The Local Management Board (LMB) for Children’s and Family Services in Kent County is launching its 2012 Needs Assessment, and it is inviting the community of Kent County to participate. “This is an opportunity for Kent County community members to participate in a process that will develop the kind of data that will enable us to show the State and other funders what our needs are. We want to identify strategies that are currently working and learn what is needed, so that we may fill the gaps of services for children and families,” saysdirector Hope Clark.
The Needs Assessment will gather data from the community as well as from quantitative studies that show statistics around eight result areas identified by the Governor’s Office of Children. They are: Babies being healthy, Healthy children, Children enter school ready to learn, Children are successful in school, Children complete school, Children are safe in their families and communities, Stable and economically independent families, and Communities that support family life. These result areas will be discussed with professionals in the field of services to youth and families as well as in community groups, in order to understand the story behind the data. This information will create the LMB’s strategic plan for the next three years.
As part of the Needs Assessment process Community members are invited to fill out a survey to share their experiences and ideas about life in Kent County for children and families on their updated website https://www.kentcountylmb.com/survey.htm.
In addition, the Kent County LMB will host four Community Meetings in Galena, Rock Hall, Betterton and Millington to hear from stakeholders about concerns they have about children and youth in Kent County. These meetings, facilitated by local community development consultant Jennifer Hicks, are open to the public “These meetings are a good way to directly connect with families and organizational partners and increase their involvement in the process, so they are more likely to be continually involved. We as a community have to be creative to figure out the solutions that will work for us locally.”
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