The Newport Initiative for Nonprofit Leadership is an interagency program designed to provide best practice information, technical assistance, training and development and resource sharing opportunities to the Newport community providers working with children and families.

All programs are free and open to all members of the community, including faith-based organizations working with children and families.

All programs are provided by professional speakers working directly in their area of specialization. When appropriate, continuing education units (CEUs) for social workers will be provided free of charge.

Partnership members work collaboratively to identify community needs, resources and planning steps to ensure high quality staff development.

Our partners are:
Child & Family
Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County
CODAC Behavioral Healthcare
East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP)
Visiting Nurse Service of Newport and Bristol Counties
Women¹s Resource Center

Child & Family is the lead agency for the Newport Initiative for Nonprofit Leadership and is the oldest and most comprehensive provider of social services in Rhode Island's Newport County. Founded in 1866 as an orphanage, the Agency has evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of the communities it serves. The multi-service organization is a private nonprofit supported by funds from private donations, grants, the United Way, fees and federal, state and local government contracts. We have 275 employees and over 300 volunteers working in all of our programs. Our agency's mission is to strengthen families, their members and the communities in which they live. We accomplish the goals of our mission through the many programs and services we provide. C&F serves all ages and income levels from the entire community by offering a variety of programs including:

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County’s mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. A Boys & Girls Club provides: a safe place to learn and grow; ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals; life-enhancing programs and character development experiences; hope and opportunity. Over 1400 members, ages 5-18, receive services from the club on an annual basis.

Current programs and activities run throughout the year at our Central Clubhouse located at 95 Church Street in Newport, at our Park Holm/Tonomy Hill Clubhouse in Public Housing, at Oxbow Farms in Middletown, and during the summer at Camp Grosvenor in Saunderstown.

Activities Include:

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare has enjoyed the privilege of helping Rhode Islanders since 1971. For 36 years we have been providing safe, effective and caring treatment for individuals and their families. We are a non-profit organization that is committed to supporting, teaching and developing within individuals, families and the community the skills and abilities to live free from the impact and constraints of addictions and mental health disorders.

We support our community by providing five treatment centers across the state of Rhode Island. Each site is independently accredited and licensed to provide substance abuse and behavioral health treatment services. We have the capacity and skilled staff to treat adolescents and adults in need of both intensive out patient and general outpatient counseling services. This expertise enables us to work effectively with the Department of Corrections (DOC) and other elements of the criminal justice system, Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF), other referring entities, and with employers and families. CODAC provides services addressing the problems of gambling, anger management, DWI/DWU, alcohol and other drug abuse, prescription medication dependence, opiate dependence and treatment for behaviors associated with mental health disorders. We provide intervention and prevention educational services to both family and professionals in the community.

East Bay Community Action Program is a private, non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation that provides a wide array of health and human services to the residents of Rhode Island’s east bay including the municipalities of East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Little Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and Jamestown. As part of special contract obligations some of EBCAP’s programs serve residents outside of the east bay area.

The services provided by EBCAP include: Head Start Services and Early Head Start in the lower east bay; family health and dental services; family development case management services including social service information and referral and basic human needs; youth programs; the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless; Housing and Energy Services; the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Feeding and Nutrition Program (WIC) and senior services including case management, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents and the Ocean State Senior Dining Program (meals in a social setting).

Mission:
The mission of East Bay Community Action Program is to provide high-quality, comprehensive and accessible health and human services to assist people to achieve their fullest potential.

Vision:
East Bay Community Action Program strives to be recognized as the premiere health and human services agency in the East Bay.

East Bay Community Action Program is governed by its 21-member Board of Directors that is representative of the east bay’s public sector, consumers, business, labor, religious welfare, education and significant minority groups and interests in the community. The Board of Directors meets monthly and its meetings are open to the public.
The main offices of EBCAP are located at 19 Broadway, Newport, Rhode Island and 100 Bullocks Point Avenue, Riverside, Rhode Island.

Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties (VNS) is an independent not for profit organization in its 58th year of business. The mission of VNS is to provide community services that promote optimal health and quality of life for individuals and families. In addition to the Youth Success programs, VNS operates home care, comprehensive palliative care, hospice, community clinics, maternal child health programs, and a licensed ambulatory clinic provides Title X family planning services, HIV/STI testing and women’s cancer screening.

VNS is licensed, Medicare certified, and JCAHO accredited. In 1976, what is now VNS Youth Success began as a pilot program of the Newport School Department in response to the high rate of high school dropouts among pregnant students. Based upon the results of the pilot, the Young Parents Program of Rhode Island (YPP) was established as the first comprehensive program for pregnant and parenting students, with a focus on high school completion. In 1984 YPP became the model for what would evolve into the present day Department of Human Services’ Adolescent Self Sufficiency Collaborative (ASSC). In 1995 the Young Parents Program of Rhode Island merged with VNS. In 1998, through a partnership with the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center, VNS-YPP expanded to provide on site GED instruction to pregnant and parenting teens. In 2002 the Youth Success programs were developed to now include all at-risk out of school youth. Youth Success now encompasses the Young Parents Program, the GED & Career Academy, and community prevention and education efforts focused on pregnancy and drop-out prevention. Today, The Youth Success is the only service of its type on Aquidneck Island and the East Bay.

The Women's Resource Center
Victims of domestic violence (DV) need a safe, supportive and personally enriching environment in every facet of services provided by our Center including representation in court, shelter, child care, child custody, relations with other state and community agencies, and personal education and counseling. To that end, we develop programs that are ecologically sound (meaning we provide a model that creates programs that work in cohesion with one another so the client entering our Safe Home or come to us with DV related issues can receive an array of services needed) and we assure that our professionals are thoroughly trained and achieve the highest standards of performance in their relationships with clients.

Support groups: Supportive counseling is offered on an emergency or ongoing basis for our Safe Home clients. Additionally, support and education groups for women are offered for our clients in our Newport and Bristol County offices. All groups whether scheduled or "drop-in" are free and confidential with basic education and curriculum-based support.

Individual Counseling: Counseling services are offered to individuals on an ongoing or as needed basis in our Newport and Bristol County offices. Our LICSW, oversees the counseling staff at both of our locations.

Children Who Witness: The Women's Resource Center has the oldest Children Who Witness violence program in Rhode Island. Children exposed to violence in their homes often experience a variety of reactions, including behavioral problems, social withdrawal, depression, anxiety, problems at school, problems with sleep, and social isolation.
Because we recognize this type of exposure can have lasting and devastating effects, the Women's Resource Center of Newport & Bristol Counties offers several services designed to help children who experience violence in their homes. These services include evaluation and needs assessment, individual sessions with either a MSW or LISW specializing in play therapy and art therapy that focus on issues of violence, referral for long-term therapy if necessary, and group programs. The skills learned through these services can then be used by children to cope with their experiences of violence in a more effective and productive way.

Walk-in and Hotline Services: WRC offers walk-in services and scheduled individual support and assistance in Warren on Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). The Women's Resource Center also has a small pantry program (which stocks food and toiletries), and donations center. The Center operates a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week hotline. Callers are offered information, referral, support and shelter. Youth: WRC has also developed one of the most comprehensive class-room based anti-violence/healthy communication programs in the state called the Peace Promotion Program. Our youth programming also provides in-service training for teachers and other professionals on recognizing the warning signs in youth and children who have witnessed/experienced violence.

Outreach and Education: WRC outreach effort reaches the general Newport and Bristol County's population through our community partnership team covE (Communities Overcoming ViolencE) involving community members in prevention efforts. We also offer a speakers bureau setting up speaking engagements at housing developments, Even Start and Head Start programs, community centers, churches, schools and social organizations. The main goal of WRC's outreach services is prevention of domestic violence. A secondary goal is informing the public about available services.

Legal Advocacy: The Court Advocates provide support to victims of domestic violence which may include helping them obtain temporary restraining orders, helping to have no contact orders reversed, and assisting victims with the longer process of custody and divorce in family court. Legal advocacy services are offered in the Newport and Providence court systems. Our Law Enforcement Advocate (one) works with the Barrington, Bristol and Warren police departments 24/7 assisting officers and detectives who work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The Advocates refer victims to other appropriate agencies for additional services.

Goals of the Newport Initiative:
1. Enhanced communication and service coordination between providers.
2. Improved levels of critical thinking and strategic planning at partner agencies.
3. Decreased levels of staff turnover and increased levels of retention of highly qualified staff.
4. Coordinated interagency performance measures in areas of primary, secondary and tertiary intervention with at-risk youth and families.
5. The professional development of present and future leaders of community organizations.
6. Improved skills among stakeholders around forming and sustaining political liaisons.
7. Enhanced marketing skills and a community-wide “one stop shopping” service approach among partner organizations.

Funding
The Newport Initiative for Nonprofit Leadership is funded by the Compassion Capital Fund of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.