Agency Report 1

Progressive Life Center We Change Lives....and We Have the Evidence

Wilmington University October 7, 2013 Victoria Kamara

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I am interning at an organization called Progressive Life Center. First I am going to provide a belief history on Progressive Life Center and move into their policies, procedures, funding, structure etc. Progressive life center (PLC) was founded in 1983 by Dr. Fredrick Philips as nonprofit, community-based organization to improve the delivery of mental health services to individuals and families living in urban communities. Over the last 30 years, PLC has provided culturally competent, highly collaborative, evidence-based and family-centered services to youth and families in Washington, DC; Wilmington, DE; Baltimore, MD; Landover, MD; Philadelphia, PA and Accra Ghana. With a developmental focus that emphasizes personal and family resiliency, PLC provides quality mental health and social services in three core areas: Child Welfare, Behavioral Health Care and Juvenile Justice Services (Phillips, 1983). Progressive life center mission is to educate and empower families, organizations and communities to realize and utilize their inner power to achieve healing using culturally competent, spiritually-based human services practices. The interesting thing about progressive life center is, they use a unique approach called NTU. NTU means (in-too), noun. This term can be define in two ways. 1. Bantu central African term loosely translated to mean essence; the universal unifying force or the essence of life. 2. Universal life force that exists within all humanity and generates the healing energies of our spirits (Phillips, 1983). PLC uses the NTU psychotherapeutic model as a foundation for all services and interventions provided to youth and families. Because of it universal principles and focus on spiritually and cultural awareness, NTU can effectively meet the clinical, mental health and human service needs of youth, families and groups regardless of ethnicity. NTU is shaped by four major humanistic assumptions: 1. People are innately good; 2. Positive intention is the root of all behavior; 3. Healing is a natural process; and 4. the therapist, social worker, counselor, etc.

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is a facilitator of healing process. The assumptions imply an optimistic view of humanity and faith in the self-corrective nature of the human experience given the proper support and structure in which to grow (Phillips, 1983). I like the NTU approach because it is something that I never heard of before. It is a very realistic, and different way to help someone deal with a negative event that they have experience. The principles of NTU are, harmony, balance, interconnectedness and authenticity. The purpose of this approach is to help the person as a whole instead of just focusing on their problems alone. As human service professionals we have to remember that we are dealing with people first before focusing on the problems.
90%

Demographic Data

Ages

0-20

9% 1% AFRICAN AMERICAN HISPANIC WHITE 0% OTHER

According to Progressive life center employee handbook (Phillips,1983), the policies consist of the following, PLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and no person shall be discriminated against in any manner because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, onthe-job injuries, and operation of the agency. PLC actively promotes a workplace that is free

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from unlawful harassment through its policies, procedures and practices. Progressive Life Center also doesnt discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment with AIDS or who is HIV positive, who has a history or record of HIV infection, or who is regarded or perceived as being HIV positive. I found this very intriguing because I havent come across any other organization that includes not discriminating against employee or applicant with AIDS or who is HIV positive in pursue of employment. I think this is what separate PLC from other organizations. I appreciate the fact that they have an open-mind and give everyone an opportunity. Progressive life center procedures are, human Resources will establish each employees classification at the time of the employees hire and designate the position as exempt or nonexempt. In making this determination, Human Resources will review the job description submitted by the hiring department for the position, HR will also be responsible for reviewing the classifications of all employees who transfer laterally within the organization, or who are promoted or demoted, to ensure that such individuals remain properly classified. PLC also hold staff accountable for their work performance, focus on improvements and assist individuals to reach their maximum potential (Phillips, 1983).

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Dr. Frederick Phillips Dr. Laurence E. Jackson Kofi Boateng

Deyandria LoganWade

Andrea Sakyi

Veda Rice

Maurice Hawkins

Dr. Rosalind Lee

Darrell Plant Toya Miller Sharon Stern 3 case managers

Grace Johnson Donna Dr. Eugene Sanford Rodney Harding Teresa King Sayjelah Miller Lundy 8-9 consultants

Angela Cordova 4 case managers

The Board of Directors

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Anthony C. Williams - Chair. Nathaniel A. Davis - Vice Chair. James E. Ray - Superintendent for School Resign for the Detroit Public School system. Dwight P. Robinson - Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations & Housing Outreach. Raymond A. Skinner - Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Reginald G. Daniel - CEO of Audio Video Solutions. PLC funding is generated by government and fundraising. 95% PLC funding is from government funding and the other 5% is from fundraising. Some of the fundraising activities that PLC conduct consist of minimal fundraising activities, grant writing which usually focuses on awarding of programs/contracts. They also have special events like annual golf tournament and occasion gala which are always good for raising money. The is also friend raising event but it limits the amount of money being raise due to the expenses to cover the event. Dr. Lee stated that PLC receives grants/contracts with Public Health Management Corporation for parenting, Statewide Adoption Network (contract) for adoption, Fannie Mae Foundation for Education, and

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others inside of Philadelphia.

Funding
[VALUE] Fundraising

[VALUE] Government

Progressive Life Center has partnerships with many other organizations. Some of those partnerships includes but not limited to, Liberty Management, New Directions, 600 University, Mothers in Charge, Delaware Valley Charter School, Salvation Army, Philadelphia Baptist CDC, Travers Aide, University of Pennsylvania, Somerset Shelter, Woodstock Shelter, West Philadelphia Earn center, People for People Earn center, Temple Earn center, North Philadelphia human services, Red Shield, Access to Recover, OIC, Churches United, Baptist Pastor etc. Progressive life center worked with Mothers in Charge which is a mentoring program for ex- offenders. These parenting classes are for both men and women. PLC also provide classes for women groups that are a part of the penal system, Phoenix, New Directions and Delaware Valley Charter School for teen parents. The organization also donates school supplies and

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equipment to Delaware Valley Charter School and assist with after school program to Salvation Army. PLC also work with DHS which is where they get their contacts and DPW for licensing. According to my site supervisor Eugene Harding, Progressive life center like most organization has their strengths and challenges. Some of PLC strengths are, they has 30 years of experience, uses holistic approach to foster care, supporting kinship care and offering services to strengthen all families in the community. PLC has a unique therapeutic approach of behavioral and mental health services combining core principles of ancient African worldview with western techniques of humanistic psychology targeting troubled young people and families. PLC also uses past foster children and parents as a great resource to hear what works and does not work. He also stated that PLC challenges are, it is a small organization with which puts a limit to the number of children that can be helped, low priority in terms of funding, and thus all the needed services are not always available, families whose children were placed in foster care have issues to have to deal with that could further hamper efforts of reunification, retention and attrition new home development is consistently curtailed by need to repair, replenish, or replace current homes, insufficient technology upgrades, lack of Development Office and high risk (Phillips, 1983). According to the regional director Dr. Lee PLC trends are as follow , funding and program development streams have dried up causing less city/state/federal programs exist for people in need of human services, more services are being requested by current service providers and fewer funds are directed to existing programs, funders/contractors want more communitybased and evident-based programming. Dr. Lee also mention that as the result of systematic change, additional services required to maintain current contracts, PLC has revised their performance quality improvement systems to meet the changing requirements of their funders.

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Dr. Lee noted that PLC has requested that program exceed their programmatic limits and extend office hours, staff responsibilities, and licensing requirements both staff & foster parents and when systems do not accomplish the goals, PLC has changed and reshaped. PLC have also been consistent with our COA (Council on Accreditation) standards, PLC has Department Human Service standards and Department Public of Welfare best practice that we comply with daily/monthly/annually, PCL trains staff, contractors and foster parent quarterly and annually with all city/state/federal regulations in mind. My role in the organization is a recruitment training and licensing specialists. The role of the RTLS it to recruit prospective parents, train, and get them license to be foster parent. As an intern I worked alongside my supervisor to learn the process of becoming a license foster parent. My responsibilities consist of contacting parents via phone or email to schedule interviews, home inspections and keeping them inform about the documentations that they are missing, as well as their orientation and trainings etc. The goal is to create a folder on the parent that consist of all the documentations they will need to become license. Some of those documentations include but not limited to clearances (FBI, Criminal and Child Abuse), a physical, three written references, sign policies, driving history, employment verification, and autobiography, home and auto insurances etc. Another part of my role is completing audits for recertification, and instructing a class. Each prospective parent must attend pre-service training which includes orientation, learning about PLC, NTU and Child Welfare, as well as total love parenting which are parenting classes.

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References Phillips, F. (1983). Progressive life center. Retrieved from http://www.plcntu.org/ Phillips, F. (1983). Employee handbook.