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 Community Partnerships Website Goes Live Staff from the Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) neighborhood agencies gathered last month for a workshop on the formal introduction of the new CPI Website. The site will showcase the work of the CPI partnerships and build relationships across neighborhood-based groups, Children's Services, and the community at large. You can find the Website at www.buildingcpi.org
Assistant Commissioner in the ACS Division of Community and Government Affairs Boniface Eze told the group that it is up to all the partners to participate fully in the growth of the Website so that it can become the engine for the success of the initiative. "This is your Website; you should make maximum use of it and feed information to the site to make it attractive and inviting for people to use it. It is a work in progress and we welcome your ideas on the best way to make it productive." CPI is an initiative that allows ACS professionals to work directly with key members of the local communities such as child welfare agencies; local child care providers; community-based preventive services; and neighborhood clergy leaders. CPI builds coalitions to provide integrated services that will strengthen the community's ability to keep children safe. The focus is on using family strengths, resources and unique cultural assets to promote safety, permanency and overall wellness of children and families.
The CPI website was created to highlight ways in which these partnerships are working with ACS to achieve these critical goals, as well as to give CPI partners the opportunity to share successful strategies and available resources for families in their own neighborhoods. Eventually, the website will include an interactive feature allowing CPI partners and members to communicate directly with each other about issues of interest to their neighborhoods, and others in the child welfare community. The CPI collaboratives are typically located in communities with high needs for social services and usually heavy involvement with ACS and other social service agencies. The CPI partnerships include Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick and East New York in Brooklyn; Highbridge, Mott Haven and Soundview in the Bronx; East Harlem and the Lower East Side in Manhattan; Jamaica and Elmhurst in Queens; and Stapleton in Staten Island.
Staten Island community representative Vernon Wooten said the Website would be a great way for the community to learn about local resources. Wooten encouraged everyone, especially men, to make a contribution to solving some of the issues facing families. "Women carry the burden in doing this work. It is time for men to step up to the plate." Community representatives like Wooten are volunteers specially trained by each community partnerships to represent the interests of a children, families and youths at conferences. These conferences help make decisions on the needs and services required to produce successful outcomes for families receiving ACS preventive or foster care. The workshop was held on July 30 at the Restoration Plaza in Bedford Stuyvesant. Funding for the Website is provided in part by the Casey Foundation. ______________ Related Pages: |  |
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