Jeff Fleischer: CEO of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc., March 2008

At the beginning of Calendar Year 2007, we developed 10 Goals for the agency to focus on. Thanks to all of our collective efforts, we were able to make significant progress in each of the goals we set out to achieve. Below is a list of our 10 goals from last year, and some highlights regarding our progress in each area. There are a lot of reasons to feel proud! YAP Staff continue to stay true to our mission and to carry out our service delivery principles. We continue to work with children, young people and families who are most in need and who shun traditional services. We still all have a strength-based, never-give-up approach. And we all still believe in the power and strength of individuals, families and communities.

In the process of reflection, the challenges and tasks that remain before us emerge, and I am confident that we have the mission, the principles, and the people necessary to meet them. This year, we are tackling two significant initiatives that are relative to attaining nationally and internationally recognized status as a best practice agency; ie. National Accreditation with the Council on Accreditation (COA) and a three-year experimental design study with Public Private Ventures to achieve evidence-based status. There are teams with representatives from across the agency helping to lead these efforts, but the reality is that our ultimate success is contingent upon the local leaders and frontline staff embracing and living our own Gold Standards of Best Practice.

As we continue to define our goals for the year as an agency, I will share them with you to help us maintain our focus and make us more effective in our efforts. Thank you, again, for your belief in our mission, your passion for living it, and your commitment and dedication to your youth and families, and to one another. Best wishes for a great year!

Highlights of Goals from Last Year
Quality of Services:

• Outcomes: We measured outcomes for 10,000 families last year, and launched our 6 mos follow-up effort
• Integrity Compliance Campaign
• Revision of the Employee Code of Conduct
• Centralized Behavioral Health Services
• Quality Assurance Summit Planned for February 2008
• Centralized Department of Employee and Program Development that houses TeamYAP, LEAD, and all internal and external training and program support initiatives and provides monthly updates to the company; further resources and opportunities for employees are being planned and will be formalized during Training Summit in April 2008
• First LEAD class graduated in May
• First Advanced Leadership Seminar hosted last November
• New Director Training Implemented for all Program Management Staff
• New AM Training planned to launch in May 2008

Financial Responsibility

• 9 of 12 months profitable
• Decreased our overhead to less than 12%
• On track to increase revenue over last year.
• Outsourcing Workman's Comp and Unemployment; Restructuring of Health Benefits
• Blackbaud: Financial software package implemented
• UltiPro: New HR Software to aid in monitoring and tracking payroll, employee training, etc. implemented
• IKON contract to replace Xerox saved money and increased our capabilities (scanning)
• WebEx, Gotomeetings software purchased and used to ease communication and training at different locations.
• We established an in-house Print Shop to help save costs for printing materials
• We reached our goal of 42,000 hours of service a week to kids, families and young adults.
• We hired a Foundation writer to help us pursue additional dollars
• We have reached $300,000 in our Endowment Fund and continue to grow
• Fundraising Committee: Website now has capability of accepting online donations through PayPal; Autism E-Store about to launch, with plans to expand to general YAP commerce in 2008; 2 direct mail campaigns planned, along with other events

Worker Recognition

• TeamYAP implemented Anniversary Certificates, Open Your YAP, The Me in Team
• HR Department implemented a retirement savings plan offered to all YAP staff.
• States/Regions hosted Employee Retreats to recognize and appreciate staff
• This year, we plan to launch a more formal company-wide recognition program while also developing supports, guidelines and suggestions for local leaders to implement.

Evidence-Based Research

• YAP decided that we should not try to fit into a pre-existing model when we believe that our model is successful in having good outcomes for youth and families by meeting their needs and building on their strengths.
• YAP formalized a partnership with Public and Private Ventures (the company that worked with Big Brothers and Big Sisters in the EBP process).
• Six Juvenile Justice programs from around the country have been identified for study to begin in 2008

Council on Accreditation (COA)

• Through the efforts of over 70 YAP staff from across the company, YAP completed a preliminary self-study, reviewing over 500 standards and preparing corrective action plans for each as appropriate
• YAP received the fully executed accreditation agreement
• YAP completed and submitted the Organizational Profile, Assessment of Organizational Capacity and Program Assignment Forms
• YAP was assigned a COA coordinator named Tobi Harrington-Murch from Maine
• Our self-assessment is due February 11th, 2009, and our site visit begins in April 2009
• This year, we will be working diligently to move YAP to act on the Standards that required Corrective Actions. Led by the QA Department and a condensed COA Committee, communication and support to both the field programs and TSC will be available implement the necessary changes.

International Conference

• In July of 2007, we hosted a four day conference in partnership with Monmouth University, that formally launched our International Federation with the focus being on invisible youth.
• The Steering Committee is actively meeting and planning future strategies.

YAP Voice

• We are "at the table" in the crafting of the New Jersey Crime Plan
• OCFS (NYS's juvenile justice dept) has promised to reduce Secure Care Reduction by half, and YAP is an instrumental part of that plan
• We have Alumni Groups up and running, particularly in LA
• Our External Training and Consultation Initiative was formalized and introduced; we also partnered with external agencies in New York City, Adams County, Colorado, and in Scotland
• We have Youth Advisory Boards operating throughout New Jersey and the Southwest
• We helped develop a community-based alternative to a Girls Detention Center in Nevada
• We have engaged in community capacity building for ex-offenders.
• This year, our goal is to develop at least one YAP Alumni Group in every region that includes Youth and Parent Leadership Training

Co-Production

• Tompkins County, New York successfully built a Time Bank that has been celebrated locally and through the TimeBanks network.
• Houston, Texas successfully implemented a co-production project with their youth.
• This year, we are strategically pursuing a collaborative with TimeBanks USA in Washington, DC

Develop Autism Initiative

• We developed our Autism Institute, led by consumers (Self-Advocates), University Partners, and YAP staff, to develop and offer an array of trainings and consultation to organizations (such as schools, governmental agencies, etc)
• We did presentations to Slippery Rock University and three schools in the Blue Mountain School District, both in PA, that have led to three school contracts
• We are working on expanding our programming into NJ, NYS, SC, AZ, Fl, NV, and Ireland
• We have presented at conferences in California and Arizona
• This year, we expect to launch our Autism E-Store, which will offer products created by individuals who are on the Autism spectrum. We are also presenting at a major conference in Philadelphia, looking to partner with a University in Cambridge, MA to formally house our Institute, and continue to expand and develop our efforts.

Continued Expansion and New Growth
We were awarded several Million $ in Proposals, and expanded contracts across the US and abroad. Some examples include:

• Adams County, Colorado Child Welfare Advocate Program
• New Mexico
• New Orleans Parrish Juvenile Justice Detention Alternative Program
• South Carolina Gang Initiative
• First Adult Re-Entry Program in Arizona
• Wayne and Seneca County Contracts in NYS
• Expansion of Alleghany Co, PA Truancy Contract
• Scotland Consultation with Kibble Inc.

Additional Achievements of the past year
We have made several changed to our Board of Directors

• Lynette Brown-Sow (Philadelphia) is our new Chairperson
• Thomas Jeffers, YAP Founder, is now Ex-Officio Member to the Board
• Michael Horsey (Philadelphia) is our new Treasurer * We also welcomed Stanley Straughter (NJ), Mona Polacca (AZ), and Veronica Lewis (LA), Joe Munoz (Texas) and Dr. J. Mitch Miller (South Carolina)
• The Bridgespan Group cited YAP as one of the fastest growing non-profits in the past 30 years.
• An Organizational Assessment was undertaken late last year to determine the strengths and needs of the organization and offered agency-wide recommendations to Senior Management.
• To support field efforts and prepare for meeting the COA standards, we formed a Program Analysis Team.
• We hired our own in-House Legal Counsel, Marty D'Urso, Chief of Legal and Corporate Affairs.
• We awarded Six Scholarships to YAP youth from our YAP Endowment Fund.

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