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Bourbon County Interagency Coalition General Membership Meeting Minutes   November 6, 2024  

Bourbon County Inter Agency Coalition monthly meeting.

Bourbon County Interagency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Minutes

 

November 6, 2024

 

 

  1.  Welcome:  Seventeen members representing sixteen agencies attended the meeting held at the Scottview Apartments Conference Room.

 

 

  1.  Member Introductions and Announcements:

 

 

 

  1.  Program:  Jenna Stout, SEK Area Director, Safe Families for Children

 

Safe Families for Children works with churches and community members to recruit vetted, background-checked volunteers who can host vulnerable children to support families while they are facing a crisis. Safe Families for Children’s goal is to keep families together. Safe Families can help parents in jail, those receiving mental health services, addiction treatment, etc.  Safe Families works to prevent child abuse, child welfare deflection (approx. 50% of referrals come from DCF), family support, and stabilization.  Safe Families is a faith-motivated, family-focused organization.  They partner with local organizations, keep a database, and can provide liability insurance for volunteers. Safe Families for Children is a national organization which began in 2003. Local efforts have picked back up after Covid.  This program is not foster care. It’s not court-ordered, it is completely voluntary, and parents must request Safe Families services.  Parents don’t lose custody while their child is with a host family. The Safe Families program has an approximate  95% reunification rate.  While children are with a host family, Safe Families tries to coordinate parental in-person visits at least weekly. The average placement is 2 weeks, but placements can be as short as day hosting.  If you have a family in crisis, they can call the intake line.  A 24-hour notice for placement is preferred, but exceptions can be made.

 

  1.  Open Forum:  Nothing further came before the membership.

 

 

  1.  Adjournment:  The next General Membership meeting will be on December 4, 2024. 

 

 

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