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Organization: Exchange Club CASTLE Program Name: Safe Families Funder: Children ' s Services Advisory Committee RFP# 2006061 3 . Briefly describe how your program addresses the stated need/problem. Describe how your program follows a recognized "best practice" and provide evidence that indicates proposed strategies are effective with target population. The stated need or problem is child abuse and neglect. Safe Families prevents child abuse and neglect by replacing patterns of abusive behaviors with non-violent, positive approaches to parenting ; and by establishing long term supports so that families remain abuse free long after involvement with the program ends . The family' s relationship with their counselor is a critical element to the success of the program. Over the course of the program, the counselor guides, supports, and teaches the parent to create a nurturing, healthy environment for their children. Best practices for home visiting programs include intensive services over a long period of time, a focus on parenting skills, frequent observation of the home situation, and frequent review of the family to determine the need for and intensity of the service. Safe Families incorporates all of these best practices .` Here are conclusions from six independent studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of the home-based model of preventing child abuse and neglect: "There is strong evidence to recommend home visitation to reduce child maltreatment""" "Home visiting has a higher retention rate (70-90%) than center-based services (60-70%) "The positive effects of early home visitation re-emerge when the children reach age 8 "" "In Pinellas County Florida, parents enrolled in a home visiting program had abuse rates of 1 .6% as opposed to non-enrollees who had a rate of 4. 9%"x "Home visiting programs that target high risk and/or low income mothers and children are effective and return from $6,000 to $ 17,200 per youth"x' "Home visiting is an effective method to prevent the re-abuse of children""" In addition, the CASTLE is participating in a national study on the effectiveness of the Safe Families model of child abuse prevention that will begin in the fall of 2006 . 4. List staffing needed for your program, including required experience and estimated hours per week for each staff member and/or volunteers (this section should conform to the information in the Position Listing on the Budget Narrative Worksheet). Safe Families Program Manager — 22% of time - MA/2yrs. supervisory experience in field. Safe Families Supervisor — 22% of time - BA/lyr. supervisory exp . in field. Safe Families counselors (3 . 0 FTE) — 100% of time - BA/2 years exp. in services to families . Parent Ed. Sup ./Case Mgr. 36% of time — 2yrs . teaching exp. Facilitator 100% of time 1 yr. exp . Secretary/Receptionist — (3 ) 67% of timel year secretarial experience. HR Specialist 13 % of time - BA — 2 years HR exp. Bookkeeper 10% of time 2 yrs. exp. Development Director/Comm. Rel . Coord. 11 % of time — 2 years experience. 5. How will the target population be made aware of the program? Families are made aware of the program through referrals from agencies, schools, parents, the Dept. of Children and Families, and United for Families. In addition, the CASTLE participates in local outreach/networking efforts; the CASTLE participates in National Child Abuse Prevention Month; and the CASTLE affiliates with many local businesses through fund raising. 6. How will the program be accessible to target population? Families are visited in their homes, with no required visits to the CASTLE administrative offices . To enroll in the program, all a parent must do is call the office. An intake screening is done over the phone. If the family seems appropriate for Safe Families, a home visit is scheduled within the next 48 hours . Referrals from other sources are accepted by fax or by mail. CASTLE offices are opened from 8 : 00am - 5 : 00pm. Home visits are scheduled weekdays, and weekday evenings . 7