Substance Abuse Prevention

There were many issues addressed concerning the needs of children and families during the planning phase of the Focus 2020 process. These issues were primarily within the Cultural, Educational & Recreational Enrichment Focus Group with related issues identified by the Public Safety and Health Focus Group. These covered a wide range of needs such as coordinated and integrated child and family services, family friendly government and business policies, and collaborative education and pregnancy prevention programs for local teens.

The Focus 2020 Implementation Team recommends the formation of a Child and Family Coalition Commission to address the various initiatives that impact children and families.

The commission is to be made up of individuals representing the agencies and organizations dealing in child and family concerns.

The Commission's initial task will be to develop a comprehensive directory of child and family services and a distribution plan for making it available to all citizens of Transylvania County. This directory will serve the general public, keep the local agencies and organizations abreast of what's available in the community, and be a resource for professionals who are working directly with children and families.

In addition to educating the public about community resources, the members of the Commission will also be responsible for sharing information among themselves. They will continue to address recommendations identified by Focus 20/20 and share concerns about gaps in local child and family services.

The Commission should be recognized by both the City and County governing bodies. This gives it a seriousness of purpose that it might not otherwisw have, it demonstrates support and concern for the needs of citizens, and it creates a permanent and coordinated structure that provides an opportunity to insure that there is no redundancy in services.