration and treatment of related mental health conditions. 

Two sessions of the Parenting Inside Out (PIO) Jail version were implemented.  Classes were held twice a week for one hour over a 10 week period.  Second class began with 7 participants.  Number of hours completed prior to release varies among inmates.  Inmates provided positive feedback on the PIO-J post test:  "It's good to have someone else to talk to about your kids and how to treat them and learn new ways to parent" and " I like coming to the PIO, I just have more things to work on but overall it's good".  Inmates continued to request to be invited to participate in PIO.  One of the challenges of the program is that it is a closed group. 

Director of Corrections continues to consult with CFS/PIO staff for more programming around anger management, emotional regulation and transitional services for those inmates preparing for release from incarcerations.  Program staff is collaborating with a variety of community partners and makes and receives referrals from local service providers including:  Mid Shore Mediation, Mid Shore Pro Bono, Channel Marker PRP, and Dorchester County Additions Program. 

Staff is continually looking at ways to strengthen the program by refining or developing new assessment tools, marketing materials and tracking tools.  Through the program outreach worker staff are developing more "connections" for the PIO parents and if utilized will assist in the reentry process. 

CHALLENGES:  Providing PIO in a local detention center where inmates have shore sentences or are only being held until their court date has continued to be challenge as reflected by the PIO "completion" percentage.  One adjustment that was made was in the administration of the post test.  Post test is administered to any inmate that has completed at least 50% of PIO program, while still tracking program completion.  Staff continues to work with PIO consultants to ensure that any adjustments do not  impact the fidelity of the program. 

In the last quarter the median age of the inmate was younger than in the previous group; concepts were not grasped as readily as the older participants from the previous quarter.  The younger population is more difficult to engage and pose a greater challenge in presenting the information in a manner that matches their overall learning style and literacy level.  Staff will be working with Detention Center staff to improve the screening process for PIO participants to insure that they are appropriate for the group. 

Although staff is welcomed and respected by the corrections staff, they acknowledge that their is a negative perception by some officers about "programming" for the inmates.  Some have a more traditionally "punitive" view rather than recognizing the benefits of rehabilitation.  Staff have viewed this as an opportunity to provide more education/in-service training for officers about the program and the evidenced based research that supports the program. 

FY'21 Year-end

Five (5) participated in PIO, only 3 completed the class and were eligible for the post survey measurement.

The number of parents under court supervision or recently released enrolled in CFS includes any justice involved parents who participated in PIO/AMMM only as well as those who received case management.

The Primary Material and Primary Support items on the CAFAS tool are assessed for parents/caregivers of COIPs receiving mental health treatment.

This program was created new in FY 17 and was not fully implemented until November 2016, therefore there is little data available for the report ending December 2016. All data will be available by year end.

No data was collected using the Parent Ease of Relationship tool because it is no longer available.  The acceptable measurement tool is the PIO-J (Jail) and the PIO-C (Community)

The Ease of Relationship tool was no longer available and used as a measurement tool for the PIO program.  The program is measured using the PIO-J (Jail) and the PIO-C (Community).  Staff collected data using the tool approved by the program and the additional measures have been added.