Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is May 1-7

While those of use working in the juvenile justice system often see the behaviors and challenges that children with mental health problems bring to us, we often see them too late, perhaps do a cursory job of assessing needs, and often turn to an ill-equipped service system too late. Advocates note that (1) only a small percentage of children who really need mental health services actually get those services when they need them, (2) a lot of the kids we see in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems do have diagnosable and treatable issues if we can identify them soon enough, and (3) we know more than ever about the cost-effectiveness of timely screening, assessment, and intervention with these children – working with the child and family at the right time does make a difference.

If you are looking for something to share with others in your community and in your system, check out Children’s Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know, published in 2010.

JFC Plans Long May 3rd Session on Budget Issues

The Joint Finance Committee’s second executive session on the budget bill, which will be on Tuesday May 3, will cover 30 different topics. You can find links to all 30 by clicking here.

Among the many topics on the agenda are a couple of DHS issues (including the Well Woman Program), library aids and several other DPI issues, one PSC issue (stray voltage), the Historical Society, the State Treasurer’s office, American Indian Economic Development, the Investment Board, eleven different DOT papers, and several issues relating to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI).

A Wisconsin Budget Project blog post today has a partial list of the specific topics, including links to particular papers.

Jon Peacock

4K Under (False) Attack Again by State Senator

In an April 26 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, “State ranks 6th in prekindergarten access," Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) was quoted as saying, "As Wisconsin has added more 4-year-old kindergartens, our fourth-grade reading scores have plummeted." The graph below clearly shows that his assertion is completely false. 4th grade reading test scores for Wisconsin as a whole have stayed steady, with 80% or more 4th graders at advanced or proficient reading levels.

DHS Schedules April 28th Meeting in Kimberly to Get Input on Medicaid Cuts

The Department of Health Services (DHS) announced yesterday that it will hold another town hall meeting to gather input on Medicaid budget cutting from consumers, community partners and providers. The meeting will be on Thursday, April 28th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Liberty Hall Conference Center in Kimberly (800 Eisenhower Drive).

Finance Committee to Begin Budget Decisions on Tuesday

The Joint Finance Committee will hold an executive session on Tuesday, Apr. 26, to begin voting on various parts of the biennial buget bill.  You can find a full list of the topics to be considered and the links to those papers on this part of the LFB website. 

Read on for a partial list, which focuses on the topics that are more relevant to kids and families, and which includes a link to each of those Legislative Fiscal Bureau papers.

Unauthorized immigrant households pay taxes in Wisconsin

A tax day report by the Immigration Policy Center details the amount of taxes paid by the state’s unauthorized immigrant households last year.  According to the IPC, “Tax Day is an appropriate time to underscore the often-overlooked fact that unauthorized immigrants pay taxes.”

In 2010, Wisconsin households headed by unauthorized immigrants paid $94,455,196 in personal, property and sales taxes.

To view the report visit: Unauthorized Immigrants Pay Taxes, Too: Estimates of the State and Local Taxes Paid by Unauthorized Immigrant Households (IPC Special Report, April 18, 2011)

Amid Good News – Lest we Forget!

We have been pointing out all the signs of good news – of success – in the juvenile justice world in recent years. With fewer and fewer kids being placed in secure institutions, arrest rates declining, detention populations declining, and formal delinquency petitions declining, something seems to be working. But that apparent good news has to be tempered with an ever-vigilant reminder that we are not successful until we are successful for all.


A recent release by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), titled A Crisis Ignored, illustrates how progress for some does not mean progress for all – in this case as it relates to unemployment for the black community. Declines in unemployment in the country as a whole are not reflected in the changes for black Americans, particularly young men. This may be a harbinger of things to come – or at least a recognition that our youth, those that are at-risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, are affected by what they see around them. Economic gains that leave out parts of our communities will surely make our issues with DMC worse in the years to come.

ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICIES: A PUNITIVE PRACTICE THAT DOESN’T WORK IN THE SCHOOL SETTING.

In a recent publication, Multiple Responses/Promising Results: Evidence-Based Non-Punitive Alternatives to Zero Tolerance, Child Trends examines the pitfall of zero-tolerance policies and practices in the school setting and highlights alternatives that promote positive outcomes for children and youth. This brief reveals that zero-tolerance policies providing for explicit, predetermined punishments to specific violations of school rules without regard to any situational factors, is highly correlated with a host of negative outcomes for children, including higher drop out rates and lower academic achievement and standardized test scores. Promising alternatives include prevention based programs that target at-risk students, cognitive-behavioral training programs, and those that focus on social-emotional learning. A common goal of these programs is positive youth development rather than punishment or merely preventing or minimizing negative behaviors.


Learn more about Child Trends at http://www.childtrends.org/!

OJJDP's 2011 Conference for Children's Justice & Safety

On October 12-14, 2011, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will host a national conference on outstanding issues in the juvenile justice community. Keynote and breakout sessions, as well as plenaries, will address and promote evidence-based practices that incorporate emerging concerns in prevention, juvenile justice and victimization. Topics to include the following:
• Children’s Exposure to Violence
• Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategies
• Crimes Against Children
• Disproportionate Contact of Minority Youth
• Emergency Planning for Juvenile Justice
• Faith-based and Community Strategies
• Girls in the Delinquency and Victimization Systems
• Law Enforcement Partnerships
• Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
• Mentoring
• Substance Abuse
• Tribal Youth Programs and Strategies
• Truancy and Bullying
• Youth in Custody and Juvenile Reentry

Click here to register! Registration for this event is FREE!

Direct any questions about registration to conferencesupport@nttac.org.

Live Webcast about the State Budget on April 12th

Log on to view and listen to our live webcast about the impact of the proposed state budget on children and families, Tuesday, April 12 at 10a.m.

In his presentation, Jon Peacock will examine the portions of Gov. Walker’s proposed 2011-13 budget that affect children and families, with particular attention to the potential impact of cuts in health care, early education, and local aid, as well as changes in taxes and revenue.

 

Here's the link: http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/mediasite5/Viewer/?peid=830e441fbf4b4235be658795d7dbf7311d

Budget Bill Proposes 10 Percent Cuts in At Least 48 Health Programs

Governor Walker’s biennial budget bill proposes 10 percent cuts in most of the Department of Health Services’ appropriations of state General Purpose Revenue (GPR) and Program Revenue (PR). These cuts – totaling about $7.7 million per year – include 48 different appropriations, listed on pp. 249-250 of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau Summary of the budget bill.

In the DOA letter released last Thursday, the Walker Administration proposed a long list of mostly technical amendments, but those recommendations included exempting one of the 48 health programs from the proposed 10 percent cut. As we explained in a WI Budget Project blog post on Friday, the so-called “errata” letter recommends restoring the proposed cut of $222,800 in the Well Woman Program. While that is certainly welcome news, it served as a reminder to take a closer look at the long list of other health programs that are still slated for 10 percent cuts.

DOA Submits Proposed Budget Revisions/Corrections

A letter submitted by the Walker Administration to the Joint Finance Committee on March 31 seeks numerous changes in the governor’s proposed 2011-13 budget bill. A new Wisconsin Budget Project blog post summarizes requested changes relating to programs for kids and human services, including the proposed modifications relating to school revenue limits, teacher residency requirements, the Well Woman program, a lapse of fundingfor the Dept. of Children and families, the Brighter Futures program, and the Medigap Hotline.

Read the post here.

Jon Peacock