NH health officials say new partnerships will provide services for at-risk youth, families

Nov. 30--State health officials announced partnerships this week with Waypoint of Manchester and the Family Resources Center in Gorham to expand community-based voluntary services for at-risk children and families.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announced the partnerships Monday, saying Waypoint and the Family Resources Center of Northern New Hampshire will provide support services across the state to promote "safe, stable and nurturing families and communities."

In a release, DHHS officials said voluntary services are prevention tools to help families struggling with health and safety concerns that don't achieve the threshold of abuse or neglect at this time, but could meet that standard without intervention by organizations.

State health officials said the new partnerships with Waypoint and the Family Resource Center will ensure that community-based voluntary services are available to families that have had initial contact with DCYF to strengthen the family setting and prevent future cases of abuse and neglect, while increasing the agency's statewide service network.

"Ensuring that New Hampshire's DCYF provides quality care and services to children and families across the Granite State has been a top priority of my administration," said Gov. Chris Sununu in a statement. "The announcement of these two partnerships, which will serve to provide voluntary services, is yet another step forward in ensuring we continue to meet that commitment and in ensuring support services are readily accessible to New Hampshire families directly within their communities."

"We are thrilled to be working with two organizations with a demonstrated track record of helping children and families and with whom we have such a rich history," said DCYF Director Joseph E. Ribsam in a statement. "Voluntary services help strengthen and preserve families, keep children safe at home, and foster environments in which they will thrive. As we continue to make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, these community-based services will be a lifeline to our families as they regain their strength and resilience."

"We are very excited by this opportunity," Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint, said in a statement. "Prevention services of this caliber will reduce reliance on state systems, and are transformative in the way they protect children and families."

"We have been supporting families for more than 22 years through our five locations in the North Country," said Patti Stolte, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center of Northern New Hampshire, in a statement. "We've provided an array of services offered in our state from those seeking information on parenting to those needing interventions or even working towards family reunification. The new program under FRC known as Building Families Foundation is revolutionary in recognizing that families can experience a crisis, but with some intensive, short term care, can move quickly out of an at-risk situation with their family intact and achieve long-term success."

___

(c)2020 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.)

Visit The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.) at www.unionleader.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.