The Brighter Futures Initiative

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services
Division of Children and Family Services

The Brighter Futures Initiative (BFI) helps Wisconsin's children, adolescents, and families achieve their maximum potential by promoting: healthy families and youth, school readiness for children, child safety in their families and communities, and successful navigation from childhood to adulthood. The Initiative supports evidence-based youth development and prevention strategies to achieve the following BFI legislative outcomes set forth in Wis Stat s.46.99:

• Prevent and reduce the incidence of youth violence and other delinquent behavior.
• Prevent and reduce the incidence of youth alcohol and other drug use and abuse.
• Prevent and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
• Prevent and reduce the incidence of non-marital pregnancy and increase the use of abstinence to prevent non-marital pregnancy.
• Increase adolescent self-sufficiency by encouraging high school graduation, vocational preparedness, improved social and other interpersonal skills and responsible decision-making.

Brighter Futures also encourages coordination of prevention efforts within BFI counties to avoid duplication of services. Collaborative relationships and coalitions between government agencies, schools, faith-based communities, youth organizations, parents and families create a "prevention foundation" within the county, and in some cases, beyond county boundaries. These local coalitions produce innovative strategies to leverage and maximize resources during times of tight fiscal budgets and limited grant opportunities.

At the start of the Initiative, the Division of Children and Family Services contracted with the UW Center for Health Policy and Program Evaluation to develop a county "youth risk" ranking reflective of the degree of need according to the legislative outcomes listed above. The six indicators used to determine the ranking were: juvenile Part I arrests (youth violence); youth substance abuse arrests (AODA); substantiated cases of maltreatment (child abuse and neglect); births to unmarried women aged 17 and under (non-marital pregnancy); ACT scores and high school dropout rates (self-sufficiency). The highest ranked counties in terms of youth risk were selected to participate in the Brighter Futures Initiative.

The Division of Children and Family Services, with funding provided by the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and State of Wisconsin General Purpose Revenue, has allocated $3,446,500 for ten Brighter Futures grants in 2004. These counties include: Douglas, Forest, Iron, Kenosha, *Milwaukee, Racine, Rock, Walworth, and Winnebago Counties. Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin (Menominee County) became a Brighter Futures site as of April 2004; the other nine counties were awarded grants as of January 1, 2001.

While focussing on the BFI legislative outcomes, Brighter Futures projects reflect the unique needs and resources of each local community. Many Brighter Futures projects consist of partnerships between agencies, such as, County Social/Human Services, Health Departments, School Districts, Police Departments, Churches, Community Centers, and other non-profit agencies. Examples of current projects:

• Bridges Mentoring Program (Winnebago County) - A truancy intervention and mentoring program that provides resources to truant teens and their families in the Neenah/Menasha School Districts.
  
• Child Abuse & Neglect Substantiation Reduction Program (Forest County) - Parent Partner provides services to families that may be at risk of child abuse or neglect, enabling social workers to concentrate on serious cases.
• I Am Special Program (Kenosha County) - Educational program focussing on 6-12 year olds that have experienced familial substance abuse; and 12-18 year olds identified as experimenting or using alcohol and other drugs.
• West Allis Police Dept. Safe Kids/Safe Neighborhoods Program (Milwaukee BFI) - unique collaboration between law enforcement, public health, and a family resource center - Youth and family program that involves crime prevention activities, developmental screening, parent education, and family activities to promote healthy child development.
• Supporting Today's Teen Parents/Today's Dads/Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy/Teens on the Move (Milwaukee BFI) - Youth and family programs through Rosalie Manor in Milwaukee that focus on family support, parenting education, anger management, employment skills, abstinence education, and civic engagement.
• Brighter Futures-First Time Juvenile Offenders Program (Walworth County) - Program aimed at reducing recidivism rates and helping youth to strengthen and acquire developmental assets so they can remain self-sufficient within a supportive community.
• Brighter Futures Menominee Job Training and Adolescent Self-sufficiency Program (Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin) -Tribal youth apprenticeship program that will incorporate workshops on ATOD usage, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and conflict resolution, as well as job related skills such as career development, resume writing, and interviewing techniques. (beginning Summer 2004)

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Staff Contacts:

*Community Advocates was selected as the lead BFI agency for Milwaukee County under a separate competitive RFP process when the Initiative began in 2001. [return to main text]

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MORE ON THE BRIGHTER FUTURES INITIATIVE:

[Program Overview]

[Wisconsin Legislation for BFI]

[BFI County Data]

[BFI County Contacts]

[Brain Development / Research]

[Youth Data Sources]

[Recommended Links]

[Archives / History]