Child Maltreatment Response Team - Victim Services

2.19.20 DRAFT (240 KB)

Present: Patricia Rego*, Annette Kuhlmann*; Jenna Greenwood*; Tammy Hill*; Elizabeth LaBroscian*; Rick Spoentgen*; John Miller; Lexi Mueller; Linda Hoffman*; Elizabeth Champion; Jennifer Ginsberg
* - indicates membership in Victim Services Subcommittee

1. Call to order: 3:34PM
a. Certified compliance with  open meetings laws – LaBroscian/Spoentgen

2. Moved to adopt agenda: Motion by Rego; Second by Hill.  Approved by unanimous vote.

3. Minutes from 1/15/20 – Kuhlmann motion; 2nd by Greenwood – approved by unanimous consent
a. Will be sent for posting for walking quorum of Victim Services Subcommittee

4. Public comment: None

5. Intro/Agency update: None (aside from introductions)

6. Child Advocacy Center Update: Greenwood – reached out to St. Claire re: space availability and left messages. Hasn’t heard back yet.

7. Safe Harbor Presentation/Discussion – Ginsberg
a. Safe Harbor is already accredited, so no additional accreditation would be required.
b. There were 36 interviews last year from Sauk County – doesn’t seem to represent the full scope of interviews that the County did.
c. Her vision:
i. Location staffed 2 days per week – use staff that is current staff with Safe Harbor, then use more locally-based staff.
ii. Elizabeth C. has looked at start-up costs, then Jennifer is looking at on-going staff.
iii. Safe Harbor here would facilitate bringing a team together for interviews (multi-disciplinary team). That would mean interviewer, then reaching out to local advocacy and others (possibility of a linkage agreement/ MOU).
iv. Needed:
1. A site that is child friendly, accessible, has privacy. Interview room, observation room, room to meet with adults, child-friendly waiting room, possibility of conference room for MDT (multi-disciplinary team) meetings.
v. Create, then assess rate of use. Assuming fair amount of use by Sauk agencies, then potentially bring in other counties.
vi. Can provide MDT coordinator
d. Question from Ginsberg/Champion as to how cases come to Sauk County from Sauk:
i. Hill – either worker or detective. Criteria: criminal charges (maybe); young child; disabilities; most of the ones done there are in collaboration with LE for criminal charges.
e. Question as to how many interviews we would expect in a year.
i. Hill – expect increased utilization by DHS; including witness interviewing
ii. Greenwood – expect increased utilization by LE (double)
iii. Mueller – from access perspective, seeing spike in reporting.
iv. Spoentgen – agreed with Greenwood – would expect to see double the numbers
f. Overall goal is to provide a place for reach-around services for children.
g. Question about possibility of link-up with mental health providers
i. Booklet passed around that outlines the different aspects of the CAC.
1. “National Children’s Alliance Standards for Accredited Members, 2017 edition.”
ii. Possible linkage agreements with Human Services for Treatment.
iii. Discussion of Canopy Center in Madison (via Safe Harbor in Madison). Safe Harbor is able to fund the first 1 or 2 sessions (the assessment) at Canopy. Unless there is a need/desire to staff a part-time therapist here, would need to reach out to another provider.
iv. Different CACs have therapists on staff, but not all – depends on the needs of the individual community.
h. Question from Hill re: grants/money for start-up costs
i. Champion – some federal money, there is an RFP open, but it’s federal, so unsure what it will cover (like construction/furniture).
ii. VOCA is likely not going to cover things – fund is dwindling.
i. Estimated total start-up cost = ~ $42000 (equipment, etc.)
i. Operating budget = $125,000 per year.
ii. One other CAC that started utilized capital campaign via a community fund (Walworth)
iii. Lakeview in Saukville – County funded it and then additional funds raised through fundraising/capital campaign.
iv. Harder time to get funding from grants for unestablished entity v. an expansion of Safe Harbor
j. Safe Harbor gets over $100K from Dane County – it’s a line-item in the County’s budget.
k. VOCA funds that Safe Harbor presently utilizes applied to non-Dane cases.
l. Process:
i. Sauk County would need to fundraise $41,700
ii. Would need to then go through how much would need to be raised on annual basis - ~$125K
iii. They could help look for space – possibility of doing shared-space agreement.
m. Safe Harbor brings experience and ability to look for expansion rather than initiation grant funding.
n. LaBroscian suggests doing an MDT work-group who will talk to Safe Harbor, then come back to the larger group.

8. Next Meeting – 3/18/20 @ 3:30PM

9. Adjourn – Motion by Rego; Second by Kuhlmann; Approved by unanimous vote – 4:25PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Spoentgen
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Sauk County, WI