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What's in the Light 1 On the Horizon A NEWSLETTER OF THE HARFORD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Volume 1 / Issue 1 Summer 2012 As a guiding force within our community, we actively pursueopportunities to support families,to empower people in need andto protect vulnerable childrenand adults.-HCDSS Mission Statement Stakeholder Survey In July 2011, HCDSS issued its first electronic Stakeholder Surveyvia the technology of Survey Monkey. Nearly 140 of the agency’scommunity stakeholders received a link to the 20-question survey by email. Approximately half of those recipients (68) responded by the close of the survey period. Some highlights of the resultsare:QuestionGood toExcellentQuality of Service 71%Professionalism of Staff 74%Program Knowledge of Staff 75%Program Effectiveness 74%Overall Satisfaction with HCDSS 77%The survey also gave respondents the opportunity to add free formtext to each question, which provided the HCDSS leadership teaminsight into specific areas of the agency’s strengths andweaknesses. One specific concern identified by severalrespondents was the wait time while using the agency’s telephonesystem. As a result, the HCDSS leadership team is working toaddress this concern to improve customer service. HCDSSappreciates the feedback of all its stakeholders and plans to issueanother survey via Survey Monkey in July 2012. ♥ Background andcircumstances mayhave influencedwho we are, but weare responsible forwho we become. What's in the Light 2 Greetings… With great anticipation and hopes for many newand exciting accomplishments over the coming years,this agency developed a revised strategic plan lastspring for the period of Fiscal Years 2012-2014. Anelement of that plan was the creation of a stakeholder newsletter to be distributed on a semi-annual basis.However, as stated in Robert Burns’ poem of 1785,“…the best laid schemes of mice and men go oftenawry…”. And so it has been with the creation anddistribution of this agency’s first ever newsletter directed to you – our stakeholders. We are a “bittardy” and beg your indulgence!It is my belief, however, that the old adage of “better late than never” applies and that you will findthe articles and information contained herein of meritand interest. We are a key organization within our community and have often been characterized as the“mother ship” by other agencies. We are an economicdriver with an annual disbursement of over 65 milliondollars within our community through our multiple programs, funding streams, operating budget, etc. Weare an essential element of the safety net for our community through our social service deliverysystems. We are in many ways a “pocket of excellence” in our overall service to our Harfordcounty community as well as the state of Maryland.We are an agency proud of our heritage and humbledto be of service to those in need as we strive to assuresafety, permanence and well-being for all!So, I hope you enjoy and find the contents of our newsletter meaningful and I look forward to our continued work together over the coming months.Jerome M. Reyerson, LCSW-CDirector 2011-2012 H ARFORD C OUNTY DSS A DVISORY B OARD M EMBERS Mikki Hogue, ChairCindy Weyant, Vice-Chair Argie Araujo Tonya BasnightIrmgarde Brown Susan BrownCourtney Cromwell Joy HooverMarlene Lieb Keisha StevensWillie Walker Tamara ZavislanDion Guthrie, County Ex-OfficioBoard Meetings are held the third Thursdayof the month (September–June) at 6:30p.m. in the Bel Air DSS conference room. ***********************************Harford County Department of Social Services2 South Bond Street, Suite 300Bel Air, MD 21014Phone: 410-836-4700 Fax: 410-836-4945***********************************Child Support Office101 South Main Street, Suite 200Bel Air, MD 21014Phone: 410-420-6400 Fax: 410-638-8990***********************************W.A.G.E. Connection975 Beards Hill Rd, Aberdeen, MD 21001Phone: 410-297-9243 Fax: 410-297-6134***********************************Child Advocacy Center 23 North Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014Phone: 410-638-3294 Fax: 410-638-3296*********************************** Martin O’Malley, Governor Anthony Brown, Lt. Governor Theodore Dallas, Secretary What's in the Light 3 Who Are We? The Harford County Department of Social Services (HCDSS) is one of twenty-four State agenciesoverseen by the Maryland State Department of Human Resources (MD-DHR). The departmentreceives federal, state and local funding to provide a broad variety of human services to the citizensof Harford County including Child Welfare and Adult Services, Child Support Enforcement andFamily Investment economic support services. HCDSS is further overseen by a 13-member Advisory Board, including representation from the Harford County Council. HCDSS has four office locations including the Bel Air headquarters, Child Support, WAGE Connection and ChildAdvocacy Center. The agency employs approximately 179 staff led by Director Jerome M.Reyerson, LCSW-C, a social worker with over 30 years experience in Child Welfare. ♥ New Legal Representation On April 1, 2012, the firm of Love, Fleming & Bearsch,LLC, began representing HCDSS before the HarfordCounty courts in matters of child welfare and adult services.Love, Fleming & Bearsch, LLC, was awarded a three-year contract with an additional two option years by theMaryland Board of Public Works, following a formal procurement process completed by HCDSS in early 2012.Lead attorney Laura Bearsch is optimistic about her firm’swork with HCDSS: We are looking forward to our work with the Department and to furthering the goal of reunifyingfamilies, when possible, and to protecting the interests of our most vulnerable citizens, the children and vulnerable adult members of our community. The previous contract for this service had been awarded to the law firm of Bolton & Kearney, P.A. ♥ New Leadership at the WAGE Connection In January 2012, Rosalyn Taylor was hired as the Office Manager of HCDSS one-stop welfare-to-work center, the WAGE Connection, in Aberdeen. Ms. Taylor can be reached at 410-297-6250 or
[email protected]. In April 2012, Jonita Shoaff joined the partner staff at the WAGEConnection as Harford Community College’s Program Coordinator. Ms Shoaff can be reached at410-297-6220 or
[email protected]. ♥ Child Care Ending at the WAGE Connection Since the WAGE Connection opened in 1998, the Y of Central Maryland has provided on-site childcare services to customers conducting business at the office. This service ceased in June 2012 dueto a change in the Y’s business plan. For the duration of this partnership, Kaye McMillan hasoverseen these services on-site. HCDSS thanks Ms. McMillan and the Y of Central Maryland for the wonderful services offered to its customers and their children over these many years. ♥ Laura Bearsch and Jeff Burger What's in the Light 4 Performance-Based Contracts Initiated for State FiscalYear (SFY) 2013 To ensure that the State of Maryland’s contracts increase vendor accountability and reward theachievement of positive outcomes, the Department of Human Resources is now requiring thatcontracts for SFY 2013 include performance-based components. In response, HCDSS worked withits partners to develop performance measures pertinent to each project’s scope of work as newcontracts were being prepared. Depending upon the type of services being offered, a portion of vendors’ payment will be based upon the achievement of stated performance measures. ♥ New Technology Promises Efficiency This spring, technology is blossoming at HCDSS in the way of two new projects that offer to speed processes in Child Welfare, Child Support and Family Investment. Dragon Naturally Speaking, aspeech recognition software developed by Nuance, is being implemented to assist Child Welfarestaff in completing case notes in an expeditious manner. As the worker dictates a narrative, thesoftware transcribes it directly into a Word file. The more the software is used by a worker, themore adept it becomes in recognizing the individual’s voice. A second project called EnterpriseContent Management System (ECMS) will be implemented in the Child Support and FamilyInvestment divisions in May. This system will introduce scanning to the agency, allowing workersto scan customer documentation to a secure server, reducing reliance on paper and improving accessto customer data. ♥ HCDSS & Partners Prepare for Third Annual FosterCare Summer Youth Employment Program HCDSS, in partnership with the Susquehanna Workforce Network (SWN) and the MarylandDepartment of Natural Resources (DNR), will provide a summer employment experience for asmany as 18 youth placed in Foster Care in Harford County. The program is a part of the establishedDNR Maryland Conservation Job Corp (CJC). The Harford County CJC is a six-week programoffering job and life skills training while engaging youth in conservation service projects in theSusquehanna State Park in Harford County. The program uses the power of nature and outdoor experiential activities to enrich the lives of youth and foster an environmental stewardship ethic inthe participants.The youth will spend their work days employed in various conservation service projects at the park.Examples of conservation projects include: building a fishing pier, cleaning and widening hikingand walking trails, building and repairing picnic tables, trash removal, building park benches andgenerally cleaning and maintaining the park area. Full uniforms, breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided to the youth. Fridays are spent in enrichment activities designed to foster a sense of appreciation of the value of parks and environmental stewardship ethic in the participants. A one-night camping trip to a state park is also a part of the program, providing many of the youth their first experience with the many rewards of camping.
