Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Mandy Wells (Acting Director)
Department: Human Services Division: Crisis Intervention & Support
Information
Requested Action
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A. MOTION TO APPROVE Accreditation Agreement between the National Children’s Alliance (“NCA”) and Broward County effective upon date of execution through December 31, 2025, for the purpose of obtaining Accredited Member status in the NCA and recognizing the Nancy J. Cotterman Center (“NJCC”) as an accredited Children’s Advocacy Center (“CAC”); authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute same; authorize the County Administrator to execute amendments to the Agreement, subject to review for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney; and authorize the County Administrator to take all necessary administrative actions to implement the Agreement.
ACTION: (T-10:32 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 9-0. Vice-Mayor Geller voted in the affirmative telephonically.
B. MOTION TO APPROVE License Agreement between the National Children’s Alliance (“NCA”) and Broward County retroactively effective January 26, 2020, to allow the Nancy J. Cotterman Center (“NJCC”) to use and display the NCA service marks and logos; authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute same; authorize the County Administrator to execute amendments to the Agreement, subject to review for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney; and authorize the County Administrator to take all necessary administrative actions to implement the Agreement.
ACTION: (T-10:32 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 9-0. Vice-Mayor Geller voted in the affirmative telephonically.
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Why Action is Necessary
Board of County Commissioners (“Commission”) approval is required for agreements with external agencies.
What Action Accomplishes
Approval of motions A and B allows the NJCC to complete the NCA Children’s Advocacy Center re-accreditation process.
Is this Action Goal Related
Yes
Previous Action Taken
None.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE CRISIS INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS.
This item supports the Commission value of “approaching human services collaboratively and compassionately with special emphasis on the most vulnerable” and the goal to “deliver evidence-based services to the public and connect customers and their family members to sustainable support with special emphasis on financial supports.” Re-accreditation from the NCA certifies that the NJCC is poised to help prevent child abuse and offer child abuse victims the services and support that they need.
A CAC is a national best practice model that uses a child-focused, community oriented, and multidisciplinary approach to investigate, treat and prosecute child abuse cases and prevent further victimization of children. NCA accreditation as a CAC enables the NJCC to be eligible for CAC grant funding and to utilize member resources at national, state, and regional levels. This includes technical assistance, training materials, and access to professional workshops and conferences. Such accreditation recognizes compliance with the national NCA Standards for Accredited Members.
The re-accreditation process occurs every five years from the date of accreditation. The NJCC was initially accredited as a CAC on June 8, 2003. Subsequent to that, the NJCC received re-accreditations in September 2008 and October 2014.
On December 6, 2019, in keeping with its re-accreditation schedule, the NCA team conducted a site visit to assess the NJCC and determine its eligibility for renewed accreditation. The NJCC was successfully re-accredited on January 26, 2020.
The Accreditation Agreement requires the NJCC to comply with the NCA Standards for Accredited Members in order to be granted and retain the accreditation for the next five-year period. The License Agreement requires no outcomes or deliverables.
The Accreditation Agreement and the License Agreement are in NCA’s format and are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia. They have been approved as to form by the Office of the County Attorney. The NCA will sign these Agreements following their approval by the Board.
Source of Additional Information
Carol Cook, Director, Crisis Intervention and Support Division, (954) 357-9590
Ana Ferrer, Human Services Administrator, Nancy J. Cotterman Center, (954) 357-5765
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
These are non-financial Agreements.