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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indian River County-Children of Prisoners-CSAC of Indian River County B. PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire Section B not to exceed one page: Box will expand as you type) a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? The impact upon the children left behind when a parent is incarcerated is devastating. Children of incarcerated parents experience a range of emotions regarding the loss of their parent. They feel vulnerable and frightened and often respond with sadness, withdrawal, bad grades, truancy, discipline problems, mental health issues or substance abuse. Many children, including the very young ones, blame themselves for the parent's absence. Children of incarcerated parents are frequently moved from one caregiver to another. That kind of instability tends to keep them from settling down long enough to develop the trust it takes to ask for help. Statistically, a high percentage of these young people are also considered "economically needy". This compounds the problems they face as research reveals that students living in poverty are already more likely to develop risk factors linked to school failure and delinquency. Mentoring provides the opportunity to intervene in negative circumstances by steering young people away from destructive life choices. That' s where Big Brothers Big Sisters can get involved because we are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of children and youth through one-to-one mentoring with caring adult volunteers. b) Who has the need? The target population is 32 children (ages 6 to 15) will be identified with the help of groups such as Indian River County Schools, Children' s Home Society, United for Families, Gifford Youth Activity Center, IRC Sheriff's Office, the Department of Probation, the Department of Corrections and the Public Defender' s Office. c) Where do they live? According to the Indian River County School Board, they frequently live in neighborhoods characterized by economic and social deprivation such as areas in the 32948, 32960, 32962, 32967 and 32968 zip codes. d) Provide local, state, or national trend data, with reference source, that corroborates that this is an area of need. Locally in Indian River County, there are 439 children who have a parent housed in a State or Federal Prison. (Florida Department of Corrections — Bureau of Research & Data Analysis, 2006). Not only do these children suffer the burdens of incarceration, but the removal of the inmate family member statistically places them at a far greater risk of someday becoming involved in the criminal justice system themselves with as many as 7 out of 10 facing incarceration themselves. (Senate Report 106 — 404 : Departments of Commerce, Justice, & State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, 2001 . September 8, 2000, p. 56) 2. a) Identify similar urograms that are currently serving the needs of your targeted population ; Other mentoring programs, available in Indian River County include: Youth Guidance, RSVP, Community Church, Gifford Youth Center and "Take Stock in Children". According to a recent newspaper publication, Youth Guidance is currently serving 100 with one- to-one matches. Approximately 35 of those parents are incarcerated in local, state or federal prison. b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted population of your program. However, the need is clearly evident when comparing 35 to the 439 children and youth recorded on the roles of the Florida Department of Corrections. This need was further substantiated by results of a recent Indian River County Needs Assessment indicating that more mental health preventative community-based programs were needed to address the unique challenges of adolescents ' healthy social behaviors. Big Brothers Big Sisters will work hard to collaborate with the other mentoring programs and to ensure that there is no duplication of effort. 4