Quarterly newsletter, Feb. 2011

Governor's Office for
Children and Families

QUARTER 3 FEBRUARY 2011

Meet Our Staff
Jen Bennecke Executive Director
Cora Alexander System of Care Coordinator
Dahlia Bell Research Analyst
Robert Clark Special Projects
Coordinator
Sarah Dempsey Family Violence Training Specialist
Heather McDaniel Youth Development Program Coordinator
Quincie McKibben Grants Monitor
Frances Milton Financial Operations
Danielle Ruedt Family Violence Program Coordinator
Lydell Samples Finance Director
Helena Schneider Administrative Assistant
Susan Smithgall Budget Officer
Carole Steele Prevention Programs
Coordinator
Joe Vignati Justice Programs
Coordinator

Quarterly Newsletter
GOCF and your communities work hard to strengthen Georgia's children and families. The intent of this publication is to keep you updated with recent events, new trends and research, and upcoming opportunities that are being provided by GOCF and your communities. We hope that it will be a useful resource for you!

The Governor's Office for Children and Families is pleased to announce that its Executive Director, Jen Bennecke has been reappointed by Governor Deal!
Community Highlight

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Youth Development Statewide Educators Conference April 11-13, 2011

Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges
The Purchase of Services Program administered by the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges through an annual grant by GOCF was created to assist juvenile courts in their efforts to develop community-based alternatives to incarceration for Georgia Youth.
The underlying premise of accountability programming is that young people who violate the law should be held accountable for their offenses through the swift, consistent application of sanctions that are proportionate to their offense--both as a matter of basic justice and as a way to combat delinquency and improve the quality of life in our communities. The Council's program provides research-based alternatives that have been shown to reduce recidivism and results in a decreased use of secure detention.
Since the program's inception in 1998, over 65,000 youth have benefited from the Purchase of Services Program. During the most recent grant period (October 1, 2009 September 30, 2010), 144 Georgia counties were awarded funding and services were provided to 5,493 youth. Approximately 7% of all youth who had a case disposition in any juvenile court in the state received services.

GOCF Advisory Board
Members
Judge Steve Teske, Chair Steve Lowe, Vice Chair
Susan Allison Andy Barclay John Bowden Gaylyn Cole
Judi Davis Ken Dobbs Rachel Ewald Michelle Girtman Marquis Harris Brittany Jean Carole Kaczorowski Mika Kawana Shaquita Ogletree Linda Parker Gene Pope Dan Provence Kathy Schrader Michele Smith Duane Whitley

We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families

We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families

QUARTER 3: PAGE 2

New Research and Publications
System of Care Toolkit Released by the Governor's Office for Children and Families The System of Care Toolkit was created by the Governor's Office for Children and Families to support local communities in the ongoing implementation of the System of Care approach in addressing the needs for children and families across Georgia. It is now available on GOCF's website. To view the toolkit, visit the System of Care section of GOCF's website at www.children.ga.gov or click here.

"10 Tips for Keeping Children Safe"
Hamilton County Job and Family Services recently developed a booklet that informs parents of how they can prevent child abuse and neglect. This booklet provides 10 tips on what parents can or should not do to keep their children safe and offers information on ways to get help if they are overwhelmed or suspect a child is in danger. Visit www.hcjfs.org or click here to view the booklet.

Adolescent Girls in Georgia's Sex Trade November Data
Each quarter data is released on the number of girls identified as being commercially sexually exploited in Georgia. The count for November 2010 indicates another decrease with a total of 278 girls identified. The counts began in 2007 and Georgia has never experienced a decline with three consecutive counts. This is encouraging news as the Governor's Office for Children and Families, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force and collaborative partners continue to expand services for victims and raise the awareness of the problem. To view the quarterly data, visit www.children.ga.gov and click on the Family Violence tab or click here.

"The Value of A Coordinated CSEC Response" Report
The Schapiro Group, Inc. recently conducted a cost benefit analysis of the State of Georgia's investment in its system of care for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The research question was, What is the value to Georgia taxpayers of treating CSEC victims through the system of care? The average cost the state pays per child, per day in a CSEC safe home is 9%-13% less expensive than a day spent in a secure facility through the juvenile justice system. For every child served by the system of care in lieu of the juvenile justice approach, saves between $8,288-$27,798 in annual and long-term costs. Accounting for the long-term savings in preventing career criminals, Georgia's investment in the system of care for CSEC victims generates an annual savings in the range of $1 million to $3 million. Even if the system of care approach only prevents one child every other year from becoming a career criminal, Georgia's investment in the system of care, including all marginal and fixed costs, more than pays for itself in long-term savings. The full report can be found on the GOCF website under the Family Violence tab or by clicking here.

Improving Offender Accountability in CSEC Cases Toolkit
Ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children cannot be accomplished simply by providing services for children who have already been victimized. Those who break the laws designed to protect our children must also be held accountable, and prosecutors play a special role in providing that accountability. The Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University School of Law has compiled a toolkit for investigating and prosecuting adult exploiters. This toolkit is intended to assist in building successful prosecutions that will take offenders off the streets, protect our children, and send a strong message that Georgia takes these crimes seriously. You can view the toolkit by visiting www.children.ga.gov and clicking on the Family Violence tab or click here.

Abstinence Education and Teen Birth Rates in Georgia
New statistics from a report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that the 2009 teen birth rate has fallen to the lowest level ever reported in the United States! It also shows that Georgia was among the top 10 states with the largest significant decreases in teen birth rates. To view more information on this, visit GOCF's website or click here.
Research and Publications Section Continued on Next Page.

We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families

QUARTER 3: PAGE 3

Research and Publications Continued
The Center for Collaborative Social Work The Center for Collaborative Social Work, founded by Georgia State University's School of Social Work, is currently studying evidence based practice and how it is used and applied by agencies and within communities. To follow its findings or view more information on GSU's Center for Collaborative Social Work and how it can be a resource for you, click here.
Grant Awards
Abstinence Education and Youth Development Grant Awards The Governor's Office for Children and Families has announced twenty (20) Abstinence Education and Youth Development Grant Awards. The grant awards totaled $1,682,461 and were given to communities all across Georgia. The grantees awarded are as follows:
Quest for Change: $94,500 Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Inc: $28,335 Willie M Simpson Evangelistic Ministries, Inc.: $94,500 Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta: $94,500 Diamond in the Rough Youth Development Program, Inc.: $60,713 SAGE Communications Services, Inc.: $94,500 Next Level Community Development Center, Inc.: $94,500 Communities in Schools of Laurens County, Inc.: $84,414 Volunteer Macon, Inc.: $85,649 Early County Literacy Task Force: $94,488 Wholistic Stress Control Institute, Inc.: $94,500 Turner County Board of Education: $83,425 Douglas County School System: $71,255 Jenkins County Family Enrichment Commission, Inc.: $80,640 Future Foundation: $94,500 Girls Incorporated of Columbus: $84,505 Housing Authority of the City of Carrollton: $94,500 Rockdale County Board of Commissioners: $94,500 Ben Hill County Schools: $93,600 Bleckley County Board of Education: $64,937

Children's Advocacy Centers of Georgia Grant Award
Recently, the Governor's Office for Children and Families awarded the Children's Advocacy Centers of Georgia (CACGA) with a grant to ensure that Georgia communities have access to specialized telehealth equipment to assist in medical assessment of child abuse cases. Telehealth equipment provides communities with technology they can use to transmit live child abuse assessments between hub and remote sites in order to support or refute allegations of abuse.
Through this grant, 26 of 39 Children's Advocacy Centers will receive telehealth equipment. The remaining centers already have access to the specialized equipment. To view the full announcement on the receipt of this grant and which centers will receive the equipment, click here.

We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families

QUARTER 3: PAGE 4

Trainings and Conferences
Upcoming trainings hosted by the Governor's Office for Children and Families that are not listed on this newsletter can be found by visiting GOCF's training calendar at http://gocfweb.com. Be sure to check them out!
Upcoming Events
Online Training Opportunities In the Governor's Office for Children and Families' efforts to ease access to information and promote useful trainings, GOCF developed web resources for the benefit of its service delivery partners and any individual in Georgia. The site's online calendar makes it easy for anyone to find and sign up for trainings offered around the state through our Training Partners.
GOCF has partnered with Care Solutions, Inc. to make several valuable online trainings available for free any time or day that you may want to use them. Each quarter, three new trainings will be available under this partnership. The following on-line courses will be provided January March:
The Brain and Early Childhood: Old Myths and New Knowledge Mandated Reporters: Critical Links in Protecting Children in Georgia SIDS - Reducing the Risk in Child Care Helping Families Access Resources

On-Site Training and Networking Opportunities In addition to the online trainings, the Governor's Office for Children and Families is sponsoring the following January March on-site trainings provided by Sheltering Arms Georgia Training Institute:
Promoting Social-Emotional Competence in Young Children, ages birth to five Effective Use of the Ages and Stage Questionnaire 3 (ASQ 3) Screening Tool in Planning and Referrals, ages birth to five Affirming Diversity Authentic Relationships with Diverse Families Communicating with Skill and Heart Engaging Men Caring for the Caregiver: Loving Ourselves for the Sake of Our Children
2011 Quarterly CSEC Task Force Meetings The Governor's Office for Children and Families will be hosting four quarterly meetings in the year 2011 for Georgia's Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force. The meetings will be held March 10th, June 9th, September 8th, and December 8th. Be sure to mark your calendar and check your email for upcoming meeting announcements to find out times and locations.

Youth Development and Abstinence Education- Statewide Educators Conference
The Governor's Office for Children and Families will soon be hosting the statewide conference for youth development and abstinence educators in Georgia. The conference will be held April 11 13, 2011 at the Wyndham Hotel and Conference Center in Peachtree City, GA. Be sure to visit GOCF's training calendar for upcoming details on this conference.