Title
ADDITION TO THE COMCARE STAFFING TABLE FOR TWO SENIOR SOCIAL WORKERS RANGE 22, ONE CASE MANAGER II RANGE 18, AND TWO PART-TIME ATTENDANT CARE WORKER POSITIONS.
Presented by: Marilyn Cook, LSCSW, Executive Director, COMCARE.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the addition to the COMCARE staffing table.
Body
Background: This project is one that is funded through United Health Ministeries and will provide an avenue for COMCARE to collaborate with other community providers to best serve young children and their families and ensure resources are maximized and duplication of services is minimized. COMCARE will work closely with community partners to identify young children who need to be screened for social and emotional developmental concerns. If concerns are identified, staff will then work with the family to develop an action plan and refer them to services within COMCARE and throughout the community. Conscious Discipline, an evidence-based model, will be the foundation for the education and therapy provided through this project. Parenting classes will be offered based on this model as will training for early childhood educators. Community clinicians who work with young children will also receive continuing education to improve their ability to assess and treat young children.
Increasing the number of young children screened for social and emotional problems, enhancing coordination of referrals and providing consistent and effective early interventions will benefit children, families, and society for years to come. Through community partnerships, COMCARE has identified ways to address each of these areas.
The grant would provide funding for COMCARE to begin screening young children in the community for social and emotional developmental concerns. Staff will then work with the family to develop an action plan and refer them to services within COMCARE and throughout the community.
In addition, COMCARE will establish a fourth Proud of Me (POM) program site in Sedgwick County. POM is a program for young children ages 2 1/2 - 5 years old who have challenging behaviors at home, at preschool or child care settings, and in the community. Many of the children enrolled in current POM programs have been expelled from multiple preschools and/ or child care centers. POM is designed to teach children self control, conflict resolution, and problem solving skills in addition to many other skills important for healthy social and emotional development. These skills are taught through weekly group play therapy. POM is based on the Conscious Discipline model.
Analysis: The grant, in combination with fee-for-service revenue, will fund two full-time early childhood clinicians (i.e. senior social workers), a case management specialist, and two part-time attendant care workers. These will be staffing table additions. The clinicians will focus on providing the screenings, therapy, and will coordinate the overall project. The case manager and attendant care workers will largely be devoted to the therapeutic preschool. Additionally, the grant would provide funding for the parenting classes, professional development, and materials. No local tax dollars will be required for this project. This project will be sustained through fee-for-service revenue generated by billing third party insurance/Medicaid. The grant covers the startup expenses, salaries, and benefits associated with the project until revenue is at a level that will sustain the project. There are currently three other POM programs within COMCARE and each has proven to be self-sustaining.
Alternatives: This grant provides COMCARE the opportunity to increase the number of children in the community that can benefit from screening and early interventions. Without the grant funding, COMCARE would not have the funds to cover the start up costs to implement these efforts.
Financial Considerations: The grant project will begin June 1, 2011 but the first staff person (sr. social worker) is not expected to start until September 1, 2011. The case manager and attendant care workers are scheduled to begin October 1, 2011. The second sr. social worker position will not be hired until needed, estimated to be around August 1, 2012. There is no impact to local tax funds. The positions will be funded through a combination of the grant funds and fee for service revenue generated through insurance billable services. When the grant discontinues in 2013, the program should be self supporting through the fee for service revenue.
A new internal order will be created for this grant.
|
Income |
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
2011 |
2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
UMHMF Grant |
|
$59,188.00 |
$36,477.00 |
|
Fee for Service |
|
$77,265.00 |
$182,673.00 |
|
TOTAL |
|
$136,453.00 |
$219,150.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Salary and Benefit Costs |
|
|
|
|
Position |
Start Date |
Estimated |
Estimated |
|
|
|
2011 Costs |
2012 Costs |
|
Sr. Social Worker |
09/01/2011 |
$24,882.46 |
$66,098.44 |
|
Sr. Social Worker |
08/01/2012 |
N/A |
$27,761.35 |
|
Case Manager |
10/01/2011 |
$17,377.78 |
$54,897.41 |
|
Attendant Care Worker |
10/01/2011 |
$6,550.84 |
$15,455.70 |
|
Attendant Care Worker |
10/01/2011 |
$6,550.84 |
$15,455.70 |
|
TOTAL |
|
$55,361.92 |
$179,668.60 |
Legal Considerations: Legal has reviewed and approved the grant award contract. This action requires a simple majority vote.
Policy Considerations: The new project was been developed in response to a pressing community need to improve young children's mental health. The United Methodist Health Foundation has provided a start-up grant to allow COMCARE to implement a comprehensive program to address this gap in services.
Outside Attendees:
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