Adolescent Substance Abuse Coalition (ASAC) – The LMB supports the Kent County Adolescent Substance Abuse Coalition (ASAC) with the help of a Drug Free Communities Grant. The mission of ASAC is to lead and coordinate community partnerships toward preventing, delaying, and reducing the use of alcohol and tobacco, and eliminating illicit drug use among Kent County youth. The aim is to engage the community in an inclusive partnership that guides our youth in reaching their full potential and becoming productive citizens through positive youth development. ASAC supports the Post Prom party; provides information about drugs and alcohol in the middle schools, the high school, and at community events; purchased Preliminary Breath Test Instruments for the Kent County Sheriff’s Office; and has purchased and made available to the public a Smoking Aging Simulator package (used at four events in seven months). Youth involved with ASAC have created anti-drunk driving websites and posters, as well as artwork for coalition use. ASAC has purchased a full page ad in the KCHS Basketball Booster magazine. ASAC ran an Anti-drunk driving campaign in Kent County News, Christmas time & New Year’s Eve. ASAC has also an invited guest column on underage drinking and driving in the Kent County news. ASAC is working to infuse the Developmental Assets Model into all aspects of life in Kent County. ASAC is working with youth to develop leaders who will share a no-use message with their peers. Activities include the Rock Hall Drug Prevention Day, Plant the Promise, Post Prom Party, Rock Hall Fall Fest and the Parks & Rec Fall Fest.
Chesapeake HELPS! – The Kent County Local Management Board, in conjunction with Local Management Boards in Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline, and Dorchester Counties, fund Chesapeake HELPS! Chesapeake HELPS! is a gateway to services with resources and referral information available to all residents of the mid-shore area. Resource specialists answer calls, assess needs, and navigate callers to appropriate resources. They also follow up to make sure callers have been connected to the resources and are satisfied with the services received. Families assessed to have a child with intensive needs will be connected to a Family Navigator, who will accompany the family as they access services and are comfortably into care management.
Community Center Authority – The LMB has been a key supporter of the proposed Kent County Community Center by providing funding to support project planning. While funds cannot be used for “bricks and mortar,” funding has paid for studies, surveys, architectural drawings, and meeting costs.
Developmental Asset Guide and Community Resource Directory – Periodically, the LMB produces guides or directories listing information of interest to our community. Please see
"Kent County Developmental Asset Guide and Resource Directory, 2006-2007", and "What to Do When There’s Nothing to Do”.
Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) – The IAC exists to find and link families to available resources in their community. The committee consists of ‘front-line’ workers from the School System, Health Department, Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities, Juvenile Services, Social Services, the Local Management Board, and a Family Navigator. The IAC provides these agencies with the ability to refer a family for services to support a child who is struggling at home or in his or her community. If the child is at-risk for out-of-home placement, the IAC will refer the family to the Local Coordinating Council (LCC) for more intensive collaboration.
Local Coordinating Council (LCC) – The LCC coordinates services for children in need of residential placement and children with intensive needs. The LCC is comprised of representatives from Juvenile Services, Developmental Disabilities, Behavioral Health, Board of Education, Social Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services, the local Core Service Agency, the Local Management Board, and a Family Navigator. The LCC reviews referrals to both in and out-of-state residential placements, along with referrals to the Community Services Initiative (CSI) program. The LCC makes recommendations for plans of care, including placement and level of care, with the ultimate goal being to find services and supports to keep the youth in their home and community.
Kent County Health Needs Planning Group - The purpose of this group is to identify Kent County health needs and to plan strategies to address them, especially as they relate to substance abuse and mental health. This will position Kent County to have a competitive plan in hand to respond to potential funding opportunities, especially from the MD Community Health Resources Commission.
The Inter-Regional Resource Development Committee (IRDDC) – The purpose of the regional IRRDC is to focus and prioritize needs across the System of Care on the Eastern Shore for kids who are in need of high risk placement or services. This group will work regionally to identify and submit proposals for funding that will better serve the needs of children and families in placement on the Eastern Shore. In FY07, money was secured by the Eastern Shore Local Management Board’s to increase capacity of group home and respite services for both boys and girls on the mid-shore.
Kent County Leadership in Action Program (K-LAP) – The Kent County Judy Center Partnership, with support from the Local Management Board for Children’s & Family Services of Kent County has convened a workgroup of community partners to address the issue of Children Enter School Ready to Learn, a priority result area as identified by the State of Maryland. The workgroup will create an action agenda, with the goal of improving Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) data trends for children in Kent County by providing them and their families with the tools they need to enter school fully ready to learn.
Kent County Needs Assessment – Local Management Boards are required to conduct a community needs assessment every 4-5 years to identify the strengths and gaps in services within the community. The needs assessment is compiled using local data, key informant interviews, youth focus groups, surveys, and community forums. This “snap shot” gives us an indication as to where resources may need to be leveraged to impact certain indicators and result areas. Currently, Salisbury University is completing the needs assessment for Kent County, and will become a working document for strategic planning by the Board.
Kent County Truancy Diversion Task Force – The Kent County Truancy Diversion Task Force was created in April 2007 in response to a grant opportunity in the areas of absenteeism and truancy issues in the State of Maryland. Although the LMB has successfully been awarded a Truancy Diversion Grant from the Governor’s Office for Crime Control and Prevention, continuation of this task force is a significant component of the grant in any efforts of sustainability and meeting of established goals. This task force meets quarterly to review data associated with target indicators in the grant, and continuously reviews county information to address gaps in programs to meet the reduction of absenteeism in Kent County.
