DYS strives to promote healthy child development through positive parenting

Division of Youth Services administrator Vivian Sablan highlighted its many accomplishments to promote the well-being of children, youth, families, and the community as a whole.

Their mission, she says, is to help strengthen families and to promote healthy child development by practicing positive parenting skills.

She shares that this includes educational support, intervention, and preventative activities and services that provide children, youth, and families the opportunity to interact, learn life skills, and to develop the ability to cope with life challenges.

With DYS having the responsibility to reduce and eradicate child abuse, neglect, juvenile delinquency and youth violence, Sablan noted that healthy child development through positive parenting intervention is a preventative measure that the agency uses to improve child protection, better foster care and juvenile probation when there is trouble within the home.

One of these measures includes the CNMI Parent Anonymous Program, which DYS received a two-year re-accreditation and final certification for three new PA facilitators making the CNMI one of the first organizations to meet re-accreditation requirements.

The PA program is a network of parents sharing responsibility, building partnerships, and transforming their attitudes to form new behaviors for positive change in the home.

Sablan expressed that parent leaders must play an active role and continue to network with other parents for the strengthening of families.

With this and many outreach and grant-based programs, DYS has seen a significant decrease in youth delinquencies while strengthening ties at home.

Over the years, DYS was able to provide interventions, counseling and court hearing support for over 240 children who suffered from child abuse and/or neglect.

With over 200 children to assist, the agency’s Child Protective Unit was also awarded $6,000 in Victims of Crime (VOCA) funds through the Criminal Justice Planning Agency CJPA to assist with victim services.

In the later part of 2015, DYS was able to reach out to over 400 children with 201 cases involving emotional, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, minor sex trafficking, domestic violence, and teen pregnancy with remaining seeking support services.

The agency was also awarded a grant for the shelter building expansion project last May.

Sablan noted that DYS might begin utilizing the new Emergency Shelter funded by the Community Development Block Grant through the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. for $279,825.

Following Typhoon Soudelor, the agency’s 24/7 emergency shelter assisted clients who experienced increasing difficulties within the home and were removed due to imminent danger.

DYS opened its doors to 59 cases of both males and females during that period.

The foster care program also saw a reduction in cases and was able to exit one of six females to a foster home, while funding was approved for the Juvenile Probation Unit for $14,000 for the fiscal year towards 384 juvenile delinquents.

Currently, DYS sub-grants the Community Action Agency program under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for eligible agencies to provide and coordinate education and training services to help low-income families gain education and career skills.

This led to three non-profit organizations submitting their proposal for FY 2015-2016 Community Services Block Grant CAA sub-grant award to the Commonwealth Women’s Association, the CHCC Cancer Association and the Humanities Council.

A total of $70,000 went to the CNMI Women’s Association to administer programs and services to assist the low-income population on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

Since then, Sablan adds DYS periodically monitors and provides the necessary technical support for the CWA to accomplish performance targets. It has referred 13 residents to the Northern Marianas Trades Institute and 101 residents to Workforce Empowerment Training.

For more information on the Division of Youth Services or assistance, call 664-2550/51. (PR)