WILLMAR -- A simple change in terminology for programs that help families and children will mean Kandiyohi County will get a half-million dollars less in federal money than in the past to provide those programs.
The last three-year grant the county received through the Local Collaborative Time Study program was for $1.1 million for social services and children's mental health programs.
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners learned on Tuesday that the 2007-09 grant, which is administered through the PACT 4 Family Cooperative, will be for $593,775.
The loss of $541,888 for prevention and intervention programs will present challenges for the county, said Family Services Supervisor Corrine Torkelson.
"We've got our work cut out for us," Torkelson told the commissioners. "There will be some challenges ahead."
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The money was used to fund a variety of programs to help children that had previously been identified as being "at risk" of being put into out-of-home-placement, like a foster home. Once children were identified to be "at risk" by community corrections, public health or schools, federal grant funds could be generated and used for programs that would reduce that risk.
Torkelson said the qualifying terminology the federal government established has now been changed to "imminent risk of placement," which has stricter guidelines and therefore generates fewer grant dollars that can be used for local programs. She said local grant proposals to apply for Kandiyohi County's anticipated share are due Dec. 1.
Besides the general grant of $593,775, Kandiyohi County will also be receiving a $165,600 grant for after-school/out of school programs for 2007-09. That amount is also a reduction from previous years. The commissioners also heard an update on the structural transformation for adult mental health services in the 18-county area.
The process includes the development of 10 community behavioral health hospitals, including one that's planned for Willmar. The hospitals are part of the plan to provide mental health care in multiple communities rather than at regional treatment centers.
Also Tuesday, social workers Charlotte Hand and Angie Swart gave a report on a conference they attended in California on the family assessment services program. Minnesota is a leader in the program, which creates a partnership with families when child protection services may be required. The method is an alternative to the more confrontational procedure when dealing with families who may be at risk of having children removed from their homes. Hand and Swart said the success of the program in Minnesota is recognized nationwide and they are thankful Kandiyohi County is using the process.
