CHINS REFORM PASSES 
    

CHINS stands for Children in Need of Service, or should I say, STOOD for. Great news -- just before the clock expired on the current legislative session , the Legislature passed the CHINS reform bill (H.4330). The CHINS System was outdated and badly in need of reform, to make services more available, accessible and relevant to the needs of truant, runaway, and troubled youths in Massachusetts. Burdened by reliance on an overloaded court system and badly underfunded, almost everyone, parents, teachers, child welfare professionals and advocates agreed that CHINS was no longer effectively serving the youths it was designed for. The final bill was called "FACES, for Families and Children Engaged in Services" but the  new services will be known as Children Receiving Assistance (CRA) replacing the old CHINS system with many important provisions, including:

• Parents must now be given a voice in all proceedings;
• Every school must have a certified truancy program;
• There must be means for coordination and engagement between parents and schools;
• A second community-based front door to access services must be piloted and up and running within 3 years.

These new provisions will help more than 8,000 youth a year receive the assistance they need to return to a full, healthy and productive life. I have been honored to be asked to serve on the taskforce that will implement the new law. I am looking forward to the challenge and to the important work ahead.

My congratulations to everyone who worked on this important bill, you made CHINS reform happen.  Your e-mails, calls and visits to legislators had a huge impact.  Thank you for raising your voice for children in Massachusetts.  You were heard loud and clear. 

Getting Real About Family Voice and Choice  

In September's newsletter, we reported on the Worker Safety Training  Program provided  throughout Massachusetts by Family Continuity funded by the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA). We were pleased to have trained over 500 workers state-wide, and received a great deal of positive feedback from participants and the organizations they work for. Last week, we received the best news of all, and that was that the DIA has funded the training for another year. Normally only one year grants are made, however the DIA, pleased with our results, agreed that the need continued and decided to provide a second year of funding.

Starting in October, and through June, 2013, the agency will once again offer basic, and advanced safety training to human service workers and agencies throughout Massachusetts, and will add sessions devoted to training trainers in each agency to assure that new staff continue to have access to this resource.

For information on how you or your agency can participate, please contact Elena Marchand at emarchand@familycontinuity.org

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The Whitinsville Clinic, in conjunction with UMass, receives funding to
pilot trauma services at local courts...

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded UMass Medical School a two year National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative - Category III, Community Treatment and Services Center grant, which aims to provide trauma treatment and services in communities for children, adolescents and their families who experience or witness traumatic events.  As a subcontractor to the new UMass grant, Family Continuity will receive $37,000.00 over two years.
 

For many years, Family Continuity, through its Whitinsville Clinic has been providing these triage services for Milford Court. The Clinic will be able to expand this work to Worcester Juvenile, Dudley Juvenile, and Milford Juvenile courts as well, and expand its services specifically geared toward trauma, including consultation, trauma assessment, and referrals for the juvenile courts as it relates to trauma. Funds will provide staff trained in Trauma to be a liaison to the courts, and will position us to continue to provide the services after the two year grant funding has ended. Congratulations to the Whitinsville staff as they undertake this new and important work!