Children's Services Act Meeting Minutes

City of Suffolk Children’s Services Act Community Policy and Management Team Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024 9:00 am Social Services Building, Third Floor Training Room A Members Present: Mary Bess- Parent Representative Jenny Hodge – Tidewater Youth Services Commission Kimberly Jennings – 5th District Court Services Unit (Chair) Marli Laudun – Suffolk Health Dept. Rachel Lewis – CSA Coordinator Sheridan Meriwether – Blakey Weaver Counseling Center (Vice Chair) Brandy Miller - (for Saniyyah Manigault-Westbrook) – Suffolk Dept. of Social Services Patricia Pitts – (for Marli Laudun) – Suffolk Health Dept. Nicole Porter – City of Suffolk Candance Walton (for Towanda Shirley) – Suffolk Public Schools Wendy Warfel – Assistant Director of Finance, City of Suffolk Vonda Warren-Lilly – WTCSB Members absent: none Guests Present: Roxanne Flamer – CSA Office Assistant 1. CPMT Chair Kimberly Jennings calls the meeting to order at 9:14 a.m. 2. Approval of the minutes of December 20, 2023 meeting. Motion made by Candance Walton to approve the minutes as written, seconded by Vonda Warren-Lilly. All are in favor and the motion passed. 3. Rachel Lewis reviewed the Financial Report as of January 17, 2024. Net projected expenditures total $1,985,054.46. Comparison to last year CSA is spending more funding due to the cost increase in services. Motion made by Brandy Miller to accept Financial Report as written, seconded by Candance Walton. All are in favor and the motion passed. 4. CLOSED SESSION - CPMT Chair Kimberly Jennings entertains a motion to convene a Closed Meeting for the purpose of discussing cases before the Family Assessment and Planning Team in accordance with the provisions in subsection A of ş 2.2-3711 of the Code of Virginia as amended in 2001 and 2005 respectively. Only applicable exceptions as provided in section ş 2.2-3707 or subsection A of Section ş 2.2-3711 are to be discussed. Nicole Porter motions to enter closed session. Brandy Miller seconds motion to enter into closed session. All are in favor and the motion passed. 5. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION – CPMT Chair Kimberly Jennings entertains a motion to move out of Closed Meeting. Sheridan Meriwether motions to enter open session. Wendy Warfel seconds the motion. All are in favor and the motion passed. Kimberly Jennings  initiated a roll call certifying that to the best of each member’s knowledge only the following matters were discussed during the closed session: 1) public business matters lawfully exempted from statutory open meeting requirements and 2) public business matters identified in the motion to convene the closed meeting. All Affirmed. Jenny Hodge enters the motion to approve all cases presented and appropriately discussed. Sheridan Meriwether seconded the motion. Jenny Hodge enters the motion for CSA Coordinator Rachel Lewis to follow-up with Medicaid’s decision on unpaid bill for Ola House but pay CSA portion as received and hold Medicaid portion until a decision is made by Medicaid. Brandy Miller seconded the motion. All are in favor and the motion passed. Jenny Hodge enters the motion to pay invoice for Harbor Point to avoid disruption with placement and follow-up with the Dept. of Behavioral Health and a possible standard audit if necessary. Sheridan Meriwether seconded the motion. All are in favor and the motion passed. Total CSA request approved $158,738.08. 6. Old Business A. CANS Reminders/Update from OCS – Rachel Lewis discussed updated CANS changes. Not being able to access CANS is no excuse for them being late or not completed. CPMT should be aware of who the local Administrator is, which is Rachel Lewis. CSA Management Specialist John Lewis will serve as the backup person. CSA will host a CANS training on Thursday, January 25, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. here at Suffolk DSS. B. Items from Members – No items presented 7. New Business A. Public Comment on Proposed SEC Policies – Rachel Lewis informed CPMT Members of the Public Comment on Proposed SEC Policies. Please take a moment to read all the new changes and if anyone would like to submit responses, the deadline to do so is February 16, 2024. B. Progress Report on the Children’s Services Act – Rachel Lewis shared a PowerPoint presentation on data collected on CSA Expenditures and Utilization, Significant Accomplishments for FY 2022-2023 and the 2024-2025 CSA Strategic Plan. C. Therapeutic Foster Care Services under CSA – Rachel Lewis discussed the overall use of TFC. “In FY 2023, utilization of therapeutic foster care continued a decrease in youth served over the past three (3) years”. The number of youth served in FY 2022 was 2,881 compared to 2,831 served in FY 2023. D. Utilization of Residential Care under CSA – Rachel Lewis shared information on the Utilization of Residential Care. “In FY 2023, the number of children served in residential care increased slightly (4 percent) after a relatively long downward trend (an overall decrease of 22 percent from FY 2015 to FY 2022)”. At least some of these  increases are likely related to lessened restrictions on admissions due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. E. CQI – Reviewing FY 2023 Data – Tabled until next meeting. F. Items from the Members – Rachel Lewis reminded everyone of the upcoming CSA trainings and FAPT Retreat. 8. Adjourn – CPMT adjourned the meeting at 11:30 a.m. Motion to adjourn made by Nicole Porter, seconded by Brandy Miller. All are in favor and the motion passed. Recorded by Roxanne Flamer, CSA Office Assistant.