Feb 03, 2012

Dear DJJ Team Members:

Welcome to my weekly letter. Please allow me to share some news and announcements.

DETENTION KUDOS: Today I was deeply honored to join Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and Superintendent Adonis Miles to congratulate Juvenile Justice Detention Officer II Maxcille Jones as the 2011 Employee of the Year for the Hillsborough Regional Juvenile Detention Center. Officer Jones, a 26-year veteran of DJJ, was selected by her peers from among the monthly Employee of the Month winners for 2011. Thank you, Officer Jones, for your hard work, professionalism and dedication to public service.

DETENTION KUDOS, PART II: Please join me in congratulating Jon Loftheim on his appointment effective today as director for Central Region Detention Services. Mr. Loftheim has more than 16 years of experience at DJJ. During his tenure he has served in various leadership roles, which included superintendent of Polk Regional Juvenile Detention Center and most recently as the Operations and Program manager for the Central Region. Prior to joining DJJ, Mr. Loftheim served in the U.S. Army for 28 years, retiring with the rank of colonel. I am highly confident in his ability to lead Detention staff in the Central Region and congratulate him on his new challenge.

CHILDREN’S WEEK: Today marks the end of a full Children’s Week in Tallahassee and around the state. Many of you helped organize Children’s Week events in your communities and circuits and I thank you for your support. On Tuesday, Jan. 31 I was pleased to introduce four young ladies who were selected as DJJ’s Youth Ambassadors for 2012.

JDAI TRAINING: The four site coordinators for the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) met in Tallahassee earlier this week. The site coordinators are Greg Johnson in Duval County, Scott Buchanan in Hillsborough County, Joel Smith in Broward County and Pat Sheffield in Palm Beach County. The meeting’s objective was to provide training on responsibilities, expectations, work plans and budgets to enhance the efforts that the coordinators are doing in their communities. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, along with Detention Services and Data and Research staff, provided the training. These positions are vital to local communities in determining how to proceed with detention reform and the training provided valuable information the coordinators can use to make decisions on the needs of the community. I thank them for their service and commitment.

RECOGNITION: On Jan. 27, DJJ received national recognition in Jacksonville from the Mutual of America Foundation for our partnership and commitment to working with the PACE Center for Girls in Florida. PACE focuses on community-based prevention, diversion and early intervention programs to help girls ages 12-18. The only statewide effort of its kind in the United States, the PACE Center has served more than 21,000 girls in 17 sites across Florida.

DELINQUENCY DECLINES: I am delighted to announce that juvenile delinquency in Florida’s public schools declined dramatically during the last six months of 2011. Delinquency referrals in schools throughout the state declined 16 percent compared to the same period the year before. School referrals declined in 46 of Florida’s 67 counties, with Miami-Dade recording the biggest numeric decline (353 cases or 60 percent) in school-related delinquency.

PAR DECLINES: Here’s some good news about Protective Action Response (PAR) data for the 2nd Quarter of FY 11-12: The average rate (number of restraints per 1,000 available bed days) is 1.83 for the 2nd Quarter and 1.92 year to date (YTD). The 2nd Quarter average of 1.83 is a decrease of 8.5 percent from the FY 11-12 1st Quarter average of 2.0. The FY 11-12 YTD average of 1.92 is a decrease of 11.11 percent from the FY 10-11 rate of 2.16, a decrease of 28.09% from the FY 09-10 rate of 2.67 and a 48.11 percent decrease from the FY 08-09 rate of 3.7. This continued trend toward seclusion/restraint free programs is directly related to your adoption of best practices in Behavioral Management and a commitment to Trauma Informed Care.

Three programs had zero physical interventions for nine months or longer:

• Tiger Success, nine months

• Thompson Academy Choices, 13 months

• WINGS, 18 months

Four programs had zero physical interventions during the last quarter:

• Thompson Academy

• Eckerd Challenge

• Florida Environmental Institute

• St. John’s Academy

Several programs that demonstrated a remarkable decrease in the use of physical restraint from the 1st quarter to the 2nd quarter are:

• Daytona JRF (from 4.07 to .72)

• Okeechobee Girls Academy (from 3.70 to 1.36)

• Kissimmee JCF Sex Offender Program (from 4.67 to 1.74)

• Gulf Academy (from 6.13 to 2.25)

• JoAnn Bridges (from 8.52 to 1.09)

• TOVA 10-13 (from 12.78 to 3.26)

Thank you for focusing your efforts on this very important issue.

GOOD PRESS: Sometimes it’s easy to miss the positive media coverage of our agency. Last week, the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach highlighted a Youth Fair attended by our Probation staff.

NOW THAT’S TEAMWORK: Allow me to share the following message of gratitude I recently received:

I would like to highlight two employees who have come to the aid of my unit and the probation clients that we serve. In early 2011, my probation unit declined from 11 probation officers to four due to staff medical leave and turnover. At that time, three employees (Tara Frazier, Patty Hooper and Jimmy James) from Okaloosa County began commuting to Escambia County and my unit to work caseloads in both counties. While the number of staff declined, the number of children who needed our supervision did not. After about eight months of assistance, Mr. Jimmy James was required to return full-time to Okaloosa when staff there also needed medical leave. To date, Patty Hooper and Tara Frazier have continued to provide supervision and services to the children in my unit. Patty Hooper works an all-girl caseload, while providing group counseling for T4Change. In addition, she set up a tea party and arranged makeovers for the girls who attended, along with prom style dresses and pictures for the girls. She is always trying to do something special for “her” girls. Tara Frazier also maintains a caseload of AMI clients in Okaloosa County, and a supervision caseload in my unit. She also functions as this circuit’s only PAR, CPR and First Aid Instructor for probation. They both manage all of this with genuine care and concern for their kids and a true giving spirit. My unit would not have been able to perform the necessary services without their assistance. As their co-supervisor, I have enjoyed their laughter and tears, hugs, smiles and words of encouragement. Please assist me in thanking them for their friendship, their dedicated service and for work above and beyond.

Therese Moses

Juvenile Probation Officer Supervisor, Circuit 1, Unit 102

As always, thank you for all you do to serve our communities, our stakeholders and the youth in our care.

Sincerely,

Wansley Walters

Secretary

PS: Please send any noteworthy or newsworthy items for consideration in my weekly letter to Communications Director C. J. Drake at cj.drake@djj.state.fl.us or call 850.921.5905. Submissions are considered on a space-available basis and may be edited for clarity and length. Thank you for your cooperation.