There has been an increase in the number of families served through navigation services, compared to this time in FY 17. A Community Outreach component added to the program provided information to families who live in more remote communities. The Navigator developed a kit that contained community resources that could be distributed to families based on an immediate needs assessment. Meeting families in their own environment rather than expecting them to visit the office afforded the Navigator an opportunity to complete assessments immediately, thus an increase in the number of families being able to identify needs and resources. Families who indicated they were struggling with behavioral health issues received information on community services, transportation options and fee schedules. Additional training for the Navigator included information on assisting families with applications to public services and social security benefits. Working with children affected by parental incarceration has required attention to the trauma that children have experienced. TCYSB has introduced a new assessment tool to determine ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) to better assist children and families. Parents were encouraged to attend Parent Cafe's where they received pertinent information through the Strengthening Families Program. An extensive telephone outreach was conducted to former clients born between 1994 and 2002 to determine if youth were disconnected. This approach yielded significant results, accounting in an increase in the number of youth served. The rural nature of the county presents significant transportation issues, thus reaching out via the telephone afforded an opportunity to maintain contact. In late 2017 TCYSB worked with the Southern Maryland Leadership Team to launch a web-based resource for disconnected youth: Ready4Life-SOMD that links youth and families to community services that include housing, behavioral health and education opportunities. The analytics from this medium reveal that a number of youth are able to easily access information that links them to necessary services.

Families requested information on psycho-social-educational programs for youth who were struggling academically and emotionally. There were requests for assistance with meeting basic needs like food, shelter and utilities. The Promise Resource Center provided early childhood information to families. School supplies were provided by the NAACP, the library, and the Department of Social Services. Assistance with utility bills was provided by Lifestyles Foundation, DSS, HOPE, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and First District Catholic Aid Society. The library provided opportunities for community service hours. Tri-County Youth Services Bureau provided youth leadership development, social skills and managing emotions groups. Rental assistance was provided by Three Oaks Center, DSS, HOPE, Lifestyles, SMTCACC, and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Anxiety and depression groups were facilitated by Walden Behavioral Health, Be-Lite Horizon Medical, and DPK Counseling. When a mother reported that her daughter runs away frequently, the SMCIL (Center for Independent Living) provided resources.  Assistance with medication was provided by Lexington Park United Methodist Church, and the St. Mary's Department of Aging & Human Services. Families who were struggling to meet basic needs were assisted by DSS, Center for Family Advocacy, Ms. Zion Methodist Church, DSS, Lifestyles, HOPE, The Mission, WARM program (DSS). Families who identified employment, housing and transportation as barriers to success received assistance from Pathways, the Library, ACCESS Health, SMTCACC, Mike's Bikes, St. John's Catholic Society. Other partners who assisted included: Toys for Tots, Food pantries, Immaculate Heart of Mary. JobSource provided assistance with employment training. St. Mary's County Housing Authority provided space for a youth development program to be facilitated for children at Patuxent Woods, for children who were affected by parental incarceration. Various community churches provided space for the Parent Cafe's. 

A major contributing factor to families access to community resources is the incredible network of service providers who work collaboratively to meet families' needs. The Navigator has developed strong relationships with community partners and refers youth and families to needed services. The community outreach component has significantly increased the program's ability to meet families in their natural environment and to share much needed information on available community resources. With the rural nature of the county, it is imperative that services are sufficiently flexible to reduce the number of barriers that families encounter when they need to access services within an office setting. The implementation of the Parent Cafe's at different locations contributed to an increase in the number of parents being served. The Strengthening Families curriculum focuses on families' strength rather than on weaknesses, and provides opportunities for the development of natural networks. Families reported that the safe environment allowed them to be open about their struggles with family incarceration. Use of the telephone and mailings via USPS proved to be an effective low cost strategy for reaching out to families to determine if youth were disconnected. This served to establish trust and encouraged youth to work with the Navigator. The Ready4Life-SOMD initiative helped expand the program's reach to families, youth and service providers. Today's youth are linked to technology, and this serves as a gateway to information to opportunities. Training in Youth Mental Health First Aid served to provide staff with basic information on assisting youth with behavioral health issues.

The community outreach aspect of the program has yielded significant results in terms of reach and access to information on community resources. A team approach to this work - drawing from a range of disciplines - mental health, child care, education/literacy, health care - would provide families with additional information and services within their homes in a timely manner. Moving forward, the Outreach component will be enhanced by the addition of Youth Mentors who will be able to connect with disconnected youth at a peer level. Mentors will also increase the program's reach to many more areas in the county counteracting the negative effects of transportation. We anticipate continuing with the Parent Cafe's to provide families with a safe space for addressing issues related to incarceration.

1.  YSB will recruit 10 youth Mentors

2. There will be increase community contact and outreach

3.  The navigator will increase the number of community agencies partnerships for referrals.

Youth Intervention & Engagement is a comprehensive approach with therapeutic interventions addressing mental health needs, peer led groups to build soft skills and resiliency, case management, and psychoeducational curriculum for families. This program will be identifying the resources to address the barriers and working with the youth and/or families to use these resources to address their needs. 

The primary target for these programs are youth who are disconnected and/or come from families affected by incarceration.  Program participants are identified as being habitually truant by the school system, involved in the drug court program, the WOIA program, and targeted street outreach, e.g. places were youth congregate. The youth and families will those that are receiving services through youth serving agencies.  Additionally, the provider will be targeting recruitment on youth that might have received services from one or more program at an earlier time but now might find themselves in need of additional services because they are disconnected.