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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-07-18-HSC-min.pdf Minutes Human Services Committee 7/18/88 Present Harvey Lowell , Chairman; Bob Cushman, Co- Chairman; Renee Cochin; Marion Shepp; Sylvia Perlman; Leonora Feeney; Seymour Mandel and Steve Baran, Human Services Coordinator Minutes The Minutes of 6/6/88 were approved Sylvia Perlman should have been shown as present in the Minutes of 6/20 while on page 2 , item 5 of the same Minutes, the spelling of the name of the Mass Department of Mental Health Area Director is Sudders (not Sutters) In Case of Absence Harvey asked that members who were not planning to attend a meeting should notify the Coordinator or Chairman in advance Process Issues Members were invited to talk about either future Human Services Committee agenda items (with reference to Steve s notes previously submitted to the Committee) , what should be prioritized, or concerns about the Committee ' s process The Committee elected to discuss process issues which are grouped by heading below Mandate There was some question about whether the Committee had moved beyond what the Selectmen were prepared to endorse or what was contained in the Charge to the Committee It was felt by certain members that dating from the needs assessment hearing of June 19 1986 the Selectmen had been in touch with what the Committee was doing, and evolutionary developments had stayed within the Committee' s mandate Planning Process 1 There was concern about the Committee ' s planning process Did the Human Services Committee relate sufficiently to other boards and committees as well as staff , in undertaking new projects? Were "responsible" groups e g , Housing Authority, LexHab, Housing Advisory Committee for housing or Council on Aging for the aged, sufficiently consulted when planning involved areas traditionally in the jurisdiction of such groups? In retrospect, it was felt that assumptions might have been made , as in the case of the Council on Aging, that there was communication through staff when, in fact, this was somewhat lacking In other instances , the record showed that many efforts were made to involve another board, with varying degrees of success as in the case of RePlace Did the Committee have a reputation for being brash and bullying" , as one member suggested, in seeking to effect change? There was the sense that while there was a risk of being perceived in this manner, any change effort was bound to have a somewhat unsettling impact initially on those involved It was necessary for the Committee to have the courage of its convictions and form value judgments sometimes at the risk of being liked Monitoring After contracts have been issued what part has the Committee played in monitoring? Has there been a "long view" of what the agencies have been doing? Will the Human Services Committee be monitoring the Council on Aging in the future? Should the Committee restructure itself in terms of ongoing communication during the year with the boards and staff of agencies holding contracts with the Town? There was agreement that these matters required study Advocacy Had RePlace been dealt with unfairly? Did not the Committee have a responsibility to advocate for Replace? Did the Committee favor Visiting Nurse and Community Health by giving them a second and third chance to be rescued with Town money at the expense of Replace? Was it not the responsibility of the Human Services Committee to attach dollars to needs to the fullest extent of meeting those needs and then leave it up to the Selectmen and Town Meeting to allocate and pare budgets as required by financial constraints of the Town as a whole? Advocacy, it was argued, was an activity to be carried on not to advance any particular social agency but as a response to the needs of client groups through the services that would respond to those needs It is often not in the interest of such client groups to assume that there is any one organization that is comprehensively able to respond to all of their needs In the case of adult children with special needs for example many different resources must be brought together in order that there be an appropriate response At times , the very group that is mandated to chiefly respond to the needs of a particular constituency is not prepared by itself to fully respond to that mandate RePlace and Visiting Nurse and Community Health, it was remarked, were dealt with in an unrelated manner as specific cases and for specific programs In both cases there had been a relenting on the expectation that increases be related to the percentages requested by the Town Manage In both cases , the Human Services Committee had made opportunities avai abe tothe extent tnat this could be defended to the Selectmen e g , raise last year ' s RePlace expenditure from $59 , 000 to $70 , 000 over the Town ( - I Manager ' s objections In each instance it was commented, the recommendations of the Committee were not related to any ceiling but were based on the merits of each case Terms of Office Resignations Jan, Sylvia and Marion are retiring from the Committee by September 30 Steve will double check as to agreed upon dates when different members are to leave office since there is some question as to whether dates Steve has recorded from the Selctmen' s office correspond to letters which Committee members have received Recruitment Harvey has recruited Dick Dougherty with extensive budget and rate setting background to the Committee while Steve has approached Connie Sprauer who is an attorney and has been a health care administrator He will check the Town' s talent bank and inquire of the Selectmen ( Next Meeting The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for Monday, August 8 , and there will be a party (include as agenda item) on 9/19 Respectfully Submitted, Stephen Baran, Human Services Coordinator