Communities for a Better Tomorrow

It has long been apparent that children and youth in the eastern part of North Carolina lack the opportunities and resources available to children and youth in other parts of the state. Action for Children North Carolina, through its initiative Communities for a Better Tomorrow, will enhance four eastern counties’ efforts to keep troubled youth out of or prevent their further involvement in the juvenile justice system by enhancing community partnerships and providing advocacy and technical assistance to ensure the desired results of all stakeholders.

Communities for a Better Tomorrow is a multi-county collaborative, including Halifax, Northampton, Bertie and Hertford counties. Please use this web-based database of services (www.communitiesforabettertomorrow.org) to locate agencies or individuals who provide mental health services for youth. If you have any problems, questions, or comments, we'd love to hear from you.

As a first step, AfC will bring together service providers, court counselors ,judges, the faith community, law enforcement, business leaders and child and family advocates( to include youth and families at-risk of or involved in the juvenile justice system) from each of  the four counties. to represent the culturally diverse make up of the four counties.

Action for Children as the sponsoring agency of Communities for a Better Tomorrow  will:

• Staff and coordinate the initiative;
• Facilitate and assist each of  the four counties in the completion of a results based plan;
• Present examples of evidenced based service delivery systems;
• Research evidenced based programs and funding resources;
• Assist counties in obtaining funding to replicate and implement evidenced based programs;
• Create a statewide web based interactive data base of  available services/placement slots;
• Assist counties in identifying ways to coordinate and pool resources; and
• Initiate and recommend  changes in administrative rules and policies to state policymakers and legislators that create barriers to service delivery for Communities for a Better Tomorrow.

Each county will convene a steering committee, charged with completing a results based planning process to develop outcomes by:

• Exploring and viewing services and service delivery systems through a new lens;
• Identifying barriers to providing effective services;
• Discovering and developing strategies to maximize effectiveness of limited services;
• Identifying additional gaps in services;
• Identifying ways to coordinate and pool resources within and across county lines;
• Assisting in the creation of the web based interactive data base of available services/placement slots; and
• Identifying administrative rules and policies that create barriers to service delivery in their communities.

Communities for a Better Tomorrow held a kick-off event on August 7 at Lake Gaston, N.C. Click for more photos.