New Year Recipes              

The Wilcox County

Children’s Policy Council

Officers:         Jo Celeste Pettway, Juvenile Judge, Chair

                         John Lisenbe, Director Dept. of Human Resources, Vice Chair

                        Rutha Philllps, Dept of Human Resources, Secretary

Members

The local juvenile judge, Jo Celeste Pettway, chairs the Wilcox County Children’s Policy Council.  In addition to the Juvenile Judge, other persons from the local offices of state agencies such as the Director of Human Resources, Superintendent of Education, the District Attorney, Chair of County Commissioners, Juvenile Probation Officer, the Sheriff, and a representative from each of the following are mandated members: Mental Health/Retardation, Youth Services, the ABC Board, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Medicaid Agency, the DPS, and the Health Department.  Along with local child advocates, parents, and citizens, these people make up the Wilcox County Children’s Policy Council.  The Wilcox County Children’s Policy Council has been operational since December 2000.

The duties of the Council are:

·        To review the needs of children;

·        To review the responsibilities of each agency by law;

·        To determine areas of responsibility and identify areas of duplication and/or conflict between agencies;

·        To identify local resources;

·        To develop (in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs) and update annually, a local resource guide listing available services to children and the procedure to access those services.

·        To articulate and communicate to the local community the needs of children; and

·        To submit an annual report to the Administrative Office of Courts, DCA, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama.

·        This report should include local needs, services provided and recommendations for the county by the county’s children policy council (Alabama Code and Legislation, approved May 22, 2000).

The County Needs Assessment and Resource Guide

The Wilcox County Policy Council has developed a county needs assessment and community resource guide.  In the needs assessment the Council listed the three most important outcomes for their area and identified collaborative strategies to address those outcomes.  The Council is proud of these accomplishments.  The assessment is a list of stated goals that the Children’s Policy Council will address and attempt to remedy.  The assessment allows the Children’s Policy Council to look for funding based on the stated objectives and apply for funding from the Children's First Trust Fund and other state sources to meet their goals.  Wilcox County was among the first to submit the necessary information to the State for publication.

The Wilcox County Family Resource Council took the initiative in compiling the appropriate information for the resource guide.  The Children’s Policy Council is truly thankful to them for all their hard work and dedication on this project.  A copy of the guide may be obtained by contacting either the District Judge’s Office at (334) 682-4619 or the Family Resource Council at (334) 682-5150.  Also, a copy of the guide can be found on the web at www.kids.state.al.us.

Other Projects the Council are Pleased to Report on Are:

(1) The hiring of a Youth Development Facilitator, Mrs. Kenyatta Y. Ray.  Mrs. Ray was hired in September of 2002.  She was hired to assist the Council efforts in uniting community agencies, schools, and businesses through networking and collaboration.  For additional information on the Youth Development Facilitator, please visit the YDF web page. 

(2) Obtaining its 501 (c) (3) status for the non-profit entity of the Children’s Policy Council.  By obtaining this status, the Council is now in a position to pursue funding opportunities.  The non-profit is called the “Wilcox County Children’s Fund, Inc.”.  The officers of the Fund are:

                   Mr. William Pompey, Chair

                    Rev. Lonnie Brown, Sr., Vice Chair

                    Mrs. Rutha Phillips, Secretary/Treasurer

A special thank you is extended to Mrs. Phillips and others for their hard work on the 501 (c) (3) committee.

and

(3) The development of a Grant Writing Team.  The Grant Writing Team will be responsible for writing grants for the entire county.  The Team is comprised of members of the Children’s Policy Council.  Some of the members of the Team are already experienced grant writers, and will enhance the effectiveness of the Team tremendously.  The Team is always seeking and benefiting from additional training to make them an effective asset to the efforts of the Children’s Policy Council.

The Wilcox County Children’s Policy Council

“Committed to Bettering the Lives of Wilcox County’s Children”