Suffolk County Youth Bureau

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Suffolk County Youth Bureau
2009 Strategic Plan Steve Levy Suffolk County
Executive
Louis A. Medina, MSW Executive Director
H. Lee Dennison Building, Veterans Memorial
Highway, Hauppauge, New York 11788 [phone]
Fax [phone]
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Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
  
  
• Summary
• Youth Bureau Executive Director, Louis A. Medina,
  MSW
• Directory of Staff
• Organization History and Profile
• Mission, Vision Values
  
• Goals and Objectives
  
  

2 3 4 5 6 11 15
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Summary

• The overall purpose of the 2009 Suffolk County
  Youth Bureau Strategic Plan is to provide a guide
  of what the future holds for our youth serving
  contract agencies. Our agencies serve over
  400,000 youth in Suffolk County and provide
  funding for 184 agencies and through contingency
  funds supports 300 plus organizations. Suffolk
  County has the largest youth population in New
  York State, outside of New York City. The
  Suffolk County Youth Bureau conducts monitoring
  and evaluation of youth programs, research,
  planning information, referral, and technical
  assistance for community based organizations.
  

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A Letter from the Executive Director

• Dear Agency Director
• After reflecting for much of 2008, we at
  the Suffolk County Youth
• Bureau have put together a strategic plan
  for 2009. The relevance of our
• plan to the contract agencies is to look
  at the overall needs of our most
• valued resource, our youth.
• Now More Than Ever, we need to provide
  resources, training, and guidance so that our
  agencies and organizations are equipped and
  focused
• on youth development and skills for our
  youth populations which continues
• to grow.
• It is my hope that this document will be a
  guide to you all and that all agencies will
  utilize it to impact on how you will provide and
  expand your services to meet the needs of our
  children in the 21st Century.
• Together we can achieve more.
• Sincerely,
• Louis A. Medina, MSW

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Directory of Staff

• Leonard Bianco
• Kathleen Compitello
• Matthew Kinsella
• Rosa Montella
• Patrick Policastro
• Pamela Ward

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Organization History and Profile

• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau was established
  as a distinct entity within the Office of the
  County Executive over a quarter century ago under
  the provisions of Local Law 28-1974. Since 1979,
  the Youth Bureau has operated in accordance with
  the State of New York Office of Children and
  Family Services Comprehensive Planning Agreement.
  This agreement significantly expands local
  participation in planning and augmenting youth
  services.

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• Essentially, the Youth Bureau staff conducts
  monitoring and evaluation of youth programs,
  research and planning, information and referral,
  and training and technical assistance for
  community based youth organizations. More than
  180 youth programs are funded through the Suffolk
  County Youth Bureaus regular budget stream, as
  well as over 200 programs on a contingency funded
  basis. These programs serve Suffolk Countys
  youth under the age of 21. Currently there are
  4,943,648 youth under the age of 21 living in New
  York State.

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• Maintaining this service delivery system is a
  mammoth undertaking given the fact that Suffolk
  County has the largest youth population in New
  York State outside of New York City.
  Approximately 400,000 persons under the age of 21
  reside in Suffolk County. It should be noted
  that this number amounts to nearly 30 of the
  Countys total population.

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• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau, in
  coordination with other County departments,
  strives to protect the rights and welfare of the
  youth in Suffolk County. It also acts to ensure
  their physical, social and educational well
  being. It is the belief of the Youth Bureau that
  every child and family residing in Suffolk County
  is entitled to a system of services which
  provides support, nurturance, and an overall
  positive outlook on life.

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• The contract agencies of the Suffolk County
  Youth Bureau typically provide the following
  services Crisis Intervention, Informal and
  Formal Counseling, Temporary Shelter,
  Recreational/Cultural Programs, Employment
  Programs, Information and Referral, Advocacy,
  Educational Programs, Youth Hotlines, and Runaway
  and Homeless Youth Services.

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Mission, Vision Values

• Mission
• The mission of the Suffolk County Youth Bureau
  is to successfully meet the needs of Suffolk
  County Youth under the age of 21 by ensuring
  effective countywide planning, thoughtful
  development, and efficiency in the management of
  resources necessary to sustain the Countys youth
  service system.

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Mission, Vision Values

• Vision
• The Youth Bureau is a leader with an active
  voice and the cornerstone for youth development
  in Suffolk County.
• Our goals are
• To be an active network of Youth Agencies
• To be dedicated to the principles of positive
  and effective youth development
• To provide training and resources to ensure
  quality and core competencies for youth
  development.

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Mission, Vision Values

• Values
• All youth 21 years old or younger, will grow up
  in a healthy, substance abuse-free environment.
  Youth will be productive members of society and
  crime-free. They will achieve high academic
  status and be physically/mentally fit. Youth
  will be culturally sound.
• Every youth should be educated and able to
  meet the skills required to be a member in the
  21st Century workforce.
• Services must be provided for all youth and
  must be based upon assessment of particular youth
  needs.
• Decisions made based on the assessment of
  particular youth needs shall be decided and
  designed by Suffolk County. This is to avoid
  cookie
• cutter prescriptions mandated by the date.

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• Equity in funding ensures equal representation
  due to population-based funding. All agencies
  with diverse populations should receive equal
  funding.
• Full community participation as well as youth
  participation helps to ensure quality
  programming.
• The safety of youth is the utmost concern of
  the Suffolk County Youth Bureau. Youth should
  have safe, supervised places in which they can go
  in times of need.
• Agencies should be diverse and be able to
  provide a vast amount of services to youth.

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Goals Objectives

• Goal 1 To ensure the safety and well-being of
  the youth population in Suffolk County.
• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau will work
  collaboratively to
• Ensure that youth have programs and/or places
  available to them that provide a safe environment
• Ensure that youth are encountering a positive
  experience as a result of attending these
  programs/places
• Monitor staff at agencies to make certain that
  positive role models are responsible for the
  youth
• Ensure that youth are leaving these programs
  better off than they were before they attended
  them
• Ensure that all youth are receiving services,
  based upon an assessment of personal needs.

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Goals Objectives

• Goal 2 To research and plan accordingly to
  better the services offered to the youth of
  Suffolk County.
• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau will work
  collaboratively to
• Collect and analyze statistical data from
  agencies to ensure that programs are running
  efficiently and effectively
• Ensure all agencies are in compliance with their
  contracts
• Monitor and evaluate agencies that can benefit
  the youth of Suffolk County
• Prepare County contracts
• Research grants for certain programs/services.

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Goals Objectives

• Goal 3 To provide both information and referral
  for youth or general public in Suffolk County.
• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau will work
  collaboratively to
• Provide programs/services that can be utilized by
  the youth of Suffolk County
• Refer youth to places in which to go to receive
  guidance in a safe environment
• Provide information about agencies that appeals
  to the youth of Suffolk County
• Provide a Suffolk County Youth Bureau Newsletter
  which informs the community of upcoming
  youth-related events
• Provide a Suffolk County Youth Bureau website
  which informs the community in various areas
  (i.e. upcoming youth-related events, grant
  opportunities for agencies, a speakers bureau,
  links to community based organizations).

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Goals Objectives

• Goal 4 To provide training and technical
  assistance for Suffolk County Youth Bureau funded
  agencies/organizations.
• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau will work
  collaboratively to
• Offer training seminars to representatives of
  Suffolk County youth organizations to better the
  program/services rendered
• Offer workshops to educate cooperating agencies
  on certain skills (i.e. grant writing, conflict
  resolution, crisis intervention, etc.)
• Provide technical training to cooperating
  agencies (i.e. computer technical skills)
• Provide agencies with the promise that the
  Suffolk County Youth Bureau is available when
  agencies need assistance or further education in
  certain areas.

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Goals Objectives

• Goal 5 To fund youth programs in Suffolk County.
• The Suffolk County Youth Bureau will work
  collaboratively to
• Assist agencies in accessing funding, as
  available
• Ensure that funding is allotted to eligible
  agencies in Suffolk County
• Ensure that funding is aiding in the production
  of better services for the youth of Suffolk
  County
• Ensure agencies are in compliance with contracts
  made with the Youth Bureau.