written werk: Crisis Nursery Annual Report

COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS

printed annual report

CD-ROM with videos of each staff member, volunteer, parent, and board member feaured in the annual report

BACKGROUND INFO

Often the information I need is stuck inside someone's head. Before I sit down to choose the right words, I have to interview people to figure out the content and flow of the document.

For this project, I interviewed each of the seven people featured in the annual report and CD-ROM to learn about the organization's accomplishments that year and how they were achieved. Because many of these people would not be comfortable speaking impromptu in front of a camera, I wrote scripts for them, using their own language and thoughts from the personal interviews I conducted.

Through strong relationships with families and collaborators, the Nursery helps to bring about long-term change.

Some families who use our resources repeatedly have complex issues that cannot be addressed within the children’s three-day stay at the Nursery. The 4rth Day Program was developed in 1998 in response to this need. In 1999, the Nursery focused on finding additional sources of support for families in perpetual crisis, in an effort to broaden the scope and the effectiveness of the 4rth Day Program.

Quality has always been more important to us than quantity. Thus, the number of community agencies that collaborate with the Nursery is small. However, each fills a gap that would otherwise make change for parents far more difficult. We limit the number of our collaborations so we can work more closely with each agency, sharing resources and clientele, as an authentic collaboration requires.

In 1999, the Nursery developed a partnership with Washburn Child Guidance, which provides behavioral health services to children and their parents. With this collaboration comes the ability to bypass the usual paperwork necessary for a child or parent to gain access to mental health services. Furthermore, the Nursery provides more than just a referral. The Nursery’s Outreach Coordinator, who works closely with each family in the 4rth Day Program, stays involved as the child and/or parent receives the help they need from Washburn Child Guidance Center.

Family advocates at the Nursery make a clear distinction between referrals and connections. When a family in crisis is simply given an agency’s telephone number, the chances of them actually calling are slim. Physical connections are much more effective. As a result of the strong relationships the Nursery has formed with its collaborating partners, it’s much easier to connect families with warm, friendly people who can provide the services needed. In many cases, the Outreach Coordinator will accompany families as their advocate to ensure the likelihood of long-term change.

“Through our collaborations, we make sure there’s a person who can help families in need, so they feel like someone is taking the time to work with them, to establish a relationship. For instance, if a teen mother from our Teen Parent Night Out program gets into trouble, she trusts that she can call me or the Nursery because I’ve been available to her on a consistent basis.”
–Carrie Crook, Outreach Coordinator

4rth Day Program Highlights

– 1,353 referral connections made

–Developed a new collaborative partnership with Washburn Child Guidance Center

– Strengthened existing collaborations with People Serving People Shelter, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and Blaisdell YMCA

– Initiated follow-up contact with 75% of the families who have utilized the Crisis Nursery’s services

– Conducted more than 100 outreach visits to the home of clients involved in the 4rth Day Program

	COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS printed annual report CD-ROM with videos of each staff member, volunteer, parent, and board member feaured in the annual report
GREATER MINNEAPOLIS CRISIS NURSERY ANNUAL REPORT Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery works in partnership with parents in crisis and the community to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.	annual report	BACKGROUND INFO Often the information I need is stuck inside someone's head. Before I sit down to choose the right words, I have to interview people to figure out the content and flow of the document. For this project, I interviewed each of the seven people featured in the annual report and CD-ROM to learn about the organization's accomplishments that year and how they were achieved. Because many of these people would not be comfortable speaking impromptu in front of a camera, I wrote scripts for them, using their own language and thoughts from the personal interviews I conducted.
EXCERPTED COPY Through strong relationships with families and collaborators, the Nursery helps to bring about long-term change. Some families who use our resources repeatedly have complex issues that cannot be addressed within the children’s three-day stay at the Nursery. The 4rth Day Program was developed in 1998 in response to this need. In 1999, the Nursery focused on finding additional sources of support for families in perpetual crisis, in an effort to broaden the scope and the effectiveness of the 4rth Day Program. Quality has always been more important to us than quantity. Thus, the number of community agencies that collaborate with the Nursery is small. However, each fills a gap that would otherwise make change for parents far more difficult. We limit the number of our collaborations so we can work more closely with each agency, sharing resources and clientele, as an authentic collaboration requires. In 1999, the Nursery developed a partnership with Washburn Child Guidance, which provides behavioral health services to children and their parents. With this collaboration comes the ability to bypass the usual paperwork necessary for a child or parent to gain access to mental health services. Furthermore, the Nursery provides more than just a referral. The Nursery’s Outreach Coordinator, who works closely with each family in the 4rth Day Program, stays involved as the child and/or parent receives the help they need from Washburn Child Guidance Center. Family advocates at the Nursery make a clear distinction between referrals and connections. When a family in crisis is simply given an agency’s telephone number, the chances of them actually calling are slim. Physical connections are much more effective. As a result of the strong relationships the Nursery has formed with its collaborating partners, it’s much easier to connect families with warm, friendly people who can provide the services needed. In many cases, the Outreach Coordinator will accompany families as their advocate to ensure the likelihood of long-term change.		EXCERPTED COPY “Through our collaborations, we make sure there’s a person who can help families in need, so they feel like someone is taking the time to work with them, to establish a relationship. For instance, if a teen mother from our Teen Parent Night Out program gets into trouble, she trusts that she can call me or the Nursery because I’ve been available to her on a consistent basis.” –Carrie Crook, Outreach Coordinator 4rth Day Program Highlights – 1,353 referral connections made –Developed a new collaborative partnership with Washburn Child Guidance Center – Strengthened existing collaborations with People Serving People Shelter, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and Blaisdell YMCA – Initiated follow-up contact with 75% of the families who have utilized the Crisis Nursery’s services – Conducted more than 100 outreach visits to the home of clients involved in the 4rth Day Program

	return to written werk