Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 106
04/12/2007 04:00 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Overview: Reclaiming Futures Project | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 12, 2007
4:07 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator Bettye Davis, Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Vice Chair
Senator Kim Elton
Senator Fred Dyson
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative Anna Fairclough
Representative Mark Neuman
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator John Cowdery
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Representative Bob Roses, Vice Chair
Representative Paul Seaton
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Con Bunde
Senator Johnny Ellis
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview: Reclaiming Futures project
HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Tom Begich, project director
Reclaiming Futures
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented overview
William Hitchcock, judicial fellow
Reclaiming Futures
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
Laura Burney Nissen, director
Reclaiming Futures
Portland, OR
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
Nolan Ogle-Endresen
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
Linda Moffitt, juvenile justice fellow
Reclaiming Futures
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
Andre Rosay, evaluation committee
Reclaiming Futures
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
Karin Schaff, treatment fellow
Reclaiming Futures
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the joint meeting of the Senate and
House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committees
to order at 4:07:14 PM. Present at the call to order were
Senator Thomas and Co-Chair Davis; Representatives Fairclough,
Neuman, Cissna, and Co-Chair Wilson. Senator Elton Senator Dyson
and Representative Gardner arrived soon thereafter.
^OVERVIEW: RECLAIMING FUTURES PROJECT
CO-CHAIR Wilson announced the committee would hear a
presentation on reclaiming futures.
TOM BEGICH, project director of Reclaiming Futures (RF),
introduced himself and his co-presenters, and showed a video
with subjects of the RF project and the process they go through
to get their lives back in track.
4:17:40 PM
LAURA NISSEN, RF director, said that the state of Alaska is
looking for ideas on how to keep its young people from joining
gangs, and RF can help with this. She commended the work of the
Anchorage RF team, and said that it is becoming a national
leader in the program. She outlined the history of the RF
project, which was begun in reaction to a trend of more and more
youth entering juvenile detention facilities. The program has
reinvented the juvenile justice system by holding kids
accountable for mistakes and offering them help to get out of
the cycle. The program has focused on what kids with problems
need to be successful; Anchorage became one of ten nation-wide
test communities in 1999.
4:21:37 PM
She said that the model of RF is flexible enough to work for a
variety of different communities. She explained the different
steps of the RF program, including drug screenings,
psychological assessments, development and initiation of care
plans, service engagement, and transitioning into a support-free
life. Few communities provide this level of attention across the
United States, but they are all effective in reducing crime and
associated costs.
4:27:59 PM
She cited data to show the positive effect of the RF project
across the country; there have been improvements across all
sites in the country and in Anchorage. Locally, an evaluation
team found that youth with individual service plans in the
program were nine times more likely to complete treatment;
service contacts aided in treatment completion as well. She
concluded by saying that young people are successfully
completing this program, and are accessing positive community
opportunities in new ways.
She added that there is a lot of work to be done with the
program and against youth addiction; RF is ready to move from a
pilot program to a full-on national program. She assured the
committee that such a program would be a great success in
Juneau; the program is like a bridge across a dangerous canyon
for a lot of youth.
4:32:51 PM
MASTER WILLIAM HITCHCOCK, Children's Court Master for the
Anchorage Superior Court and judicial fellow for RF, said that a
court must be willing to commit to the program for the system of
care to be built; he related his history with the project, and
talked about how RF made the juvenile court take a broader look
at its disciplinary techniques. Screening was improved, and
different arms of the courts began to work together more
effectively. Instead of re-punishing kids because of their
failures, progress in life skills was tracked. Management of the
cases has been greatly improved with the individualized service
plans. He explained the service plan process in more detail, and
said that he often hears back from kids as they move through and
complete the RF process.
4:38:31 PM
He said that the process relies on collaborative community work,
and many communities all over the state could make this
successful. He introduced Nolan Ogle-Endresen, a graduate of the
Anchorage RF program.
4:39:35 PM
NOLAN OGLE-ENDRESEN, a graduate of the Anchorage RF program,
explained his history with youth probation, which didn't provide
support or structure. He began the RF program at the age of 16,
and it changed his life in myriad ways. The structure was
immediate and all-encompassing, unlike his previous encounters
with juvenile justice. When he left the program he reencountered
his problems with drugs and alcohol, but had the skills he
needed to overcome them on his own; he said he wishes that the
program could be there for all the people who need it. His life
and future are bright because of RF.
4:44:05 PM
CO-CHAIR WILSON thanked Mr. Ogle-Endresen.
MR. BEGICH thanked the committee again, and said that it's a
pleasure to see graduates of the program like Mr. Ogle-Endresen.
He said that the program can change the way the justice system
operates for juveniles; many of RF's elements of treatment are
being applied across the board in Anchorage, and the tools are
effective elsewhere. Youth aren't just held accountable for
their actions, but are treated as well. Over 98 percent of the
kids entering the juvenile justice system in Anchorage now are
being treated with elements of the RF program. The original
funding received by RF from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
was used to develop the tools of the program, not for the actual
treatment; now the well-planned template can be used across the
state. The treatment is working because it's meaningful.
4:48:28 PM
He said that there are similar efforts across the country that
stress evidence-based treatment; those approaches are important,
as well as reallocation of resources. In this case, the system
has been supportive of the program's efforts. He encouraged the
committee to continue to support treatment-based services
funding, because it's so effective; $3,000 worth of treatment is
the same as $40,000 worth of incarceration. The cost of the
justice system continues to rise, but RF is an approach that
keeps kids from returning to the system in the long run. As new
RF sites come online, they should be embraced and supported.
There are many individuals involved in the program who aren't
necessarily state employees; they're just interested in working
with the program. Breaking the cycle of substance abuse will
keep kids from returning to the justice system.
4:53:52 PM
SENATOR DYSON asked for elaboration on how the program could
integrate with the Office of Children's Services (OCS) and the
Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
MR. BEGICH said that Department of Health and Social Services
(DHSS) Commissioner Karleen Jackson has been very supportive of
the program and a shared approach towards communication.
4:55:06 PM
MASTER HITCHCOCK said that there are sometimes cases of dual
jurisdiction where a child is in need of aid and is also a
delinquent. A lot of the kids in the RF program need mental
health care, and the OCS has been helpful from the beginning
with providing this treatment.
MR. BEGICH added that kids in the child welfare system are often
part of the juvenile justice system as well, and he's hopeful
that positive impacts in one area will lead to others.
4:57:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for clarification on how the RF
model is being used with other youth outside the program.
MR. BEGICH said that kids coming through the system without the
benefit of RF were tracked to see their treatment progression.
98 percent were receiving evidence-based treatment, which shows
that the system is changing for the better.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if there is trouble finding
treatment beds, and if there is a wait for mental health
treatment services.
MR. BEGICH said that the RF has recently received additional
funding for mental health assessments, and said that Karin
Schaff could better answer the question.
KARIN SCHAFF, treatment fellow for the RF, said that capacity in
the program is an issue, but with collaborations it has been
hugely improved. She detailed the improvements in the mental
health aspect of the program.
MR. BEGICH added that swiftness in responding to need is
important to keeping people's faith in the program.
5:00:43 PM
CO-CHAIR DAVIS asked for information on how cases are found and
funded.
MR. BEGICH explained where initial funding came from, and how it
was used to come up with a business plan for RF. Treatment
funding has been received from different foundations and from
the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA). He said that
the numbers of youth treated by RF will be greatly increasing.
5:03:35 PM
LINDA MOFFITT, juvenile justice fellow with the RF, said that
the program was originally designed for youth within the
juvenile justice system. Now there are two tracks, including
those youth who haven't ever been to court. Other changes
include increased initial screenings, additional mental health
screening, and assessors going to the DJJ every week to monitor
youth; this increases the likelihood of kids staying in the
program.
She added that a local policy has been instituted that
determines when a youth will come in for assessment; the process
has become more objective than subjective. The change in focus
to a more results-based approach is a major improvement in the
DJJ.
5:06:56 PM
MR. BEGICH said that now that every youth in the DJJ system will
be getting a screening, more people will be affected by the
program.
5:07:38 PM
CO-CHAIR DAVIS asked who trains the probation officers in RF
skills.
MR. BEGICH replied that he will be training staff tomorrow in
the capitol; training is easily replicable and the skill set is
transferable.
5:08:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA said that outcome measures need to be
tracked over a period of time to determine how effective a
program is, and asked how long the program has been collecting
evidence. She referenced a study done in the Alaska that showed
that fidelity to model is a problem.
5:10:05 PM
MS. NISSEN said that RF is an amalgamation of several other
evidence based approaches; the six steps of the model were
broken into two parts: a national model, and local models. The
data output from local program has yet to come out, but it's
evident that the system can be changed. What's not known yet is
whether the outcomes are positive.
5:12:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA said that system change isn't necessarily
evidence-based; treatment programs have shown little fidelity to
models in the past, and RF appears to be changing only the
system thus far.
5:13:30 PM
MS. SCHAFF said that the data was tracked beginning in 2003, and
tracking will continue; all tracking has built-in fidelity
measures, so RF will be staying true to the model.
5:14:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA said that there must be a way to evaluate
the system, and asked how to get more information about the
actual measures.
MS. SCHAFF said that she will provide that information to the
committee.
5:15:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN said that he sees a connection between RF
and the OCS; he asked for an explanation of the relationship,
and how evaluation data would change between different areas of
the state.
MR. BEGICH said that the OCS has been highly involved in RF and
is working with a case-management approach. The partnership will
depend on how they can be involved in the future; they're both
in the same family of work.
He added that the program has an active evaluation committee
which uses tracking mechanisms.
5:18:12 PM
ANDRE ROSAY, evaluation committee member with the RF, said that
the evaluation is taking two directions: reviewing old files,
and current youth in the program. The committee found that youth
having family or friend helpers leads to completed treatment; a
shared web-based system is the second part of the evaluation,
which can be used throughout the state. The model will be as
applicable in other communities.
5:19:48 PM
CO-CHAIR WILSON asked if helpers are paid or if they volunteer.
MR. BEGICH said that they're people identified by the youth as a
person of trust involved in their life outside the program.
These helpers are instrumental in getting the youth through the
program. RF is developing an advisory group of program graduates
and their families to become paid professional helpers.
5:21:47 PM
CO-CHAIR WILSON asked if there were small communities in the
original pilot programs.
MR. BEGICH replied that there were; all the sites were
different.
CO-CHAIR WILSON asked how critical a job would be to the youth
succeeding in or after the program, and commented that that
finding a job can be difficult in Alaska.
MR. BEGICH replied that he believes that a key component to
success is graduation; skills and opportunities do need to be
built, so his opinion is that the job connection is critical.
5:25:12 PM
CO-CHAIR WILSON asked if the program will give kids enough self
esteem to help them succeed in a small village.
MR. OGLE-ENDRESEN said that the program does its best to give
kids a post-graduation support group.
MR. BEGICH talked about his history working with graduates of
the program.
5:27:20 PM
MR. OGLE-ENDRESEN said that he feels good about the RF program.
MS. NISSEN said that the job issue is a good example of how no
one system can solve the whole problem. Youth employment
coalitions are interested in the RF because it prepares the kids
for employment aid; a youth leadership opportunity is what kids
need to become productive members of communities.
CO-CHAIR DAVIS commented that Mr. Ogle-Endresen seems to have
made opportunities for himself.
5:29:49 PM
She added that she hopes expansion of RF will be possible, and
thanked the committee for the presentation.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH said that she likes hearing from young
men and women who have opportunities to advance themselves and
their lives. She complimented Mr. Ogle-Endresen on his
testimony.
5:31:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER said that children can't be given self-
esteem; one has to learn it.
CO-CHAIR DAVIS asked if the program wanted to ask for anything
from the committee.
MR. BEGICH said that he wants to see the legislature share in
the program and be supportive of it; funding needs to go to
evidence-based programs; eventual resource reallocation may be
needed; and innovative change needs to be embraced and accepted.
CO-CHAIR WILSON said that the committee has been working on
health care spending for months, and using results-based
programs has been one of the main goals. There being no further
business to come before the committee, she then adjourned the
meeting at 5:36:43 PM.
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