THE MIAMI COALITION 2014 RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT BRIEF ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF PREVENTION FUNDING IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

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1 INTRODUCTION: There is a robust array of public and private funding resources that impact child wellbeing and positive outcomes for children in Miami-Dade County. Together these resources represent a complex weave of support and opportunity for children and families. The Miami Coalition is conducting a resource assessment and gap analysis (RAGA) as part of a community needs assessment and comprehensive community action plan (CCAP) to address children s substance abuse prevention in Miami-Dade County. This assessment is part of the CCAP planning process that is guided by the SAMHSA best practice Strategic Prevention Framework. It is being conducted on behalf of the South Florida Behavioral Health Network (SFBHN) to guide strategic investment of their resources. SFBHN is a part of the funding framework for children s substance abuse prevention in Miami-Dade County. For this purpose prevention is defined broadly as those services contributing to child well-being and positive outcomes for children. This resource assessment attempts to provide an overview of the dimension of prevention resources available. It does not attempt to be all inclusive but rather to be representative of the variety of resources, mostly public, that flow into prevention. These resources when taken together provide a picture of resource allocation and potentially point to resource gaps. Looking across the spectrum of resources it begs the question as to how these resources are coordinated to make the greatest impact and provide a solid foundation for positive child outcomes for children in Miami-Dade County. Positive child outcomes are nurtured from the time of pre-natal care until a child transitions to adulthood. Elements impacting positive child outcomes include: nutrition and health; family support resources; providing positive and child nurturing environments during the 0-5 years; providing opportunities for positive child development for elementary school age children; and providing opportunities for positive youth development for secondary age children and adolescents. This assessment includes a broad array of services and resources that support a continuum of healthy child development including services offered by Healthy Start Coalition and the Early Learning Coalition. Science has demonstrated the critical role of ages 0-5 in overall human development. Prevention resources include those that flow through education, delinquency, child welfare, substance abuse and health related systems. This list is not meant to be exhaustive but to capture the majority of primary resources. We are still pending results from the Miami-Dade County School Board. This environmental scan does not include federal funding allocated directly to local enterprise or private sector funding (other than United Way and the Health Foundation of South Florida). In addition, there are many neighborhood, civic, foundation and faith-based resources contributing to the overall availability of support for children and families. This environmental scan reveals that major dollars are available for prevention in Miami-Dade County. It is not our purpose to call into question the sufficiency of funding but rather to highlight the need for V3 mrs Page 1

2 effective coordination of these resources to maximize prevention efforts and the enhancement of outcomes for children. MAJOR PREVENTION RESOURCES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: the following depicts prevention funds allocated by major human service systems and funding entities. 1. The Children s Trust The Children s Trust (TCT) is a major resource in Miami-Dade County for children s prevention funding. Funded under a referendum approved by Miami-Dade County voters TCT invests in programs that will improve outcomes in two major categories: Family and Community Supports and Child Well Being. Budgeted Expenditures for represent a 4.8% increase over Projected Expenditures. Funds are invested in priority areas based on the 2014 Strategic Plan. Priority Investments - TCT Strategic Plan Parenting Early Childhood Development Youth Development Health and Wellness Population-specific Services Community Engagement and Advocacy Program and Professional Development TOTAL $100,915, United Way of Miami-Dade County For FY United Way allocated $8,370,493 of fundraised resources for Program Investments. 63% or $5,294,509 of these resources are invested in prevention impacting child wellbeing. The following depicts a broad breakout of allocations for Child Wellness Related and Adult and Senior Services. Focus Area % of $ Amount Types of Activities Funding Child Wellness related 63% 5,294,509 Access to early education, Training for Parents, Academic Achievement, Afterschool Activities, Prenatal Care, Health Screening for Children, Services for Gay Youth, Preventive Counseling for Families, Services for Families who have experienced Domestic Violence/Abuse Adult and Senior Services 37% 3,075,984 Housing/Basic Needs, Job Training and Placement, Financial Management, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Services, Services for People Living with Disabilities, Mental and Physical Health Services for Older Adults and Caregivers TOTAL $8,370,493 V3 mrs Page 2

3 3. Miami-Dade County Human and Social Services Community-Based Organization (CBO) Funding these funds are administered by the Department of Management and Budget. The last competitive bidding process for these funds was several years ago. The following table shows the current breakout of funding by service category. Funding Priority % of Funding $ Allocated Basic Needs 7.6% 1,893,000 Children & Adults w Disabilities 3.4% 865,000 Children, Youth & Families 22.3% 5,551,000 Criminal Justice 10.3% 2,573,000 Elder Needs 18% 4,479,000 Health 1.9% 478,000 Immigrants/New Entrants 2% 507,000 Special Needs 2.3% 552,000 Workforce Development 1.9% 469,000 Cultural Activities 30.2% 7,518,000 TOTAL All Services $24,885,000 TOTAL Prevention Related 70.5% $17,543,925* *For this analysis, Basic Needs (7.6%), Elder Needs (18%), Immigrants/New Entrants (2%) and Workforce Development (1.9) representing 29.5% of funds allocated, were backed out. As a result, the remaining total allocated for prevention related funding is $17,543, The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe. Subsidized child care and child readiness initiatives have a major impact on child wellbeing. The primary entity overseeing subsidized child care funding is the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade County/Monroe whose mission is to offer young children an opportunity for a quality learning experience and improve their chances of success in school and in life. Funding supports children attending licensed child care centers throughout Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Through ongoing quality improvement initiatives the agency is in a position to have a major impact on child outcomes, especially for the critical 0-5 year old age cohort Budget Focus Area School Readiness 97,642,635 VPK Pre-Kindergarten 58,511,518 Other 5,846,518 TOTAL $162,000,671 V3 mrs Page 3

4 5. Florida Dept. of Children and Families (DCF) Family Preservation: The DCF Family Services Division handles child protection and foster care and adoptions. Foster Care and Adoptions are outsourced to local community based organizations through Our Kids of Miami-Dade and Monroe. Family Preservation is one of the services offered to preclude a child being taken from a family once reported to the DCF ABUSE Hotline and investigated (if there is no immediate threat of child abuse or neglect). DCF FAMILY SERVICES PREVENTION FUNDING Family Preservation Services $1,500, South Florida Behavioral Health Network (SFBHN): SFBHN is the managing entity for State of Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health funds for Miami-Dade County. This includes funding for substance abuse prevention. Children s substance abuse funding derives from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Block Grant funds to the state and consists of two primary allocation categories as listed below. Most of these funds support Universal and Indicated prevention services. A portion of Prevention funding is allocated towards support of community drug-free coalitions that engage in community mobilization and utilize the public health model for population change. SFBHN PREVENTION FUNDING Children s Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership Grants 820,788 Children s Substance Abuse Prevention 3,136,646 TOTAL $3,957, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ): DJJ processes youth involved in the juvenile justice system including operating juvenile detention centers that provide custody, supervision, education and mental health/substance abuse and medical services. The department also provides delinquency prevention service and programs designed to reduce juvenile crime and protect public safety. DJJ addresses these problems by contracting for delinquency prevention services and awarding grants to local providers. DJJ programs target high-risk juveniles and those who exhibit problem behaviors such as un-governability, truancy, running away from home and other pre-delinquent behaviors. The following programs are contracted in Miami-Dade County or are contracted for multiple circuits in the state including Miami. V3 mrs Page 4

5 DJJ PREVENTION FUNDING Provider Miami-Dade State- Including Miami-Dade Abundant Living CitiChurch 75,000 Family Christian Assoc. of America 75,000 Family Impressions Foundation 24,999 PACE Center for Girls 15,643,405 Florida Network 32,874,057 Center for Family and Child Enrichment Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services Boys and Girls Club 5,500,000 Big Brothers and Big Sisters 1,500,000 No. Carolina Outward Bound 908,588 TOTAL $174,999 $56,426, Health Foundation of South Florida (HFSF): HFSF provides funding for health related initiatives in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties. Many of their investment strategies are directed towards child well-being and positive child outcomes. Additionally, the Health Foundation is investing in capacity building for drug-free community coalitions this year. HFSF PREVENTION FUNDING Strategy Funding Allocation Promoting physical activity and improved eating habits 600,000 Access to preventive care which includes oral health preventive 500,000 screening and sealants, varnishes as well as preventive primary care services Drug and alcohol prevention 150,000 System infrastructure needed for prevention (e.g. Information 100,000 and referral) TOTAL $1, Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade: literature points to the importance of prevention starting at the earliest stages of human development. The Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade addresses the pre-natal and early infant care stage of development in order to reduce infant mortality, reduce low birth weight and pre-term births and to improve maternal and child health developmental outcomes. HSCMD is not a funding agency but rather promotes its mission through provision of direct services and a network of partners. Healthy Start legislation provides for universal risk screening of all V3 mrs Page 5

6 Florida's pregnant women and infants to identify those at risk for poor birth, health and developmental outcomes. All pregnant women regardless of their marital, economic or immigration status are eligible to participate in the Healthy Start program, if they are at high risk for a poor pregnancy outcome. This includes post-partum women and their infants up to age three. Services include Health Connect, Mom Care Program, and Education and Training for professionals. 10. Miami-Dade County School Board: Miami-Dade County Public Schools play an important role in children s prevention. They provide multiple support services reaching out to high risk student populations including counseling services, psychological services, TRUST Counselors, and the Parent Academy to name a few. We are pending results of an inquiry to the MDCSB for more specific information at this time. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS SUMMARY OF FINDINGS - PREVENTION FUNDING Funding Entity: Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade State- Including Miami-Dade 1 The Children s Trust 100,915,600 2 United Way of Miami-Dade County 5,294,509 3 Miami-Dade Human and Social Services CBO 17,543,925 Funding 4 Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade Monroe 162,000,671 5 Fl. Dept. of Children and Families Family 1,500,000 Preservation 6 South Florida Behavioral Health Network 3,957,434 7 Fl. Dept. of Juvenile Justice 174,999 56,426,050 8 Health Foundation of South Florida 1,350,000 9 Healthy Start Coalition NA 10 Miami-Dade County School Board Pending TOTAL $292,737,138 56,426,050 The result of this preliminary assessment is revealing when we add things up. There are significant resources coming into Miami-Dade County to support children and families in the interest of positive youth outcomes. Additionally, there has been much progress in retooling prevention resources into a continuum of care that embraces services from pre-natal care through early childhood services, and services for elementary, middle and high school age children and youth and their families. The challenge for prevention is how to intertwine these resources to create the strongest base for population change. We can see progress in terms of successful strategies to coordinate services on a local level. V3 mrs Page 6

7 Development and support for networks of local drug-free community coalitions bringing together local stakeholders and providers to address identified needs at the neighborhood level. Development and support for local service networks that coordinate local providers focused on specific service outcomes. County Level Coordination remains a challenge. Government funding historically filters down to the county through separate federal systems to their state and county counterparts: Department of Education, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Children and Families, Department of Health. These systems are not incentivized to talk to each other. However, from the county perspective we can see the potential benefit of more coordinated investments on the lives of our most vulnerable and at risk populations. Many communities over the years have had the benefit of community planning councils. Such planning forums bring together major funding entities and stakeholders to identify needs and develop a coordinated focus across funding streams to address identified community needs. Although there is no such entity Miami-Dade County we have the opportunity for creating such a vehicle for collaborative effort. A Funder s Forum, for example, could be developed to address coordination of prevention investments. It would take just one funding entity to step forward to support such an initiative. The possibilities are endless once there is a commitment to a unified vision and frame work. A simple but powerful collaborative enterprise could be the adoption of a community dashboard for children and youth. One such example is the Headline Community Results, adopted by The Children s Trust as part of their 2014 Strategic Planning Process. A tool such as this could bind our systems and communities together in a common pursuit of the best outcomes for our community s children. HEADLINE COMMUNIY RESULTS Family and Community Supports Children attend quality child care Children regularly access medical, dental and behavioral health care services Children are supported by nurturing and involved parents Child Well-being Children are ready for kindergarten Students are succeeding academically Children meet recommended levels of physical activity Children behave appropriately in schools Youth successfully transition to adulthood Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered! Aristotle V3 mrs Page 7