Our holistic work with community members begins with our Direct Service Network. Upon arrival at the Panacea Institute for Equality in Education, families are greeted with a “pre-screen” process to determine their presenting need. At this initial entry point, education challenges supersede all other family challenges. The support staff responsible for the prescreening process will determine the severity of the educational challenge and will determine how to proceed from two possibilities.
The first possibility is time-sensitive and requires immediate intervention. It requires the child have grave education barriers like attendance, behavioral issues and egregious academic performance causing academic …show more content…
During this process the family will be introduced to all the advocates in the network, including the program directors and the Executive Director if available. After the initial introductions, the Family Advocate and the Education Advocate will confer briefly with the family. Then the Education Advocate will pass the family portfolio with initial needs assessment to the Family Advocate, who will then complete a comprehensive “family assessment”. The family assessment will consist of family history, including members of the family, family dynamics, the families’ financial situation, living history, and all other aspects of the families’ socioeconomic space. One component of the family assessment is to determine tangential needs that interfere with academic performance and related to the family’s socioeconomic conditions. The assessment will address housing instability issues, shelter life and placement, and at risk factors for homelessness. The assessment will also cover topics such as mental health, domestic violence, Administration of Children Services, health & nutrition, and career goals and aspirations. The assessment will include any plans and goals the families have already developed. The family advocate will determine ways to support the family in achieving their goals. If a family presents needs that interferes with academic success and family stability, the family advocate will refer families to other advocates that are specialized in specific fields: the housing, career, health, and financial