HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-06-07-HSC-min.pdf C ' Human Services Committee Minutes
June 7, 1995
Present: Donna M. Hooper, Chairperson; Julie E. Fenn; Rosalyn L. Gittleman; Eva S. Glick; Jeanne
S. Luongo; Richard Safford; Jolley Anne Weinstock; Steve Baran, Human Services
Coordinator; Suzanne Larsen, Phyllis Frothingham, Barry Orenstein, RePlace
1. Minutes, 5/8/95
Approved.
2. Donna Hooper report on meeting with school officials
Donna Hooper met with Carol Pilarski, Mary Neumeier and Jennifer Wolfrum for the purpose of
promoting better coordination. To this end, the School Department will provide a list of programs and
services pertinent to human services. Donna suggested that a representative from the School
Department might help the Committee to prioritize FY '96 services and discuss how these might be
evaluated.
3. Donna Hooper report on telephone call from Judy Zabin
Donna Hooper received a telephone call from Judy Zabin voicing hope that RePlace and the Human
Services Committee might work together positively in the future.
4. Review of Rick White's memo to Board of Selectmen, June 2, 1995
( Donna Hooper reviewed Rick White's memo commenting that the Town Manager was concerned with
service coordination and competition. With the Selectmen's agreement, an RFP would be issued for a
package of services. Agencies could bid on all or part of the RFP; also an agency might subcontract a
portion of the services in its contract. It was clarified that the Human Services Committee could
recommend that more funds were needed to provide youth services in view of the passage of Article 21
which detailed a new set of services and that such funds could be drawn through a reserve fund
transfer.
Donna commented further that concern was expressed in the Selectmen's meeting about the need to
start the contract(s) sooner in the interest of best services to the children.
Deadline dates related to the Town Manager's proposed plan were reviewed 6/26 to determine if there
should be an RFP process, 7/31 for completion of needs assessment and 8/14 for completion of RFP or
contract.
5. Planning for new contract(s)
Question was raised about HPAC priorities and whether there might be overlap with programs
proposed in the human services RFP Concern was expressed about how the School Department could
be involved in planning if school officials were away during the summer.
Donna mentioned the possibility of enlarging the Human Services Committee on an ad hoc basis to plan
for the FY '96 human services contract. Some names were mentioned including the possibility of
including high school student leaders.
Human Services Committee Minutes, 6/7/95
Page 2
Dates were suggested for meeting with Bill Deveney, evaluator.
Plans were discussed for interviewing key informants in relation to completing the needs assessment
including:
staff of RePlace and Eliot
youth
clergy
pediatricians
Steve Baran will ask Eliot and RePlace if they would like to meet with the Human Services Committee,
and it was agreed to send the agencies copies of the needs assessment draft report and the evaluation
contract.
Components of the new youth services contract should include a statement of the philosophy of youth
services, goals and objectives and specification of services.
6. Further meetings of the Human Services Committee
Next dates for meeting of the Committee are June 28 and July 19
7 Conunents of RePlace representatives
Sue Larsen expressed concern that the amount of time between putting out a bid and getting a response
by September 1 might be too optimistic a time frame.
Barry Orenstein said that he was impressed and encouraged by the process outlined. He, too, had
concern about the time line issue and wondered if it might be possible for RePlace to plan for any of
the service components. Donna Hooper though that some agreement might be worked out around the
CAPP program as well as services specified in the Article 21 resolution.