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Agenda Item No. 5(B) EL CERRITO CITY COUNCIL PROCLAMATION Commending West Contra Costa Youth Service Bureau on its 30th Anniversary WHEREAS, in 1984, a group of concerned individuals representing a broad cross section of the West County community came together to express their outrage and concern about an intolerable level of violence that had suddenly infected their community, especially in young men. The group envisioned the creation of a family service delivery system that would improve the coordination of services to the children, youth and families primarily residing in Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and other unincorporated areas of West County; and WHEREAS, the West Contra Costa Youth Service Bureau was formally established in 1985 with the goal to address systemic causes of violence plaguing West County communities and has continued to provide 30 years of service to children and families in Contra Costa County. The collaborates with other Agencies to provide assessments, individual/group and family counseling; crisis intervention; case management/consultation; respite services for care givers; and referrals to other agencies/services; and WHEREAS, the Assessment Team (that later evolved into the “Wraparound Process”) was created and served as a Model for the County; made up of staff from all of the participating agencies that were in the original collaborative. The Wraparound Best Practices Model uses a team approach that includes the client and their family members, and permits and supports a collection of individuals and others important in the child and family’s life to participate in the implementation of a common goal. Supported by the Bureau’s belief that its client population is “asset laden” as opposed to “deficit burdened”, that goal is the development of a plan that provides the means whereby the client can achieve a successful adjustment within their family, in school, and in the larger community; and WHEREAS, today the Bureau provides a wide range of services concentrating in the following program areas: Early Periodic Screening & Diagnostic Testing Wraparound Services (Mentally Ill Offender Criminal Reduction Program/MIOCR), West County Community Collaborative (EPSDT); West Contra Costa Unified School District (EPSDT II); Family Enhancement Collaborative (Kinship); ALL THAT Collaborative; Building Blocks for Kids (BBK) Collaborative; The Children, Youth and Families in Transition Project (CYFIT); and Differential Response Path II (DR). NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of El Cerrito commends the for improving the wellness of the community and providing services to the children, youth and families of West Contra Costa County and joins in the celebration of May 15, 2014 as the official 30th Anniversary date of the West Contra Costa Youth Service Bureau. Dated: January 21, 2014 Janet Abelson, Mayor