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Hibiscus Children Center Crisis Nursery Program Children Services Advisory Committee <br /> Be PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire Section B not to exceed one page) <br /> 1 . a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? <br /> The abuse, neglect, or abandonment of children. Sadly, the devastating effects of child abuse go <br /> far beyond its immediate physical and emotional impact on the child. The impact permeates <br /> throughout the child' s entire life cycle . Abused children show higher rates of school <br /> delinquency and failure, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, early entry into the criminal <br /> justice system, and domestic violence . <br /> b) Who has the need ? <br /> Families and children, birth to 18 , who are at risk of maltreatment due to a crisis and who need a <br /> wide array of intervention and support services in order to keep the family intact and the children <br /> safe. <br /> c) Where do they live? <br /> Services are provided to children and families in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee <br /> counties. The program criss-crosses socio-economic boundaries since families of every <br /> ethnicity, community, and social class can experience a crisis that places their family at risk. <br /> d) Provide local, state or national trend data, with reference source, that corroborates that <br /> this is an area of need. <br /> ❖ According to the Annie Casey Foundation, 8 out of every 1 , 000 children will at some point <br /> enter the child welfare system. <br /> ❖ Currently, there are over 1 ,763 children under the supervision of our local Department of <br /> Children & Families . <br /> ❖ Since its inception in 1994, the Crisis Nursery Program has served over 11 , 000 children and <br /> families throughout the Treasure Coast. <br /> ❖ The Kids Count Databook ranks Florida as 34th out of all of the United States in terms of <br /> children' s issues <br /> ❖ According the Florida' s Children Needs Assessment 2003/2004 , at least three out of four <br /> Treasure Coast Counties rank below the state average in the following categories : Child <br /> Death Rate ; Rate of Serious Mental Illness ; Rate of Job Growth; Percent of Students with <br /> Out-of- School Suspensions; Percent of Abused Children Removed from Parental Home ; <br /> Percent of Children on Waiting List for Subsidized Childcare ; and Percent of Two Parent <br /> Households <br /> 2. a) Identify similar programs that are currently serving the needs of your targeted <br /> population; b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted <br /> population of your program. <br /> There are no other programs providing specialized family support and respite services in the four <br /> county area to children and families at risk of child maltreatment. <br /> 5 <br />