Forging partnerships to meet family needs

School Administrator, August, 2004 by Elaine C. Klein

Imagine a program in which caring school professionals help families cut through bureaucratic red tape when dealing with county agencies to meet the various needs of children that might otherwise interfere with their learning.

In Frederick County, Md., that program is known as Community Agency School Services, or CASS. Run by the school district, CASS is a network of 10 licensed master's-level social workers, one assigned to each high school feeder area. Last year they worked with more than 700 families of at-risk children from infancy to age 18 to provide affordable, accessible resources and support. In addition, they handled another 1,200 requests for information and referral to other services, such as counseling, health care and housing. They place an emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

The social workers do not act alone. The unique aspect of the program is its numerous partnerships forged over 12 years with local municipalities, county and state government, the health department, juvenile justice agencies, mental health providers, the department of social services, churches, community charities, businesses and citizens.

Identifiable Community

How does a small school system enlist these partners? It started as one school leader's response to his own frustration. David Markoe, an associate superintendent at the time, was fed up by the social and economic obstacles to student achievement facing families in the community. He envisioned a collaborative effort involving all of the agencies working with children and families. He set out to enlist their aid, one agency at a time. He started with a call to the director of the county's department of social services, saying, "Let's have lunch!"

Markoe, now executive director of the Frederick County YMCA, repeated this scenario with the heads of seven other agencies or departments. He also enlisted the support of local government representatives. Once he had shared his vision and had an agreement at least to explore the concept, he brought them together. The agency heads committed to be partners, developed the CASS model and then looked for funding. Initial support came from grants from the Carnegie Foundation and the Maryland State Department of Education.

The group agreed that the Brunswick area of the school district should be the initial target site due to its relative isolation and lack of services and resources. Karol Strang, the first CASS coordinator and now the program's supervisor, points to the importance of starting such a program in "an identifiable community." Brunswick's mayor provided office space and introduced Strang to those in the community with resources and connections. CASS became a major unifying force, launching several community initiatives.

The agency directors who were instrumental in founding CASS became a governing board and offered program oversight. A key part of their partnership was the agreement to share information about clients--without the usual red tape that drives away families. Some agencies contributed personnel, such as social workers and nurses who hold office hours and clinics at the CASS sites. Pupil personnel staff and psychologists from the school district began working part-time out of the CASS office.

Once the partnerships with government-based agencies were established, the next step was to collaborate with private mental health agencies. Strang made the initial call and then brought in the associate superintendent to create a partnership agreement. Currently five nonprofit private mental health providers are located in 36 school buildings and five CASS offices.

Funding Expansion

The program's success in reaching needy families with school-age children led to other areas clamoring for their own CASS office. When the initial grant money ran out, Markoe proposed that schools become partners. Each school in a feeder that wanted a CASS office would contribute a percentage of their building budget to pay the coordinator's salary. At the same time, the county agreed to set up a special line item to pay the expenses of running each office, a practice that continues today. After several years the salaries were moved to a line item in the school system budget. The district has committed to fund a new coordinator each time a new high school opens, creating a new feeder area.

With the opening of each CASS office (we now have nine), the coordinator conducts a needs assessment with members of the community. Programs and partnerships are then developed for the unique needs of each community. Coordinators are responsible for enlisting public and private agencies, school personnel, businesses, churches and charities to help them in their work.

In 2003 CASS received approximately $1.2 million in in-kind donations. Additional donations for family support services came from individuals and community-sponsored events such as the Frederick County Bar Association Art Auction, local community 5K runs and fundraisers by churches, businesses and organizations.