 Innovative Partnership Links Public, Private, Native Non-profit Agencies April 24, 2002
"I am pleased to see the State of Alaska join hands with Casey Family Programs and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska to directly and significantly improve the lives of Alaska Native youth," said Knowles. "With the best interests of Alaskan children as our guide, we can look forward to a long and fruitful partnership." Each partner to the agreement will participate in the design and implementation of an integrated program for delivering culturally competent services to Alaska Native children, youth and families. The partners will pool their resources to provide additional staff, training, services, technological support, and other kinds of support to the families served. The agreement's centerpiece is a commitment by Casey Family Programs to assist specific children and youth by providing resources and support that the State and Central Council of Tlingit & Haida do not provide, so that Alaska's Native children have every opportunity possible to lead healthy and well-balanced lives. "It is with great pleasure that we join our State and Tribal partners in this work and see our efforts come to fruition," said Ruth Massinga, President and CEO of Casey Family Programs. "As we look to the future, we are hopeful that the services and programs initiated by this partnership will continue to grow and evolve so that increasing numbers of Alaska's Native children, youth and families will receive the support they need to succeed." The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida is a key partner in the agreement. Central Council provides family and youth services to Southeast Native children and youth. Under the agreement, Central Council is responsible for managing daily program operations, in addition to other responsibilities. "Our administrative and support staff have worked hard to increase the level of services we provide," said Ed Thomas, President of Central Council of Tlingit & Haida. "Yet we acknowledge that there just are not enough resources to meet all the needs of our people. We see this collaboration as building a spirit of cooperation to protect our children." The State of Alaska participates in the agreement through the Division of Family and Youth Services, which provides funds for the design, development and implementation of the program, technical expertise and training, and other key supports to the program. "The signing of this agreement is a very historical event for DFYS, Tlingit & Haida, and Casey Family Programs," said Theresa Tanoury, DFYS director. "By working together we can achieve outcomes for these kids that we couldn't achieve otherwise." The agreement came about as a result of a conversation between Casey Family Programs and the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida about the fact that over 70% of the children in state custody in Southeast Alaska are Alaska Native. After many meetings and discussions, the two partners formed the Alaska-Northwest Native Partnership (ANNP) in 2000. In 2001, they began working with the state Division of Family and Youth Services to expand the ANNP and to develop an effective service delivery model for working with Native children, youth and families across all jurisdictional lines.
Source of News Release:
|