Dover, DE – The Delaware Senate today confirmed the nomination of Carla Benson-Green to serve as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, succeeding Jennifer Ranji, who was sworn in as a judge of the Delaware Family Court on November 24, 2015.  The Governor issued this statement following the confirmation:

“Carla Benson-Green has been focused on the safety and well-being of Delaware’s children and families throughout her entire career. Her compassion and experience will serve her well as she leads the Kids Department. I thank the members of the Senate for their vote of support.”

Carla Benson-Green has worked for the department since its inception

Wilmington, DE – Governor Jack Markell announced today he is nominating Carla Benson-Green to become the next Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF). Markell will submit his nomination to the State Senate for consideration during a special session on November 30. If confirmed, Benson-Green will succeed Jennifer Ranji, who was confirmed by the Senate during a special session on October 28, and will be sworn in as a judge on the Delaware Family Court later this month.

“Carla has spent her entire career serving the children and families of our state,” said Governor Markell. “She has been with the Department since its inception in 1982, taking on increasingly demanding roles and gaining valuable skills and experience in all of the areas in which DSCYF supports Delaware families. With her leadership, we will build upon Delaware’s progress in caring for our most vulnerable children.”

Benson-Green, whose career in child welfare spans over three decades, has served as regional administrator in the Division of Family Services (DFS) since 2001. Beginning as a front-line investigation worker in DFS, she has held several leadership positions within DSCYF, including supervising the Office of Child Care Licensing and overseeing caseworkers focused on investigation, treatment and adoption services.

“I am deeply humbled and honored to be nominated by Governor Markell to lead the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families,” said Benson-Green. “Having worked for the Department for 33 years, I know the important role the Department serves and the incredible commitment of the individuals who work there. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to building upon the strong foundation that has been laid to rehabilitate, treat, and protect Delaware’s children.”

In addition to her work with the Department, Benson-Green is active in her community, serving on the Harrington Senior Center Board of Directors and as co-administrator of the John Wesley Community Center.

Her commitment to serving others has been noted publicly. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Governor’s Team Excellence award for her role on the Court Improvement Project, and in 2013, she was recognized as the Iota Psi Chapter Omega Psi Phi Community Religious Leader of the Year.

Benson-Green graduated with honors from Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mental Health. She currently resides in Dover with her husband Ernest and two children, Nikia and Jalen.

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Wilmington – Governor Jack Markell, Secretary Jennifer Ranji of the Delaware Children’s Department, her staff, and nearly 70 other special guests braved the cold on Thursday, December 12th for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the Department’s new Juvenile Multi-Purpose Education Facility. The nearly 14-thousand square foot state of the art building, which sits on the Agency’s administrative campus near Newport, will be the new educational home for youth who are committed to the Department’s Level IV Residential Cottages.

The Cottages are staff secure residential treatment programs designed to meet the needs of adjudicated youth and assist with their successful transition back into the community. While in the Department’s care, the Cottage youth are required to attend classes daily. Their facility where the children currently attend school is aging, has limited space, little privacy, and limited access to technology. Education staff says research shows a 5 – 17 percent difference in academic achievement outcomes for students in poorly maintained facilities.

“The work the Children’s Department is doing with the youth in their care is making a difference,” said Governor Markell. “This building will allow the quality of the environment to match the quality of the educational instruction. Students will have access to better technology and additional programming, which will lead to greater success when they return to their communities.”

The new facility is wired for 21st century technology with smart boards and a computer lab. It has additional classroom space, a dedicated library/resource room for both youth and their parents, and dedicated rooms for art and physical activity. Many students in Department custody are significantly behind in the number of credits needed to earn a diploma. The updated technology will allow students access to online programs and increase opportunities for credit recovery and acceleration, and college level coursework.

The Department’s Education Unit staff already work with the youth on providing career readiness classes, honing interviewing skills, and creating opportunities for internships before they leave Cottage care. But they hope to increase opportunities for career exploration and job skill development, by expanding existing, or developing new, partnerships with businesses and non-profits in the community that help youth develop marketable skills.

“We cannot fully address all of the challenges that these youth will face when they leave – but if we can help them to gain resiliency, better decision-making skills, and improved academic status, and show them a path forward that they did not think was possible when they arrived, we will have provided them with critical tools to help them to be successful,” said Secretary Ranji.

The Department wants the facility to be much more than just a school though. The three Residential Cottages (2 for males and 1 for females) are operated by the Department’s Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services (YRS). YRS will use existing resources to staff the new building in the evening hours so that programming such as substance abuse education and treatment, Independent Life Skills Program, Mentoring, Parenting, and Anger Management classes currently conducted at each of the Cottages can be condensed and provided in one location.

Additionally, federal grants will provide the opportunity to create an Evening Reporting program to provide an alternative pathway for youth who are non-compliant with the terms of their probation. While there, they will receive a variety of trauma informed, evidence based services, educational support and treatment. YRS also plans to implement a comprehensive gun and gang violence intervention program through a partnership with the Delaware Center for Justice.

The new $5 Million dollar facility was funded as a result of the Capital Budget process through the Building Delaware’s Future Now Funding. The building was designed in accordance with Governor Markell’s EO 18 to design new state buildings to be LEED certified. The Department is pursuing Gold level LEED certification by mid-2014. Features such as the use of recycled materials in the flooring and other building materials, low flow fixtures to save on water usage, and automatic light dimmers to reduce energy usage were selected to increase the sustainability of the facility over the long term. The architect of record for the project was Buck Simpers Architects & Associates of Wilmington, and the Contractor was Emory Hill and Company of New Castle.

Youth from the Residential Cottages will begin using their new educational facility in January to begin their new term.
The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit www.kids.delaware.gov.

Wilmington – On Monday November 25th, Governor Jack Markell, and Lt. Governor Matt Denn joined officials from the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF/The Children’s Dept.) to announce the names of 12 organizations that have been selected to receive nearly $2.1 million dollars in after school and summer prevention program funds. The announcement was held at the Clarence Fraim Boys and Girls Club in Wilmington. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware is one of the funding recipients.

The initiative to support positive prevention activities for youth was part of Governor Jack Markell’s FY 14 Budget proposal. The General Assembly supported his budget request with $2.2 million as part of DSCYF’s budget for after school programs this session. This is the second round of funding allocated under the budget initiative. In September, a small portion of the budget was distributed to 13 organizations in the form of mini grants.

Applicants for the remainder of the funding were required to submit proposals that included evidence based practices or programs related to preventing youth violence and/or youth suicide. They were also required to include positive opportunities for youth that they might not otherwise have a chance to be exposed to. The grant recipients will be funded through June 2015 subject to continued funding appropriation in the Department’s FY 15 budget

“These places will be providing children with safe and welcoming spaces to do homework, play and enjoy being a kid,” said Governor Markell. “This is about creating opportunities for young people with positive experiences and after school activities that promote their intellectual growth and self-esteem.”

“The programs that were selected are very diverse in their makeup. They cover academics, exposure to nature, music and the arts, bullying, suicide and pregnancy prevention programming, sports and athletics, healthy living, life skills, and self-esteem building,” said Lt. Governor Matt Denn who read off the list of awardees at the event. “I feel confident that the programs being offered are going to have a long term impact on the kids who participate in them.”

The selected funding recipients will enter into contracts with the children’s Department’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services. Three of the 12 organizations will have programs running in all three counties, four will operate only in New Castle County, three will operate programs in both Kent and Sussex Counties only, and two will conduct their programs in Kent County alone. The Criminal Justice Council is partnering with the Children’s Department to provide monitoring and quality assurance for the contracts.

Additionally, suicide prevention training will be provided to staff of all of the selected programs so that they can assist in identifying at-risk youth. The prevention program initiative is partly an outgrowth of the initial recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the 2012 adolescent suicides in Kent County which pointed to a lack of after-school activities for youth in Kent and Sussex Counties.

“We were looking for programs that would provide positive experiences for youth, while also giving them safe and productive opportunities outside of school hours,” said DSYCF Secretary Jennifer Ranji. “The programs that were selected, coupled with the training they’ll receive, help support our mission of prevention or early identification of mental health needs so that we can prevent deeper entry into our system.”

The programs that were selected to receive after school and summer prevention program funding will serve approximately 1,500-1,800 youth. Roughly half of those children are in New Castle County, 25% are in Kent County and 25% are in Sussex County. The funding recipients are:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware – to implement youth leadership clubs, operate a weekday drop in teen program and a Friday night program for academics, athletics and special events.

• Children and Families First – operating in Kent and Sussex counties. Activities will include academic support, life skills like cooking and computer classes and outdoor education.

• The University of Delaware Cooperative Extension – will operate four sites in both Kent and Sussex Counties. They will provide after school tutoring, music and art enrichment and summer programming that focuses on healthy living.

• Providence Service Academy – to operate in the city of Wilmington serving youth ages 12 – 18. They’ll implement a Youth Empowerment program to provide a variety of enrichment activities.

• West End Neighborhood House – also will operate in the City. Their focus will be on youth violence and suicide prevention through the use of several evidence based programs.

• Police Athletic League – will operate in Wilmington and NcCo in four locations. Their focus is on suicide and violence prevention through parent engagement, and after school and summer programs that promote homework assistance and fitness activities.

• Courageous Hearts – this equine assistance program operates in Kent and Sussex and will serve youth ages 12 – 17. They use horses as an equine assisted intervention to help youth overcome anxieties and build self-esteem, as well as provide a mechanism for family engagement.

• DEMCO – this Kent county program will serve children in grades 5 – 8. It provides tutoring and homework support, and sports and fitness enrichment for youth in at risk communities in Downtown Dover.

• The YMCA – will operate in Wilmington, and Kent and Sussex Counties and serve children ages 11 – 18. They will provide memberships to teens and leadership camps.

• Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Delaware – operating in all three counties, this program will serve youth ages 9 – 17 and provide mentoring services for at risk youth, particularly for LGBTQ youth.

• Delaware State University – Summer Youth Academy – this program will expose youth to opportunities for secondary education and mentoring, and promote self-discipline and self-confidence.

• The Mother African Union Church’s Peter Spencer Family Foundation project – operating in the City of Wilmington this program will provide evidence based, academically focused after school programming and gender specific summer programming at two sites.

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit www.kids.delaware.gov.

Wilmington – A 2011 Delaware school based survey indicates that 14% of 8th graders and 20% of 11th graders felt they were bullied on school property in the past 12 months. The risk for being bullied is even higher for students who identify themselves, or are perceived to be Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender or Questioning (LGBTQ).

That’s why the Children’s Department’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services (PBHS) is making the Kognito Step In, Speak Up Anti Bullying Training available free to any educator in the State. Step In, Speak up is an online interactive training program to empower educators and other school-or community–based staff to effectively curtail harassment and bullying, identify challenges faced by LGBTQ students, and connect them with additional local resources. The goal is to reduce the high rates of psychological distress, including suicide attempts, among LGBTQ middle and high school students. The Step In, Speak up training can be accessed at http://www.kognito.com/delaware.

“October seemed like the perfect time to launch this training, since it is also National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month,” said Jennifer Ranji, Secretary for the Delaware Children’s Department. “We’re pleased to be able to provide educators with resources like this one to help vulnerable children.”

“Bullying damages the physical, social, and emotional well-being of its victim and creates a climate of fear, callousness, and disrespect,” according to Susan Cycyk, Director for PBHS. “Offering trainings such as this, along with support services in elementary and middle schools, help us fulfill our vision of ‘resilient children and families living in supportive communities’.”

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children, that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. It includes threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. It can be physical, social, or online (cyber) in nature.

Children may be bullied for: Being over/under weight, wearing glasses, being new to school, being unable to afford what’s considered “cool”; being considered weak and/or unable to defend themselves; having low self-esteem or becoming depressed; having few friends and are less popular than others. Children who are bullied are at greater risk for substance abuse, suicide attempts, and poor academic performance.

Children who are more likely to bully others are typically those who: Are overly concerned about their popularity, have social power, like to dominate or be in charge; have less parental involvement or have issues at home; have difficulty following rules; view violence in a positive way.

Research has shown that when adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior this can stop bullying behavior over time. During the act of bullying, adults are advised to: intervene immediately, separate the kids involved, make sure everyone is safe, meet any immediate medical or mental health needs, and stay calm.

There are several resources adults and young people alike can take advantage of. Parents concerned about bullying should talk directly with their child’s teacher and/or school administrator. Additionally, bullying can be reported to the Department of Justice’s School Crimes and Bullying Hotline, 1-800-220-5414. Youth who need someone to talk to can reach out locally to Delaware’s Contact Lifeline 1-800-262-9800 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800273-TALK (8255).

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit www.kids.delaware.gov.