The Navajo Division for Children and Family Services (NDCFS) managers and executive staff met for a two-day work session to discuss the continued implementation of the P.L. 102-477 plan.
During the meeting, the NDCFS managers and executive staff were introduced to staff of the new 477 support section of the Office of the Executive Director, including Daryl Multine, who is the new Program Manager for the 477 support section, and the Accountant, Senior Projects and Programs Specialist, and Administrative Assistant.
Thomas Cody, NDCFS Executive Director, said that the plans the staff are now implementing were underway for years before he led the Division. “The plans we have that we’ve been working on were not my plan. You all were planning that for years. It was your idea as staff,” Cody said.
Cody reiterated that the purpose of the P.L. 102-477 is to integrate a comprehensive and coordinated approach to service delivery, which gives the Navajo Nation the authority to blend and consolidate funding streams of the 477 plan. He emphasized continued planning.
“The next step is, once we solidify the 477, what are your plans for the next four years?” he said.
The P.L. 102-477 plan is to integrate education and training, employment, protective services, family reunification and related services to reduce unemployment in tribal communities.
Staff reported on their specific sections, including budget, personnel cost projections, community outreach, and communications. Staff continue to work on transferring prior year funds to the current 477 budget, reviewing policies and procedures to align with the 477 plan, and planning community outreach.
Robust discussion was held on the development of guidelines for a welcome team for public inquiries and wraparound services for both internal and external referrals of members (clients). Wraparound services are a coordinated approach to support individuals and families with complex needs using multiple services and resources in a comprehensive plan.
Plans to update the NDCFS strategic plan and amend the plan of operations were also reported by the Deputy Director.
Also present at the meeting was the NDCFS’s software provider Eaglesun. Prior to the work session, executive staff received training on the Tribal Assistance System (TAS) to understand the data that is collected from NDCFS members (clients). The data is required by funding sources.
TAS is a comprehensive case management system designed to help tribes manage information across multiple departments, including financial assistance programs. One unique feature to the Navajo Nation’s system that executive staff learned about is that there is an option to input clans in the software.
Other NDCFS programs and departments are also scheduling training to input data into the software. Only a select few in the country are certified TAS trainers and the NDCFS has two of them on staff.
The Division recently submitted its first annual report to the federal government detailing its activities related to the P.L. 102-477 funding, including accomplishments, expenditures and statistics. The report is a part of a single reporting system that consolidates multiple federal programs into one plan, allowing a streamlined reporting process. The Division continues preparing for the next reporting cycle.
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