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HIGHLIGHTS OF MINUTES
November 10, 2006
Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI
President’s Report
Correspondence
President Tom Matykowski reports he will be meeting with WJOA in the near future to continue discussions on improving the working relationship towards a joint conference in the future.
Case Problems
Information was requested from any county or individual who has experienced using the appeals process listed by the Interagency Agreement for Courtesy Supervision. No Board members were familiar with the appeals process. Board members are encouraged to ask other staff personnel in their respective counties and provide information if available.
Looking for information on programs that address bully behavior in school settings. Board members report that Shawano County has a reputation for having a good program. Other information provided that training has been provided by Mike McGowen on this topic.
Concerns regarding the possibility of a county contracting out custody intake services. Board members all agree this is controlled and monitored by State Statute. Any changes in this would require a change in the State Statute.
Other Business
Looking for information on funding sources that are tied into the eWisacwis system. There was brief discussion regarding the ongoing difficulties that exist with DHFS and Maximus regarding defining what makes a placement official and how this should be documented. This will be an ongoing issue.
Department of Corrections Report
Gretchen Kubnick reports that the Act V trainings are set to start on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. She reports that they are doing approximately 18 trainings in the next 14 days. Gretchen provided a handout with updated information. She encourages Board members to report back to their counties informing them of the trainings and they should check out the information on the Department of Corrections website. She also reports that if the trainings are completely filled and there is a need for more, the Department could provide additional trainings.
The second topic Gretchen provided information on was also addressed at the Department of Corrections Technical Advisory Committee meeting regarding a Federal Act that was passed into law addressing placements in correctional and residential centers that will affect juveniles. The act is the PREA (Prison Rate Elimination Act). The concern raised by the Department is that it could increase investigations for workers regarding the increase in reported sexual contact between staff members and residents. Gretchen also reports that the local sheriff’s departments are responsible for training regarding this new act that has been passed into law. Gretchen reports that Mary Belle Revoy has additional information and can be contacted through her Department.
Committee Reports
Conference Committee
Conference 2006 had very good attendance and the Board is in good financial position for the upcoming conference. Working on finalizing the contract for the 2007 conference in Stevens Point scheduled for September 26-28, 2007. The Conference Committee is also working on exploring the use of CD-Roms at future conferences to eliminate printing costs and using less paper,
Conference Site Committee
Continuing to look at additional sites for upcoming conferences.
Newsletter Committee
Current issue of Prima Facie has been sent to the printer and will come out shortly after Thanksgiving.
Curriculum Committee
Committee has continued to review the testing questions for intake worker training. The Curriculum Committee is looking for ideas for the upcoming advance worker training scheduled at Stevens Point.
Position Statement Committee
Position statement on 17 year olds in the Juvenile Adult System versus the Adult Court System has been completed, and requests Board to review and vote on accepting the position. All members present vote to accept the current position statement regarding allowing 17 year olds to remain in the Juvenile Justice System.
Membership Committee
199 members at the conference and 208 members overall. The issue of allowing a two-year membership possibility to address counties where workers are only allowed to attend every other year is continuing to be discussed at the current time.
Training Committee
Training completed in September 2006 went very well. All of the attendees passed with an average of 87 and there were good reports received on the trainers and facility. The upcoming training for November 2006 is currently full. The January 2007 training is filling up fast. The April 2007 training will be conducted at a new facility at a much lesser cost. The Training Committee will continue to look into options to help reduce training costs.
Legislative Committee
Both of the legislative sponsors for the Threat to Harm Social Worker Bill were not re-elected in the current elections. The committee is looking for new sponsors to present the bill to the State Legislature.
Regional Meetings
Region 1
Meeting on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. The goal for the upcoming year will be to improve their attendance and get more counties in their region involved in meetings.
Region 2
Also working on getting more attendance and reaching out to counties in their region. Their next meeting is scheduled for January 2007.
Region 3
They met on October 6, 2006. A representative from Lincoln Hills School was present, Mark Frost was present and provided information. They had very good attendance. Their next meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2007 in Chippewa Falls.
Region 4
The next scheduled meeting is January 26, 2007.
Region 5
Scheduled to meet on November 14, 2006. Gretchen Kubnick is scheduled to present information from the Department of Corrections.
Region 6
Scheduled to meet on November 16, 2006 in Madison..
Region 7
No report.
Special Assignments
WCHSA
Items primarily discussed were the upcoming Act V trainings and how this could affect juveniles and their families and potentially affect victims that are also within the same family as the offender, regarding the possibility of community notification.
Department of Juvenile Corrections TAC Committee
Discussed included concerns regarding Milwaukee County experiencing an increase in competency hearings.