Kenosha County

Career assessment and counseling services are provided through the Kenosha County Job Center. Increased self-awareness and occupational information facilitate better employment and career decisions for program referrals and the general public. A wide range of assessment tools are used to measure reading and math levels, training potential, vocational abilities, computer skills, and work related interests and values. Both paper-and-pencil tests and computer software assessments are available. Additional services include transferable skills analysis and assessment of workplace interpersonal skills. Career resources include interactive computer software programs, occupational videos, and printed materials. One-on-one discussion with staff is the key element in assisting individuals to develop a realistic employment or career plan. For referrals from such programs as Wisconsin Works (W-2), Food Share Employment & Training (FSET), Workforce Investment Act (WIA), and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), a comprehensive report is developed for case management detailing results information and recommendations for individual employment plans.

The Comprehensive Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program (CADTP) is designed to work with adults who have abused or are addicted to heroin and/or alcohol and have a history of criminal behavior or psychiatric hospitalizations. Through intensive case facilitation, medication assisted treatment and alcohol and drug counseling, the program provides participants with the necessary skills, resources and treatment to become more productive members of society. The program works closely with the Department of Human Services' Division of Aging and Disability as well as other community based agencies to access resources for housing, employment, transportation and economic support.

This program is responsible for ensuring that coordination occurs across disciplines in the investigation of child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse and severe neglect. Program goals include minimizing the trauma of the investigation for child victims and facilitating appropriate therapeutic intervention for victims, perpetrators and families. The CO-RE Coordinator regularly convenes multi-disciplinary team meetings with representatives from the Kenosha County Department of Human Services, law enforcement, Juvenile Court Intake Services, the District Attorney's Office, the Victim/Witness Program, Probation and Parole, Kenosha Unified School District, community service agencies, and the medical and mental health communities. The CO-RE Coordinator also provides training for team members and the community at large.

This program is a joint venture with Juvenile Intake Services (JIS) and works with youth on deferred prosecution agreements (DPA). The program is designed to provide additional support to youth at risk of having their DPA revoked and being referred to Juvenile Court. Successful completion of the agreement means that the youth is not formally prosecuted in the already overburdened Juvenile Court. The program also helps locate families who do not show up for their initial appointments with JIS. These youth were formally referred to court when they did not appear for this appointment. This service is an additional attempt to keep minor offenses from being referred to court.

The Electronic Monitoring Program (ELM) offers an alternative to incarceration and out-of-home placement for juveniles in Kenosha through the Kenosha County Division of Social Services. ELM is an effective tool for the monitoring of a client's adherence to court order or case manager restrictions. The monitor creates an electronic record of client movement to confirm compliance with house arrest or curfew. Violations are reported to workers on a daily basis. Clients usually are on the program for 15 – 30 days.

The program provides intensive case management services to children with severe emotional disabilities (SED) and their families who are at risk of psychiatric inpatient hospitalization or other out-of-home placements. Case management services incorporate the wraparound model of service delivery using multi-disciplinary treatment plans to identify needed services, document case files in accordance with MA regulations, commit to the concept of families being equal partners, development and coordination of services based on families strengths as well as their needs. This multi-disciplinary team model includes the family as equal partners, case managers as mediators, family advocates and others selected by the family as members of the team, as well as representation from community providers (mental health/ AODA/schools/juvenile justice/child welfare). Referrals can come from the Department of Human Services, Crisis Intervention programs, schools and/or the community. Outcomes of service plans will be evaluated by satisfaction of families as well as other indirect outcomes such as school GPA, reduction in school tardiness, reduction in delinquencies, and individual based goals in the Plan of Care.

This program provides home-based, intensive family treatment that addresses the multiple determinants of serious antisocial behavior in youth who are involved in the Kenosha County Juvenile Court System. Referrals are received through the Court Services Unit of DCFS. The program is designed to involve therapists intensively with the families of referred youth through multiple weekly contacts in the home and other community settings that will allow assessment of the impact of the multiple systems in the ecology of the family. Interventions are designed to address sequences of interactions within those systems that maintain the identified problems. The therapist will use the strengths in those systems as levers for change. The design of this program is based on the Multisystemic Therapy approach. The primary goals of this program are to reduce delinquent behavior, prevent out-of-home placements, and to improve family functioning in such a way that the family is able to maintain those improvements after program involvement is ended. The program is designed as short term with a targeted average of five to six months of service.

Community Impact Programs has developed a comprehensive Foster Parent Training Program designed to educate foster parents on relevant social welfare issues and social system practices. This program utilizes innovative and effective strategies to train foster parents. Educational opportunities include a full range of courses on all aspects of foster care and parenting. Local "experts" are solicited from agencies and organizations to present material to foster parents. Foster parents with particular experiences are frequently matched with the expert presenters. This collaborative training method not only educates foster parents, it builds peer support and assists foster parents with community networking, enabling them to fulfill their foster child's individual needs. The training program is culturally sensitive and designed to meet the training needs of foster parents of all races, religions, and backgrounds.

The purpose of the Gang Resistance and Service Projects Program (GRASP) is to reduce gang activity in Kenosha County by incorporating interventions to address the range of personal, family and community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and gang activity. This program plans and facilitates incentive-based educational, social, family, recreational and community services that are intended to provide at-risk or gang-involved youth, under the age of 18, with a positive alternative to gang and/or delinquent activity. GRASP also works directly with youth ordered to perform community service work or restitution through a Juvenile Court order or deferred prosecution agreement. Work performed by youth is age appropriate and focuses on building skills for future employment.

The Home Detention Program provides frequent and consistent monitoring of youth detained in their homes or other non-secure living arrangements. Home Detention serves as an alternative to secure placement for juveniles in need of added structure and monitoring. The program monitors compliance with court ordered or case manager mandated restrictions placed on youth prior to (and after) the court disposition hearing. Staff contact youth one to two times daily at home or school. Youth who are given a curfew are placed on a contract that requires them to call staff from their home at their assigned curfew time. Staff randomly call back after the assigned curfew to ensure compliance. School attendance is checked on a daily basis. Violations are reported to case managers daily. Attendance printouts and client contact summaries are delivered to case managers weekly and are available at every court hearing. Youth can be on the program as long as the court deems necessary, but involvement is usually 30 – 60 days.

This program works with families referred from the Department of Children and Family Services’ (DCFS) Child Protective Services and Ongoing Unit to maintain safety in homes where children are at-risk for removal. This program works collaboratively with Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, under the direction of the DCFS Ongoing Social Worker. Teams are assigned to families and address a wide range of concerns including safety, parenting, household management, nutrition, safe and stable housing, service acquisition, education, employment, medical, mental health and substance abuse issues. Emphasis is placed on helping families develop formal and informal systems of support and resources.

The Intensive Aftercare Program (IAP) provides services to youth placed out of their home in corrections, residential treatment, foster care and treatment foster care. IAP works with the youth and the institution or foster home to ensure that an effective plan of care is established to address the current treatment needs so that the youth can be returned home or to a less restrictive placement as quickly as possible. IAP staff attends all case staffings and reviews. They also visit the youth in placement minimally once a month to monitor their progress. IAP provides transportation to families so they can be a part of their child's treatment. IAP also provides transportation for home visits in addition to daily monitoring of youth while they are home on visits. Once youth are released from placement, IAP staff will monitor their compliance with their aftercare plan for a minimum of 90 days. IAP also provides services to child welfare families whose children are currently in or at risk of being placed in foster care. IAP works with families who are close to completing their conditions of return.

The Intensive In-Home Services Program provides services to families involved in the formal social services system for abuse, neglect, truancy, and/or delinquency issues. The program also provides services to families at-risk for similar problems. The program strives to preserve the family, reduce out-of-home placements, and aid in reunification where necessary. Parent mentors, therapists, youth support specialists and substance abuse counselors provide intensive in-home services to families to address such issues including, but not limited to mental health, alcohol/other drug abuse, parenting, and family conflict. Referrals for this program are staffed with the Service Review Team (SRT) for case planning and consultation.

The Intensive Supervision Youth Competency Program is designed to address the needs of youth adjudicated by juvenile court, whose problematic behavior puts them at risk for an out-of-home placement. This program uses the concepts of positive youth development to provide services to help youth successfully complete their supervision, commit no new delinquent acts, improve decision making, and assist parents in establishing clear, consistent rules and age appropriate expectations.

PSG is a registered vendor with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to provide services to DVR consumers in Employment Readiness Evaluation, Job Preparation and Job Development, as well as Career Assessment. An Employment Readiness Evaluation provides an assessment of an individual’s job readiness through an in-depth review of their resume, application, references and interviewing skills. A report with recommendations on improving their job readiness is submitted to a DVR Counselor to assist them in developing an Employability Plan. Job Preparation includes all the activities necessary for individuals to become job ready, including resume development, successful interviewing techniques, using the Internet for job search, creating cover letters and thank you notes, and practicing relevant job seeking skills. Job Development is the application of a consumer’s job readiness skills to secure employment. Often times, a paid work experience is necessary to hone an individual’s work skills before obtaining unsubsidized employment. Staff works with employers to arrange for work experiences and/or job placement, matching consumers to positions for successful outcomes.

This program provides services to first time and low to moderate risk offenders through Deferred Prosecution Agreements while filling gaps in services for youth who commit a drug relate offense while in school, but are retained for prosecution, and expecting teens suspected of using alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy. Youth screened and found eligible are referred to Professional Services Group's outpatient clinic for further assessment and treatment.

Resource Development Program is responsible for the recruitment and retention of foster parents and child care providers for the Kenosha County Division of Social Services. Licensing and certification studies are conducted to examine qualifications of applicants and ensure all State requirements are met. The Resource Development Placement Coordinator locates appropriate foster homes for children when out-of-home placement is necessary. The Placement Coordinator, as well as the Foster Parent Trainer, act as "troubleshooters" to lend help and support to foster parents in an effort to maintain placements and retain foster homes.

The Bridges Program is a joint effort between the Kenosha County Division of Social Services and the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD). The focus is on students that have been expelled from their school and have gotten approval from the school board to attend the center. We also service first time delinquents, status offenders, and other "at risk" juveniles who are violators of school attendance requirements. The Bridges Program utilizes a number of resources sequentially, progressing students back into the conventional school environment. Participants are regular education students between the ages of 12 and 18. The program is intended to be a short-term interim placement for struggling students who need one-to-one attention in order to plan for graduation and career preparation and to re-engage in an appropriate educational environment. This program is designed to allow the instructor to work with students and their families to determine the appropriate educational option available through KUSD. This process includes an in-depth review of the educational history of students as well as individual assessments to ascertain students' academic strengths and to assist in career-preparation planning. Limited academic instruction is available through independent study in a modified schedule, including PLATO computerized curriculum, until an appropriate comprehensive educational setting can be determined. Our philosophy, derived from Native American tradition, focuses on "The Circle of Courage" as the cornerstone of creating a positive educational climate for today's discouraged youth. The "Circle" affords students the opportunity to achieve success by touching on four areas of personal growth: The spirit of belonging; the spirit of mastery; the spirit of independence; and the spirit of generosity.

The TIME Program was developed in 1985 as a self-contained, complete, alternative school to meet the needs of adjudicated, emotionally disturbed and other high risk youth who are unable to function in a conventional educational setting. The program was developed, in part, out of a growing concern over the high drop-out rates of emotionally disturbed youth who were also experiencing difficulties within their families or with the Juvenile Justice System. Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse counseling, anger management, individual, group, and family therapy is an accepted part of the daily curriculum. As a result, it is not uncommon for individual students to be involved in one or more treatment related activities on school grounds, as well as the home or clinic setting. Our philosophy, derived from Native American tradition, focuses on "The Circle of Courage" as the cornerstone of creating a positive educational climate for today's discouraged youth. The "Circle" affords students the opportunity to achieve success by touching on four areas of personal growth: The spirit of belonging; the spirit of mastery; the spirit of independence; and the spirit of generosity.

The Treatment Foster Care Program recruits, licenses, and trains foster parents to provide homes for high-risk/special needs children and adolescents who are considered at risk for medium to long term placement outside of their natural home and/or community. Professional program workers provide social work and other support services including emergency on-call availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week, weekly individual, group and/or family mental health and/or AODA counseling and foster family problem solving and needs resolution meetings.

High School Liaison Program: The High School Liaison Program's prevention and intervention efforts address the needs of youth (ages 14-17) who are currently at-risk for academic failure or dropout. This program provides services for youth and families referred by Kenosha County Department of Children and Family Services, Prevention Services Network (PSN) and Kenosha Unified School District. Liaisons are stationed at Tremper, Bradford, Reuther and Indian Trails High Schools. Middle School Liaison Program: The Middle School Liaison Program's prevention and intervention efforts address the needs of middle school aged youth who are at-risk for truancy, academic difficulties and delinquency. Many of these identified youth will also be at-risk for gang involvement as well as alcohol and drug abuse. Services will be provided to these youth and their families at Bullen, Lincoln and Washington Middle Schools. Elementary School Truancy Reduction Program: Services are provided to families that assist parents in engaging in their child’s education in order to reduce their child’s truancy and promote educational success. Elementary staff will work with families to create individualized strategies and support services in order to provide concrete supports to parents to prevent truancy, ultimately resulting in increased success for students.