Mike Barker – Children’s Square

“The Blast” Newsletter 10-1-2013

• I was at an Iowa Children’s Justice Summit in Des Moines last week. Judges, attorneys, school personnel, mental health practitioners and juvenile court officers were all in attendance. Over and over it came up from nationwide presenters and participants in the Summit that Iowa Aftercare services was one of the best transition programs in the nation and was a model for other states. Our agency provides this service for youth who have aged out of foster care, for 21 counties in western Iowa. Mary Elks supervises this service, Carol Marker and Jen Sjuts provide the service in the northern counties out of our Sioux City office and we subcontract with Southwest Iowa Families and Therapy Place for the service in the southern counties. I was proud that our organization is involved in these services.