HFY1 - 2023:

The Family Navigator is actively involved with monthly LCT meetings, Mid-Shore Peer Workgroup, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) Workgroup, Expressive Therapy Workgroup, Safety Net meetings, Healthy Families Advisory Board meetings, and the Children's Council. Family Navigation offers coffee socials, which had gone inactive during the height of the recent pandemic, but now is regaining its popularity. The Navigator has attended the following trainings: Gambling disorder and co-occuring disorders; Marijuana: what families need to know about marijuana; Understanding trauma; Health during and after incarceration; I Don't Need Help: Supporting people who can't see their mental illness; Celebrating the caregiver; Lessons from the field - partners in prevention: Engaging the secondary school community to prevent gender-based violence. Outreach was done to: Community Mentoring, Achievement Mentoring, Centreville Elementary School, Make a Difference Day, SECAC, Bayside Elementary School, Kent Island Elementary School, Kent Island High School, Matapeake Middle School, Matapeake Elementary School, Kennard Elementary School, QAC High School, and Centreville Middle School.

Case Vignette: The Family Peer Support Specialist (FPSS) has been supporting Stacy Jones (names have been changed to protect family privacy) for 7 months. Stacy is the mother to Travis, age 16. The youth’s father has a history of incarceration and is not in the youth’s life. Stacy was also previously incarcerated. Stacy is his sole caregiver and didn’t have any natural support. Stacy came to Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) through Juvenile Services for assistance finding local resources, helping her with organization and keeping appointments, as well as assistance connecting to mental health services and financial assistance.

Travis experiences mental health and behavioral challenges. Travis often refuses to follow instructions and refuses to go to school. Travis is failing all his classes and has been expelled from school. Stacey wants to withdraw Travis from school, so the FPSS researched accredited homeschooling programs as an alternative.  

The FPSS assisted Stacy in finding a therapist, and psychiatrist for Travis, and by connecting with Wraparound MD, Mobile Crisis, and Queen Anne’s County Housing Authority. FPSS assisted Stacy with food bank resources and a landlord list. The family was in need of food resources and housing. The caregiver was being evicted from her home FPSS was able to secure funding to help pay back rent. That allowed Stacy and her family to remain in the home. Stacy’s had issues with her car. Stacy was not in the financial position to take care of it. FPSS was able to help find funding to pay what Stacy was unable to pay. FPSS also connected Stacy to the energy assistance program.    

The FPSS has worked hard to earn and maintain Stacy’s trust and continues to provide emotional support to Tiffany while helping her with stress management and self-care.

1st Half of Fiscal Year 19: Set up meetings with the following to recruit more of the targeted popultion: case managers at the detention centers, Department of Juvenile Services and Parole and Probation.

Family Navigation, a MD Coalition of Families sponsored program, uses a case management approach. Family Navigation builds on existing resources by connecting families with greatest needs to local or regional resources.  Families are guided by a navigator, someone who has used the system for their own family, and progress is monitored along the way.  The navigator provides encouragement and support and is available to intervene if parents/guardians are challenged by inaccessible or confusing resources.

Family Navigation is a multi-generational approach aimed to serve children 0-18 years of age and their parents. Family Navigation fits within the priority area of reducing the impact of incarceration on families and children.

HFY1 2023:

How Much:

As of December 31, 2022, Family Navigation has served 18 eligible families, or 72% of the targeted range of 25.

One participant has successfully completed Active Parenting Training for the first half of the year. Plans are in place to hold a group training, so hopefully more families will be able to benefit from this training.

How Well:

Although 18 families have been served to date, only 9 families have met the 6-month time period for the Empowerment Survey. Of those 9 families, 100% have completed the survey.

HFY1 2022:

How Much: 

As of December 31, 2021, Family Navigation has served 12 eligible families, or 48% of the targeted range of 25.

In the past, we were measuring participants completing 66% (attending 4 out of the 6 sessions) of active parenting classes. However, the Family Navigator was discouraged by the attendance, and could never seem to meet the goal of 66% completion rate. We discussed this measure and it was determined that since the Navigator has been trained in the Active Parenting model, she could provide one-on-one trainings when meeting with the participants individually. This has been working out much better for the program. 3 participants during the first half of FY2022 have successfully completed the training.

How Well:

The number of families who maintain their relationship with the Family Navigator for 3 months or more shows an ongoing committment.