Multimedia

Introduction to the NEW DHHS Website

Transcript of video:

Welcome to the new, completely re-designed website for the NH Department of Health and Human Services.  We’ve updated and reorganized the site so that you can find what you need quickly and easily. 

This video will show you around, and help you get familiar with some of the topics available, as well as learn some accessibility and navigation tips.

Starting off, there is this “How Can We Help You” box, which lists many of our most requested topics.

There’s also a search feature, where you can look for content in both web pages and documents.

This banner section of the website is the same on every page. Let’s look at what else you can do here.

The first accessibility option is to change text size.  Other Accessibility options can be found here, including making your curser larger, and changing the contrast, text spacing or font to meet your needs.  You can also move the accessibility panel to another spot on the screen where it makes the most sense for you.

You can change the language of the site to any language supported by Google Translate.

In this middle section of the banner, you’ll find a list of contacts. Please note that is not a complete employee directory, but rather the key contact people for various programs and services.

You can search by keyword, or see all the contacts within a particular topic.  If you click the “Show All topics” link, you’ll need to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the results of your search.

The site includes many documents and forms. You can find lists of pertinent documents within each of the program pages, but you can also search for any document here.

If you’ve come to the site to report a concern, you can use this link to find the right phone number and information about making a report.

The other thing that appears on every page is this Escape site button, just in case you need to leave the site quickly for safety reasons.

Now let’s take a look at this main menu.
Do you need directions to a district office or other state building?  They are all listed here, along with our four main facilities.  You can search by zip code, or filter by the specific service you are looking for. Notice that there are more filter options when you click “load more filters.”

When looking for programs and services you’ll notice that you don’t need to know the exact name of the program or agency to find it on this site.  Use the programs & services list to narrow your search down by topic.

You can find links for applying for Medicaid or other financial assistance here.

And if you are a business person or employer, there is great information here about opportunities and resources.

Data is in great demand these days, and you can find all the public data and reports that DHHS produces here.

We have an events calendar for publically available events and meetings, as well as press releases, public notices and multimedia resources that the department offers.

Finally, way down at the bottom of every page, there’s a “Submit Feedback” link.  We would love to hear from you about your experience with the site – good or bad! Your suggestions will help make our new site even more useful for everyone.

Thank you for visiting!
 

Child Protective Service Worker (CPSW) Realistic Job Preview Video

Transcript of video:

Female Narrator: Thank you for interest in applying for a Child Protective Service Worker position, or
CPSW, with the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth, and Families. DCYF is responsible for
promoting the safety and wellness of thousands of children, families, and communities across the
Granite State each day. DCYF’s primary goal is to strengthen families so children can live free from harm
and abuse. Our staff works to quickly assess and respond to the changing environments that children
and families live, work, play, learn, and grow in every day.

As someone who is considering becoming a Child Protective Services Worker, what will
this mean for you? The role of a CPSW is very challenging. Each day you may face difficult situations
involving child maltreatment.

However, you will not be alone. CPSW’s are part of a larger child and family-serving system in which
DCYF, parents, providers, and community members work together to create conditions for strong and
thriving families and communities where children are free from harm so they can grow, learn, and play
and become healthy adults.

We are excited you are considering becoming part of the DCYF team. We hope you will join us and help
achieve our goal of constructing a safer future for all of New Hampshire’s children.

Matthew, Family Service Worker: I think that that’s the reason why I do it the most, is I wanted a job
that would ah give me a purpose in life.

Sherri, Supervisor: Sometimes people underestimate the depth of the problems that our clients have and
their, the impact that that’s going to have on them. Sometimes people have, you know, depending on
their own personal history, um, that they bring to this work they may not ever have had exposure to
many of the things that now they‘re going to have exposure to.

Assessment Worker: So we’re not we’re not sure of the age of the child.

Assessment Worker: Do you have the name of that child?

Assessment Worker: He lied to the police because he was afraid of getting beaten up?

Female Narrator: All reports of alleged child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire are received through
the Central Intake Office. If the report is accepted it is immediately sent to a local office to be assigned an
assessment worker so that an investigation into the allegations can begin.

Tammy, Intake Worker: We get all types of types of reports from um, you know, neglect calls, to sexual
abuse calls, to physical abuse calls. Um, it fluctuates on the ages of the children. That, you know we get
calls on newborns; we get calls up to when the child is up to 18 years of age.

Assessment Worker: Did he say whether or not he’s witnessed any other domestic violence with his
parents?

Female Narrator: An assessment worker interviews children, parents, and household members. They also
talk to doctors, school staff, police, counselors, and others who may be involved with the family. It’s
short-term and fast-paced to determine what action may be necessary.

Jennifer, Assessment Worker: There is no schedule to my day; honestly every day could be different as
an assessment worker. Um, some days I have scheduled appointments and I’m meeting with families.

There are some days I don’t know what I’m doing until I come in and ah I’m handed an emergency report
and I need to go out.

Amanda, Assessment Worker: From the moment I stepped in I loved what I did. And it was fast-paced.
Um, it was different every day. Um, you know I wasn’t sitting all day, you know I wasn’t on the move all
day. It was just lots of everything.

Amanda, Assessment Worker: I went up to the home last night and the little boy had scratches over his
eye and he had a bruise, ah because of the on-going domestic violence and the little boy will be stepping
off the bus probably in about two hours with mom’s boyfriend so that is very concerning.

Supervisor: And I did just talk with the police just before you came in and they ah had a call from the
neighbor last night. Um, who was concerned because they heard a lot of screaming and banging.

Department Attorney: I think based on the photographs and what you’ve told me I think we have enough
to obtain a court order.

Meaghan, Assessment Worker: It’s difficult to say how often you’ll go to court, um, because you never
know what kind of assessment you’re going to receive. Um, so I would say, potentially once a month, it
could be three times a month, it could be, um you could go three months without filing a neglect or
abuse petition in court.

Amanda, Assessment Worker: Court is never easy. It’s something that you have to practice. It’s
something that you have to watch, you have to shadow. Um, the first few times are not easy, and you
have to remember that it’s not personal.

Meaghan, Assessment Worker: So you, um, prepare with the attorney. Um, so what happens when you
go to court is you file neglect petitions, um as well as other documentation. Um, but CPSWs are typically
responsible for the affidavit. Um, and that is the factual information you obtain throughout the
assessment.

Department Attorney: The Department would like to call CPSW Amanda Jewel to the stand.

Amanda, Assessment Worker: He has spoken about fighting in the home, lots of screaming and yelling.
He’s also talked with me about um, physical abuse on his mom.

Department Attorney: Your honor, at this point the Department would request that the court issue an
Order of Protection removing Ms. Jones’ boyfriend.

District Court Judge: Based on the evidence that I’ve heard today and the child’s disclosures I will be
issuing an Order of Protection removing the mom’s…

Sherri, Supervisor: We have a really great mentoring program that helps people with that so they are
not just sort of thrown in there on their first day, you know, by themselves, by any means.

Matthew, Family Service Worker: The types of trainings that we do are, are intense and very
informative and you could come into the job and not really know much about how to do things, um, but
in that three to four month period they teach you everything that you need to know.

Meaghan, Assessment Worker: You receive a mentor, right from the beginning, um, so you are assigned
to a seasoned CPSW, um, who you are going to shadow, kind of, throughout, um, your first several
months with the division. Um, so in addition to mentoring with somebody you’re also going through
what we call Core Academy, um, which is classroom style training that you are going to go through to
learn about the different policies within the division, um, to learn about, um, the court process, to learn
about how to interview children, um, to engage with families.

Sherri, Supervisor: We have a lot of training and we have a lot of supports, but even still, at the end of
the day, at some point you have to go knock on the door by yourself. And, if you aren’t someone who
can bring yourself to some level of comfort in doing that, then, this job’s not for you.

Assessment Worker: I am always nervous knocking on doors. Um, that moment when you’re knocking
and waiting to see if someone’s going to respond. I’m always nervous, you know, no matter how many
times I do it. Um, you don’t know what’s… what’s behind the door.

Kyle, Assessment Worker: I’ve never been greeted by a parent that was happy to see me. So, um, um,
in, initially when I first started, that’s, that’s uncomfortable. Um, and it’s, it can be pretty intense.

Amanda, Assessment Worker: Um, I’m here to talk with you about your son. Um, he’s okay but we have
a concern about, um, his safety and a concern about yours as well. Um, we have a court order to remove
your boyfriend, ah David, from the home. Is he here right now?

Parent: Yes, but what right do you have to come into my home and remove him out of the home…

Amanda, Assessment Worker: What we do isn’t easy, but we also have a lot of support and there’s a lot
of ah, tools we have to utilize that support and, um, great people to work with. Lots of services.

Sherri, Supervisor: It’s not something you can pick up a book and read it and say okay it says here that I
need to do this so this is how I’m going to do it. It’s not that kind of a job. It’s, there, there’s much more
gray than that there’s much more need to think, to be able to generalize from general instructions to
the specific situation.

Kyle, Assessment Worker: There is no, um, typical day. And, and, it’s very, very fast paced. There’s a lot
of pressure and you need to, you need to become adept at, um, at juggling and reprioritizing. Um, you
know, ah, sometimes, uh, hourly.

Sherri, Supervisor: We’ve got an urgent report that we’re going to need to go out on this afternoon.

Kyle, Assessment Worker: Ok

Kyle, Assessment Worker: Is there a reason that someone might be worried about you or your brothers
or your sisters?

Child: Uh-uh

Kyle, Assessment Worker: No?

Kyle, Assessment Worker: It’s powerful to, to sit down with a child and, and to let them know that – I
believe you – and that – What, what’s happening to you, I, I do not think that’s okay.

Female Narrator: The Family Service Worker’s job involves determining what services might help a
family get where they need to be in order to have their children safely at home. This is longer-term
involvement that builds a relationship with the family.

Jason, Supervisor: It really comes down to identifying what the family needs are and identifying what
service is best suited to meet that family’s need. Um, some families have more needs than other
families. Some families have higher risk and, ah, more risk factors to deal with than other families, but
really, the Family Service Worker, um, is there to help identify and coordinate and manage those
services and monitor the quality of that service delivery. And, to make sure that that family’s needs are
being met effectively.

Heather, Family Service Worker: It’s definitely important that you be able to put aside your own biases.
Um, I think that, going into this, uh field, um, I think it’s perfectly normal to think that there must be
something different about these parents.

Meaghan, Assessment Worker: You may not have grown up in a home that, um had dishes piled up in
the sink, or clothes scattered on the floor, garbage overflowing, um, but is that a safety concern? No.
Um, so you need to put that own judgement and bias aside.

Matthew, Family Service Worker: You’ll have uncomfortable conversations where you have to talk, ah,
to a parent about their child having been physically abused by a family member, and they don’t want to
believe that, um, but you have to have those conversations.

Candace, Family Service Worker: I remember having to tell a five and seven year old that the judge
decided that instead of going home to their birth family that they are going to be adopted by the family
they are living with now.

Adele, Family Service Worker: No one person decides anything like that for the children. It’s generally a
group decision where a kids, a child’s placed initially, with the child needs to be moved. Should visits be
supervised or not? You know what degree is appropriate for them seeing their parents? A lot of it is a
group decision which I think protects the agency as well as the children, because no one person’s
personal beliefs or judgement, or you know any of that, is what decides the fate of a child.

Family Service Worker: We are reviewing Hannah for today’s PPT.

Family Service Worker: And the foster mom is, ah, coming with me to visit the biological parents in jail
and start that connection and start getting them um…

Adele, Family Service Worker: Children will always love their parents. And they will always want to
know in one way or another where they are or what had happened. There will always be something of
that, and you need to respect that.

Matthew, Family Service Worker: There’s, there’s some parents that are not going to be willing to work
with you. There’s some parents that are gonna fight you every step of the way, um, for a year plus, and
you’re going to have to terminate their parental rights.

Family Service Worker: The things that parents have sort of forced their children to endure, that some
of it is, it’s horrific. And there’s no other word for it, but you can’t, you can’t judge the, the parents for
that. You can’t look at the children simply as victims, you keep those things in mind, but they’re still
people who, that you want to help prepare to make it out there in the world.

Kyle, Assessment Worker: Are you worried about me talking to your mom and dad about anything?

Child: Uh uh

Candace, Family Service Worker: A person who should take this job should have a passion, and a heart,
and a desire to um, make change, in, in this world, in your community.

Sherri, Supervisor: This is not a part time position, it’s, it’s actually a more than full time position is that
way that I phrase it to them and I think that that’s very accurate. This, I mean certainly there are hours
and you know, you’re not going to be worked to death, but um this is not a, this is a position that will be
a huge part of your life. This is not someplace you go and then leave it there and come home at 4:30.

Adele, Family Service Worker: There’s definitely days that I go home and I curse my job up and down,
um, but I would say more often than not, um, yes, I like my job. I am happy with the work that I do.

Heather, Family Service Worker: We do make a difference. There’s days I forget that, but we do. We
help children and we help families. The best feeling in the world is when after the day is done and we’ve
done all of this tremendous amount of work and all of this documentation, a child gets to go home and
live safely with their parents.

Meaghan, Assessment Worker: If you are passionate, um, if you want to help children, if you want to
support the families, if you want to better your community, um, this job’s for you. If you can think on
the fly, work as a team, um, if you are energized and organized, this job’s for you.

Youth Counselor Realistic Job Preview Video

Transcript of video:

Penny Sampson, Director: Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the position of Youth
Counselor at the Sununu Youth Services Center. I am Penny Sampson, I am the director of the
facility and I’d like to take a few minutes to talk to you about the history of the facility and what
you would do here in the position of Youth Counselor. The Sununu Center was initially
established for juvenile offenders in 1858. It’s the oldest continuously running institution of its
type in the United States. SYSC is the only secure treatment facility for adjudicated youth in the
state of New Hampshire. Our population includes youth with not only severe behavioral issues,
but serious mental health needs as well. Youth Counselors are an integral part of all that we do
here. It is a sometimes difficult balance to provide care and treatment and also have the ability
to set limits and boundaries and keep the environment safe. This is very challenging work and it
really isn’t for everyone. But if you have a passion for working with youth and you want to do
something that will really make a difference in the lives of teenagers, to give them guidance
and direction and a better start, this may be the position for you. Thank you for considering
becoming part of our team.

Nanci Hamilton, Parent: For him, the idea, the thoughts in our heads, were that it was pretty
much just like prison. This looks like it’s going to introduce him into a more serious world where
there’s really not much opportunity to turn back. But I was wrong.

John H. Sununu Youth Services Center
Youth Counselor

Lynette, YC: Usually by the time a student gets to the Sununu Center they have been through a
variety of programs because this is the most restrictive placement in the state of New
Hampshire for juveniles.

Amy, YC: It’s locked, so it is secure, which a jail would be secure, but its – its treatment. These
are kids, not adults. And our business is not to confine, it’s to try to make a change.

Joshua, YC: And before they come on their floor they would go through a pat down search in
the multipurpose room.

Kevin Sullivan, Clinical & Residential Services: Some kids might say, “I’m being punished. I’m
stuck here away from my family and friends and my electronics.” Um, I look at it as a treatment
program. Um, when you look at an offense and you say this kid’s bad and they’ve done
something horrible, that’s a moment in their life. Um, I look at their environment, um, what’s
normal to them might not be normal to me.

Leticia, Unit Manager: “Nobody loves me” uh “Nobody wants me” – we hear it more than we
should hear it. And at times it can be very, very sad. And you will cry, you know hearing what
they’ve gone through.

Jay, YC: I have one individual who is fourteen, was committed at thirteen. Um, he does not
have much of a family life. His main guardian, he’s not, his parents aren’t in his life and his
guardian just went to federal prison for three years for selling drugs.

Lynette, YC: Her mother was a prostitute and she, um, was taken out of the home and ran away
and ran away and went through all her placements and they didn’t know what else to do with
her so they put her at the youth development center. And her mother would visit her on
occasion and she went a period of time that she couldn’t get a hold of her mother. And no one
knew why she couldn’t get a hold of her mother and after about six weeks her mother’s body
was found stuffed in the cupboard where they live.

Amy, YC: The majority of our kids don’t have, um, the best of backgrounds. A lot of them have
been abused, have been neglected. Um, and as a result have become who they are. And we
have this very small window of time in which we can try to help change their patterns of
thinking and how they behave and how they manage themselves so that when they do become
adults they can be a more productive member of society.

Gail Snow, Clinical & Residential Services: Our staff receive training before they’re able to
come in and work on the floor with the youths so that they learn about defensive tactics, they
learn how to, um, keep children safe when they’re acting out so that, you know the goal of
course is that no one gets hurt. And one of the things we do after they go through our academy
is they come in, come on a unit and they shadow another staff. And they do that for several
weeks until the supervisor on that unit makes a determination that they’re ready to function
more independently.

Leticia, Unit Manager: You come in and you go to roll call, and that’s extremely important. Uh,
you get information about what’s happened over the last few days. If anyone’s having
problems, if there’s any appointments coming up, who you’re gonna be working with, who’s
gonna be on the response team.

Lynette, YC: Sometimes you come here and it’s a really bad day and kids are having a tough
time and there’s a fight or there’s swearing and screaming and you can cut the tension with a
knife. And that’s not easy to work in.

Leticia, Unit Manager: Residents can be very manipulative, especially if you’re new. They will
test the boundaries and push and push and see what they can get away with.
Jay, YC: So they will lash out. A lot of it’s flailing around and stuff, or they’re just so frustrated
and upset that they’re gonna kick whatever body part they see that’s available to them.

Joshua, Former Student: Kids are gonna say things. They’re gonna say a lot of things. So, I mean
you have to have a thick skin, you have to be able to be grounded and you have to be able to
relate on a level of them.

Lynette, YC: And one of the things that is important to be successful in this job is to understand
the individual. That each student comes here with a history and, and some of the histories are
pretty horrific. On the other hand, you can’t let that history be a crutch and an excuse for
inappropriate behavior. You need to understand that history, work with that student about that
history but don’t let it be a rea-, uh, an excuse for misbehaving.

Gail Snow, Clinical & Residential Services: There are people that are very good at diffusing
situations and that’s what our training is based on: How to deescalate a situation so that it
never rises to the point where people are in danger. And when it does rise to that level our staff
are trained to be able to manage that so that nobody gets hurt.

Jay, YC: In here you hope you hope you can get these youth before they get into the adult
system you hope you can help them make changes to their life so that they don’t end up in the
adult system.

Joshua, YC: All the rooms are set up the same. Uh, you got a bed, desk, and chair. Each room
has a window where they can see out. Uh, they’re allowed to keep certain items in their rooms,
some personal stuff like pictures from home.

Lynette, YC: Once they’re in here, um, they, there’s a lot of treatment that goes on, there’s
groups that go on, um there’s individual counseling that goes on.

Kevin Sullivan, Clinical & Residential Services: We lead in the country in the things we do here
with regards to performance-based standards. Our clinicians, some of them teach at different
universities and they practice it here.

Lynette, YC: They’re small classrooms, so the students get a lot of, um, individual attention in
their education. But I use the term student rather than resident because I think that we’re
always teaching them. Um, my philosophy in life is that discipline is teaching, that discipline is
not meant for punishment. It’s to teach someone that there are consequences for particular
behaviors.

Gail Snow, Clinical & Residential Services: This job is not for everybody. You have to feel
comfortable in an environment where there are crisis and there are unhappy children, and um,
long hours sometimes, and – it can be difficult.

Lynette, YC: I would say if you have a jail mentality, this is not the place to be. Um, we are not
prison guards. We are here to help kids. Um, that being said, remember that accountability is
an important part of treatment. That the most appropriate and best Youth Counselors are
those that are fair and consistent.

Amy, YC: No matter how different we all are as people, we all have to be on the same page
when it comes to dealing with the kids: consistent rules, expectations of behavior, what we
want them to do, what we don’t want them to do. It cannot change and vary from shift – from
staff to staff and shift to shift because if it does, these kids have all the time in the world to
watch this. They know exactly where the weak spots are and they will find them.

Lynette, YC: I am a firm believer that the hardest work and the most important work takes
place on the unit, because that’s where the kids live every day. Um, as a counselor we are role
models, we are mentors, um, we are quasi parents, um, because we are teaching kids.

Joshua, YC: So we could be sitting here playing a card game, having a conversation. The group
might be watching a movie over here and we might be sitting together on the couches. Um,
every day is different and it always changes.

Joshua, Former Student: They believed in me. That was really the biggest thing. They – it
wasn’t, you know, supporting me in whatever ideas I thought I had, it was correcting me on
what things are. It wasn’t you know, I didn’t say, “Oh I’m gonna …. My car” and they weren’t
like, “Oh that’s good, that’s great.” They were like, “Okay how are you gonna do that?”

Jay, YC: You need to be able to communicate verbally as well as written, and just be able to
speak to someone. Sometimes that’s all somebody needs. Just someone to talk to, listen, you
know to listen to them, listen to them vent, talk to them a little bit.

Shawn, YC: I’m competitive with the kids. So you know I give them like a little challenge, and
they love that. Usually if I beat them like, you know, “Hey, you know, you played well and your
heart was there but the better man won,” and they’ll be like, “Oh, that’s it. Next game, Shawn.
Next game.” And I’m like, “All right, well, we’ll see what you have.” And while I’m playing
cribbage with the kids, that’s when I’m like, “So…what happened, John? Why are you over
here? What’s going on man?”

Nanci Hamilton, Parent: Um, without that youth counselor his outcome, his life at this point
would be radically different.

Joshua, Former Student: A lot of kids in placements, when they want to get out and they have
a plan its…way up there somewhere. And you really need somebody that, you know, you really
need the grounding of being like, “No, life is going to be terrible when you leave.”

Kevin Sullivan, Clinical & Residential Services: These residents are our future. And we’re
investing in our future. And most of the folks who work here, if not…I don’t want to speak for
everyone, believe that. They truly believe that.

Amy, YC: We all have a basic common want, and that’s for the kids to get better, for us to be
able to make a difference in their lives. If you can help one kid, that’s the reason we all come
here. That’s the reason we all stay.