Wilmington – For the third consecutive summer, hundreds of children in the city of Wilmington will have a safe place to hang out at night. The Delaware Children’s Department’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services (PBHS), is providing nearly $200,000 in funding to nine city community centers this year, allowing them to extend their operating hours through September, and provide prevention programming.

“After-school and summer programs positively affect the well-being of our youth and help prevent risky behaviors,” said Governor Markell. “By providing kids with opportunities to be active, we help keep them safe and engaged in a variety of activities they may not otherwise experience.”

The extended Hours Program is designed to address violence occurring within the city by providing a safe haven for youth who might otherwise be out on the street, as well as age appropriate services and prevention programming. During the summer and early fall of 2012, more than 6,500 youth participated in the extended hours service, doubling the number of youth served the previous year. Youth participated in suicide awareness, anti-bullying, substance abuse prevention, character building, technology classes, and organized sports.

“We’re pleased to again be able to provide this opportunity for youth to have a safe and structured place to enjoy the summer months,” said Jennifer Ranji, Secretary of the Children’s Department. “It’s important for children to have the opportunity to interact with other children, to play, grow and thrive in a positive setting.”

“The Extended Hours program also provides youth with opportunities to receive prevention messages, as well as another outlet for accessing or being connected to mental health services if needed,” said Susan Cycyk, Director of PBHS.

The following nine organizations have been funded to provide extended hours: the Fraims Boys & Girls Club, Girls Inc., Latin American Community Center (LACC), William Hicks Anderson, West End Neighborhood, YMCA, Wilmington Police Athletic League (PAL), Kingswood, Neighborhood House. PBH is also funding the KiVa anti bullying program, which will be offered through the University of Delaware in seven of the centers to date.

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, and/or 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.

DOVER (June 11, 2013) – Due to heavy rainfall Delaware has received in the last week – and with more rain forecast through the weekend – there will be plenty of surface water for the state’s mosquito species to lay their eggs with great numbers of mosquitoes expected to hatch in the near future.  

This confluence of ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes means homeowners should eliminate as much standing water found in containers from their property as quickly as possible – and encourage their neighbors to do the same. By draining or removing items that collect water, such as buckets, birdbaths, rain barrels, old tires, flower pot liners, depressions in tarps covering boats, clogged rain gutters, and unused swimming pools, homeowners can significantly reduce mosquito breeding habitat in their yards. 

DNREC Mosquito Control staff will be going through their normal triage of inspecting and treating the largest mosquito-producing habitats, including coastal marshes, impoundments, freshwater wetlands, inter-dunal swales, and problematic roadside ditches/medians. However, Mosquito Control has a limited amount of time to inspect and treat all of the above habitats before adult mosquitoes emerge. Even if successful on every aspect, waves of adult mosquitoes will be emerging over the next two weeks from untreated yards, ditches, flooded fields, woodland pools, and other habitat that Mosquito Control did not have the resources to inspect/treat due to the sheer volume of geography to cover after a statewide rain episode of this magnitude. 

The only recourse at this time is for the public to call DNREC Mosquito Control and request ultra-low volume spraying (fogging) to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes in a given area. This includes neighborhoods, developments, towns, and individual rural properties. Anyone planning outdoor events during the second half of June also should consider this request to the Mosquito Control Section in advance of the event. 

To help the Mosquito Control Section determine when and where to provide control services, report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes as follows:

• New Castle County and northern Kent County from Dover north, call Mosquito Control’s Glasgow office at 302-836-2555
• Remainder of southern Kent County and all of Sussex County, call Mosquito Control’s Milford office at 302-422-1512

For more information on Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, please call the main office at 302-739-9917, or visit http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Services/Pages/MosquitoSection.aspx.

 Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 43, No. 241

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Dover – “Building a System of Care to Support Youth, Families and Communities” is the theme for the 19th annual Delaware Prevention and Behavioral Health Forum held May 1st and 2nd at the Dover Sheraton. The two-day conference, which coincides with the start of Mental Health Month, provides an opportunity for attendees to hear and explore the latest theory and science, research findings, practical application, as well as innovative approaches and emerging trends in the field of child mental health. The Forum is expected to draw 450 attendees.

Governor Jack Markell presented a proclamation recognizing May as Mental Health Month and spoke about the importance of treatment and early intervention. “Children and youth dealing with mental or behavioral health issues need the services and supports that will enable them to achieve their full potential. Suicides among youth are the most tragic child mental health problem in our state. We must close a gap in the care of our adolescents by providing mental health resources in our middle schools. This investment will help ensure our kids get the services they deserve and over the long term, help Delaware build a better private network of child mental health providers. ” Governor Markell’s recommended budget for FY 14 includes a ten-fold increase in the number of trained, front line Behavioral Health Consultants in middle schools and after school and summer programming for youth statewide.

Workshops at the Forum covered a variety of topics including practices surrounding trauma informed care, the impact of gang violence and gun control on communities, and the inclusion of spirituality in mental health practice. Keynote speakers included Dr. William Geary, Ph.D., of CADCA’s National Coalition Institute who will address the Role of Treatment in Community-wide Prevention and Dr. Michael A. Lindsey, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H. a child and adolescent mental health services researcher who will speak on Engaging Families and Children in Mental Health Services: The ACCESS Challenge.

Nearly one in five Delaware children, ages 2 – 17, to have one or more emotional or behavioral health conditions according to Kids Count data. “Working with pediatricians, mental health practitioners, early care and education programs, families and other community partners we can continue to strengthen our system of care, help remove the stigma associated with mental health issues for children, and put them on the pathway to a hopeful and fulfilling future,” said Jennifer Ranji, Secretary for the Delaware Children’s Department. The Department’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services organizes the Forum each year.

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 – The lighting of Legislative Hall in blue, the symbolic color of child abuse prevention, for the first week of April is just one of the activities scheduled for National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Delaware Children’s Department in partnership with the Attorney General’s office, and child advocacy organizations such as the Child Protection Accountability Commission (CPAC), and the Child Death, Near Death and Stillbirth Commission (CDNDSC) is highlighting not only the importance of recognizing and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect, but the preventative steps that families can take to reduce the risk that such things will happen.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure our children are safe,” said Governor Jack Markell. “Reporting suspected child abuse or neglect not only has the potential to save a life, but also gives a voice to vulnerable children in need.”

“While we continue to raise awareness about the obligation to report any suspicions that a child is at risk of harm, we also believe it’s important to support strategies and interventions to limit that risk in the first place.” said DSCYF Cabinet Secretary Jennifer Ranji.

Other activities highlighting awareness in April include a meeting on April 8th to encourage youth serving organizations to sign up for Stewards of Children prevention training, and a Blue Bow awareness event and Proclamation Signing with Governor Jack Markell on April 25th in front of Legislative Hall in Dover. Stewards of Children, coordinated locally by Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, is a program for youth serving and community organizations that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

Both reporting and prevention will also be highlighted through radio ads airing on stations statewide in April. Governor Markell recorded a spot encouraging Delawareans to learn the signs of abuse and neglect by visiting www.iseethesigns.org, and make the call to the 24 hour Report Line at 1-800-292-9582 to report concerns. Billboards with the report line and website number will also be visible statewide. A second radio ad features prevention tips for parents.

With calls to the Report Line at historically high levels (over 16,000 calls were made to report suspected abuse and neglect in 2012), early identification of the risk of child abuse and providing prevention strategies for families is an important focus for the Children’s Department.

That’s why the Department’s Division of Family Services is promoting awareness of Help Me Grow, coordinated by the Division of Public Health’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. Help Me Grow is a multi-sector partnership that helps connect families of children ages birth through eight with a variety of services; including home visits by a trained professional with expertise in breastfeeding, nutrition, newborn care, child safety, and more. This can include new and expecting families who can benefit from home visiting services, or families facing multiple challenges that may need assistance accessing low income services and support (i.e. Purchase of Care child care subsidy, Medicaid, TANF), housing etc. Families can talk with a Help Me Grow call specialist by dialing 2-1-1, which is a free centralized phone line statewide.

“There is no one strategy that will prevent child abuse, as it takes a collective effort,” said Division of Family Services Director Victoria Kelly. “The most important thing we can do is to support a community norm that the well-being of our children is the foundation of a healthy society.”

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, by ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment. Research shows that when parents possess six protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish. The six protective factors are: Nurturing and attachment; Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development; Parental resilience; Social connections; Concrete supports for parents; Social and emotional developmental well-being. The Children’s Department is addressing these factors through its partnership with Help Me Grow. Additional hands on prevention tips for dealing with stress, and parenting babies, toddlers and teens can be now be found on www.iseethesigns.org as well.

The Delaware 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.