Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #227FY0001 Sustaining and Expanding Healthy Families to Promote the Success of Community-Based Care
Requester:		Dr. Luanne Panacek			Organization:		The Children's Board of Hillsborough County
Project Title:		Sustaining and Expanding Healthy Families to Promote the Success of Community-Based Care			Date Submitted:		01/25/2001 6:33:13 PM
Sponsors:		Sandra Murman
Statewide Interest:		Expansion and enhancement of a proven child abuse prevention program.
Recipient:		Ounce of Prevention			Contact:		Dr. Luanne Panacek
		111 West Gadsden Street Suite 200			Contact Phone:		(813) 229-2884
		Tallahassee 32301
Counties:		DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota
Service Area:		Government Entity
Project Description:
Healthy Families Florida is a community-based, voluntary in-home visiting program designed to enable children to grow up healthy, safe and nurtured by promoting positive parenting and healthy child development. Created by the Legislature in 1998 and expanded in 1999 and 2000, Healthy Families Florida is now in high-risk areas within 49 counties across the state. By June 2001, over 11,000 families will be served. Although Healthy Families is a long-term program (offered prenatally or at the birth of a baby and lasts up to 3-5 years depending on the families needs), preliminary findings in preventing abuse and neglect are promising. The state has legislatively mandated that child welfare be privatized statewide by 2003. Additionally, legislation passed during the 2000 session authorized the creation of a ?prototype region? within the state to demonstrate efficiencies created by regionalizing administrative functions in DCFS across six counties. The six counties include DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota. All the counties, with the current exception of DeSoto, have contracted (or are moving toward contracting) with the state for community-based care (privatization of child welfare services) and are expected to be operational by the summer/fall of 2001. In order to achieve successful outcomes in community-based care, more comprehensive, widely available, effective prevention strategies need to be employed to promote safe and stable families. The Healthy Families program is the most widely implemented and researched abuse and neglect prevention program in the country. Data demonstrating the program?s effectiveness as well as other supporting documentation is attached. This project includes the following three components listed in priority order: 1. Maintenance of current levels of funding statewide: In order to maintain the current levels of service around the state, non-recurring funds (TANF and Tobacco dollars) need to be replaced and added to the base level of funding. ($10,653,128) 2. Enhancement of existing services within the prototype region: It is becoming increasingly clear that enhancement to the original model would provide needed services and better outcomes to families experiencing substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental health problems. ($1,821,876) 3. Expansion of existing services within the prototype region: Funding is needed to serve new births in existing counties in this region and to expand into the highest risk zip codes with the exception of Hillsborough County which represents meeting partial need. ($3,030,643)
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Statewide Outcomes: ? At least 95% of children in families who participated in Healthy Families Florida for 6 months or more will not be abused or neglected. ? At least 95% of the children in families who successfully complete Healthy Families Florida will not be abused within 6, 12, or 18 months of program completion. ? Immunizations will be current on 90% of infants in families receiving services. ? 90% of infants will be immunized by age two. ? 85% of mothers enrolled in the project will not have a subsequent pregnancy within two years of the target child?s birth. ? 95% of families receiving home visiting services will report an overall satisfaction with the services they received. Regional Outcomes: ? Reduction in out-of-home placements for children birth to five due to abuse and neglect. ? Reduction in the attrition rate of families.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:						$15,506,647
Identify item(s) in the Appropriations Bill to be reduced:
Specific Appropriation #:
Specific Appropriation Title:
Amount to be reduced:			$
Fund Source:
Total cost of the project:			$15,506,647
Request has been made to fund:				Operations
Type of funding match:		Local
					Total In-Kind Amount:		$3,876,412
Was this project previously funded by the State?							Yes
	Fiscal Year:		2000		Amount:		$32,853,128
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?							Yes
	Amount:		$36,800,000
	Purpose for future year funding:					Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?						Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?							Yes
	Agency:		Children And Families, Department Of
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?							Yes
Is there a documented need for this project?							Yes
	Documentation:		See Back-up Documentation
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?							Yes
	Hearing Body:		Hillsborough County Commissioners and Hillsborough County Children's Board
	Meeting Date:		08/10/2000