- Thank you again for having us and my name is Ali.
I'm joined today by my boss and supervisor Beth Truzansky,
who has the knowledge and expertise about this grant,
this collective impact work that we've been doing
about SUD over the past three years.
And yes, we will be able to answer any of your questions
at the end, probably, right?
And for now, let's allow Beth to get us started.
- Great. Thank you.
We'll try and be brief so that we can answer questions,
Ali, if you wanna advance to the next slide.
Just really briefly, Building Bright Futures
brings early childhood partners together,
really looking to improve the lives of children and families
and recognize that a gap in services
was certainly around how to bridge
the adult treatment system and the early childhood system.
And so the idea really came out of
the Chittenden Regional Council.
These are Early Childhood partners
who come together more or less monthly
through the Building Bright Futures network.
So today, we wanna talk to you about
this project that we've been convening partners
around over the last four years really,
with support from University of Vermont Medical Center,
a community health improvement grant,
collective impact grant funding.
Why BBF was really the convener
and talking about project strategies and partners
really to create that system of care
that we've been talking about
this morning, supporting families.
So, you can move to the next slide, Ali.
So just really briefly, making systems work for families
is a project that is still continuing.
We're just finishing up our final year in funding
but the gaps would've been and so really focusing in on
parenting support through play groups
and kind of where family where families are getting support
also looking at helping families access childcare,
mental health services, et cetera.
Next slide.
The other structural piece that I wanted to mention,
is that we really built it as a community of practice.
So, in terms of bringing these partners together
on a regular basis over the last, we had one year
of a planning grant and then three years of implementation.
So using BBF structure and this is what
Building Bright Futures is charged under
state statute to really be the convener
around early childhood.
And in this case, we're talking about prenatal
through age eight is our focus.
So Building Bright Futures doesn't do the direct service.
We're bringing partners together to address those gaps
to monitor at what we call
the Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan,
which is the strategic plan and bring together partners
in the responding to those gaps.
So, this is an image that demonstrates our key charges.
Next slide.
- Yep. Thank you, thank you, Beth.
And I think what really striked me
about the presentation from Dr. Andrew Johnson
that she talked about is basically making sure
that we are not working in isolation,
that we are working collectively
in order to better support children and families
in the state and across support.
Like Beth also shared, BBF is a natural convener.
And I feel like over the past years
they have done an incredible job bringing the key partners
in trying to identify the issues
relating to substance use disorder
in order to better help children and families.
You know, and I think part of our partners in this work
are CCR, Child Care Resource.
You know, we also have Howard Center as well.
KidSafe Collaborative, I believe
they're doing another session.
We also have NCIS that is also based
in Franklin and Grand Isle county, a different county.
And also Howard Center as well.
And one of our goals and strategies is
community of practice.
Convene people, monthly meetings, and to break down silence
and work together to develop and move forward
with annual strategies and action plan.
And I think in these convening community meetings,
community of practice, it's about also our partners,
what do they really need?
And BBF as a backbone organization, for example,
will also work in bringing a training that are needed
and required in sometimes hearing the perspective
of new Americans about substance use disorder, et cetera.
You know, I think goal number two
is to coordinate parenting support,
coordinate intensive eyes.
And in order to better help support families
you have to provide some type of incentive
as to why they should be there to learn and grow
and to promote community based parent
and caregiver support programs across settings.
And also, most importantly to strengthen families
protective factor framework.
And you'll hear more about what does it really do.
And also childcare, as we know that building bridges
through childcare, through establishing retro pathway
to childcare resources and promote the role
and as regional childcare navigators,
it is a key need in our community.
And let's talk about now the goal number four,
is about to provide the training,
to develop training opportunities for families
based on professionals to come together
and build a common language, ready stigma,
and connect the family centered
and multi-generational system or support.
These trainings are key.
And sometimes they come from the perspective
of the service providers, of sometimes the people
that they serve and sometimes just because we are hearing
great, wonderful presentations, such as Dr. Johnson,
in order to bring that person to provide
the training necessary.
Parent engagement, nothing can be done.
We in this world now without bringing parents
and let's say also caregivers in general,
to engage them in their children education,
in their health and work across setting to capture
the true needs of caretakers and children
to the family voices is at the center
of everything that we do.
Outreach also, and communication is key in developing
for a network of communication to ensure
that partners and stakeholders continue to work together,
develop new strategies, align efforts
and know how to get updates and be involved in the project.
Yes, so here are snapshots of some of our activities
and some highlights.
So for example, Howard Center, and like Beth said,
this afternoon at the project scope
we will have a panel of discussion with our partners.
You know, Howard Center will be there.
KidSafe Collaborative will be there as
as well as Headstart (indistinct).
So, the Howard Center goal to is
Shifting Chittenden Clinic's Piggyback program
for filter parenting support during COVID-19.
COVID has made us learn and think differently
about service program delivery systems
and building up on offering of flexible one on one
check in with families.
Grant has helped to supply developmentally
appropriate tools, activities support one to one families
which assist in creating a more family centered approach.
And you see, you can read the codes that we have here
from the people that have (indistinct).
(cat meows)
So another goal that we have here,
is a Champlain Valley Head Start, which is a federal
and childcare, basically program, Head Start program,
that here is to promote and support the expansion
of their new resilience based family education program.
Work Your Journey Together developed
by Devereux Center for Resilient Children.
Virtural groups are currently in the way
and will open up to more to the community, this space.
So as you know, we are in the swing
and they have already provided.
So as we talked about it earlier,
every month these providers will come together
to provide updates and this Journey Together
is doing extremely very well.
And we have also another (indistinct).
(door closes)
So, we also have childcare resource and Beth,
you're more than welcome to add anything
you would like as well.
Yeah, so here we have childcare, you know
with the goal three, now SUD Community Providers
and partners will gain understanding about the resources
to utilize a direct pathway to childcare.
So early CIS, Children Integrated Services,
early intervention, specialized childcare,
childcare subsidy, CCR implemented referral tracking system
which is used to report back to the Network
and reference resources, utilization, and trends.
So basically any parents who are experiencing
substance use disorder who are in treatment,
I feel like it makes it very easy now for this organization
check their resource to track basically,
who are we supporting
in terms of childcare, for example, right?
And also CIS early integration.
Yeah, integration and specialized childcare as well,
such as family support, right?
I think it also has been amazing and our partner,
(indistinct) will not be able to make it at the panel
but basically I think the partners can talk more
about what they do as well.
Yeah, KidSafe Collaborative, the CHARM program,
it's goal two, and six, support the launch and goal,
the Family Court Treatment pilot program,
which started in April 1st, 2021.
Their priority is to offer families immediate access
to treatment and team support
through a collaborative court-based process
with frequent and individualized judicial oversight
and team accountability.
So the CoP has agreed to support this pilot
and incentives for families.
Basically, families will receive one incentive,
they also would receive basically a lot of support
in terms of family treatment court as well,
which is amazing and you'll hear more in details later.
Substance misuse training, as we talk about,
these trainings are critical and several BBF SUD partners
were identified to participate
in statewide substance misuse training, etcetera, right?
The panel discussion, for example,
that we are currently planning with our partners,
so we think that by June seven, right, 2027,
by June 7th of next month, we'll be having,
we'll be hearing the stories
of those who are experiencing substance use disorder.
And some of them actually have heard from them today,
but we have several other women
from the (indistinct) community,
from also the LGBTQIA community,
as well as just parents to be able to tell their stories
about treatment and recovery.
So in closing, the past two years
of the collective impact grant circle,
we collaborated with the city of Burlington, Safe Recovery,
Department of Health prevention division,
and former partners.
So the panel will share their recovery stories
from where their addiction came from
to their recovery journeys and what should be improved
in the system for a better care.
And for information, we are pretty confident
that we'll share with Julie,
and all the people that brought us here together
in order to extend the invitation forward.
So, maybe (indistinct) can...
- Yeah, I mean, I think as, you know, in closing,
when I think about this project,
what's been really cool, is the opportunity
to bring partners together who are doing similar work,
but because, and in some cases are sitting around
the same tables, but to really come together
in a kind of growth development mindset of,
okay, so let's gather information to really understand
where the gaps are and what the family's experiences are,
to have the kind of, some flexibility and funding
to be able to fill gaps in a way that previously
we're unable to, with the hope that we then have
some information that if we are providing families
with the supports that they need,
is that really kind of helping them.
So, we did have some measures in terms of impact
and both about serving families,
of course through the pandemic,
impacted how things were delivered,
but it's also relational, right?
It's building the connections of the service providers
to be able to even work more collaboratively in the future.
So as I'm thinking about those of you
who are directly serving families
and just extend an invitation that if you're seeing trends
in gaps for families, that there is a place to go
to be able to share your observations
and the Building Bright Futures regional councils
are really a place where you can share
some of those observations and trends
or contacting myself or Ali.
And we have network of regional councils across the state.
We have 12 that mirror the AHS region.
So, just sharing a bit about this model
as a way to really think about how we pull people together
to be able to address some of these
unique experiences of children and families.
- Thank you.
And I feel like we have couple minutes left
and we were wondering if people have questions
or some of our partners also if they have anything to add,
that would be valuable as well.
And thank you for having us.
And if you don't mind,
I can take the screen sharing out, right?
- Thank you both so much, that was really wonderful.
And it's a wonderful overview.
And I think it is important to kind of highlight
the regional areas as a way to bring any gaps
that we're noticing.
'Cause I think sometimes we notice things
and we just don't know where to take those concerns.
So that's a wonderful resource there.
We do have some time.
So, again, we're in a smaller group,
if you feel comfortable to turn on your camera,
if you wanna raise your hand, ask a question,
if you wanna put it in the chat, I'm happy to read it.
So let's open it up.
- As people are kind of tuning back in
and coming on screen, if you can,
I also wanna mention that one of the projects that was done
about a year and a half ago was a parent survey.
And both the, I think being able to gather information
from families was really important,
but the methodology was equally as important.
And in this case it was a peer delivered survey
in the sense that the survey, it wasn't a survey
that was conducted by Building Bright Futures.
It was Building Bright Futures, engaged with key partners
to be able to do the interview verbally
with families to be able to get input.
And that proved to be really important I think,
so that there was more engagement as well.
So, you know, just being able to lean into sometimes
slow is fast and fast is slow, right?
Like it's important to be able to lean into the process,
to be able to really engage families and get their input
in a meaningful way.
Other questions or observations?
- Well, Beth, I love that you highlighted that,
that's a wonderful resource to get really good feedback.
I know we struggle with surveying families
or even community partners or providers
because how do you fill in a survey monkey
in a way that will be useful information
to take forward and promote meaningful change?
So that's, what a wonderful way to elicit
good feedback that's actionable.
- And compensating families for their time, right?
Just because they're participating in a program
doesn't mean that we're entitled to ask them
to countlessly respond to surveys.
And so that is something that we're really trying to value.
Building Bright Futures also conducts
a family engagement assessment across
the whole early childhood stakeholder groups
with some frequency.
And so, that's something that we're just getting ready
to do next fall, again.
Ali, I wonder if you wanna talk a little bit
about the panel that you're planning
as kind of the one last piece to this project.
- Yep. Yeah, thank you.
And I think the panel, I mean, is already,
we have now brought new partners that initially
worked with us in the beginning, such as you know,
the City of Burlington, the Department of Health,
and we are planning a panel,
possibly it will take place on June 7th.
And we are thinking of having five different panelists
from different socioeconomic backgrounds
that are in recovery or in treatment
in order to tell their stories.
Because the idea and the goal behind it,
is there may be many people just like them
who are struggling in silence, who may not be aware
that there are so many resources available
for people who would like to access people.
And when we approached these panelists, as you know,
it was not easy conversation for, with us and them,
basically these are their stories but also being able to
give them all the tools necessary for them to be comfortable
in sharing their story with the wider network,
with the state of one I think it would be valuable.
And we have five sets of questions
and the questions are specific
to where the addiction is come from.
For example, in general, what was it like,
what has changed when they become addicted
to any substance, basically.
Were there any successful stories that they can tell
of people who definitely supported them
in during the struggle, right?
And also, what is a message that they have
for those who are struggling in in silence
in their own network.
And basically what are the lesson learned,
things that they wanna advise
to the next generation, et cetera.
And I feel like we've been meeting every Friday now
for let's say, over the past six weeks.
And then we think that the panel will take place on Tuesday,
June 7th during work hours.
And we would love, Michelle, for you also to explain,
once the program, everything is ready,
to also pass on to your network.
Because we will be hearing from the perspective of those
who are struggling with this, who are in recovery,
for those I think it would be important for providers,
those who are supporting them,
to also hear these stories as well, yeah.
- And I think we are happy to share that with our network
because I think it really helps us all to remain engaged,
it refills our cups and reminds us
why we continue to do this work.
And so, I love it.
Send the details, we'll push 'em on.
- Wonderful. Thank you.
And also, you know, I forget to mention,
that it's not only going to be the panelist only,
but we'll also have a keynote speaker.
You know, someone with expertise and knowledge
about this subject also to at least
use of words of wisdom about this.
- Awesome, well, thank you both so much
for presenting this information.
We look forward to hearing a little more
from you a little bit later as well.
And I know that we are gonna close out
the rooms here momentarily.
You certainly can also click the button to leave the room
and go back to the main room.
We have one more, we're on the home stretch.
We have one more talk to go. (laughs)
So excited to wrap up this conference.
- Thank you, Michelle and Julie for having us.
- Oh, it's great to have you guys.