Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon August 31, 2016 Page 7 Tribal Council September agenda The following are some of the items coming up on the September Tribal Council agenda: D.McMechan/Spilyay A home in West Hills was badly damaged by fire last week. Fortunately, no one was home at the time, although the personal belongings were ruined by the smoke, flames and water. It appeared the ignition may have happened due to wiring, as a neighbor reported seeing the initial smoke coming from just below the roof. Tuesday, September 6 9 a.m. - Bureau of Indian Af- fairs update with the acting super- intendent. 10 - Office of Special Trustee update with Charles Jackson. 10:30 - Realty items with Urbana Ross - BIA Realty. 1:30 p.m. - Legislative up- date conference calls, federal and state. 2:30 - Tribal attorney update. In- dian Head Casino/Kah-Nee-Ta charters and resolutions. Land pur- chase resolution. Wednesday, September 7 9 a.m.-12 p.m. - Management plan discussion with Tribal Council executive officers. 1:30 pm Review minutes/ resolutions with Glendon Smith, s- t. Friday, September 9 Fish Accords meeting. Monday, September 12 2017 Budget presentations with department heads. 9-9:45 a.m. - Budget overview. 9:45-10:30 - S/T and commu- nity assistance. 10:30-11:15 - Human Resources branch. 11:15-12 p.m. - Finance. 1:30-2:15 p.m. - Tribal Court. 2:15-3 - Human Services Branch 3-3:30 - Public Safety Branch 3:30-4 - Natural Resources Branch Tuesday, September 13 2017 Budget presentations con- tinue 9-9:45 a.m. - Public Utilities Branch 9:45-10:30 - Tribal Council, Committees, Council Support Ser- vices 10:30-11:15 - Debt services, A Place for kids and capital projects 11:15am-12 p.m. - General and administration 1:30-2:15 - High Lookee Lodge 2:15-3 - Museum at War m Springs 3-3:45 Administrative Service management Academy grads Wednesday, September 14 2017 budget presentations con- tinue 9-9:30 a.m. - Governmental Af- fairs 9:30-10:15 - Gaming Commis- sion and surveillance 10:15-10:45 - Ventures 10:45-11:15 - Telecom 11:15-11:45 - Power & Water Enterprises 11:45-12:15 p.m. - Indian Head Casino 12:15-12:45 - Housing 12:45-1:15 - Credit 1:15-1:45 - Kah-Nee-Ta 2:15-2:45 - Composite Products 2:45-3:15 - Economic Steward- ship budget update Monday, September 19 9 a.m. - Secretary-Treasurer/Op- erations updates with Glendon Smith and Alyssa Macy. 10 - October agenda/travel del- egations/review minutes with s-t. 11 - Draft resolutions. 1:30 p.m. - Legislative up- date call, federal and state. 3 - Enrollments Lucille Suppach-Samson/Vital Stats Tuesday, September 20 Department, enterprise budget call-backs to be determined. Wednesday, September 21 Department, enterprise budget call-backs. Thursday, September 22 Red Hills dedication and celebra- tion. Thursday-Friday, September 22- 23 Meeting with CRITFC. Public Safety General Manager Stan Suenaga, Officer Adkins and and Lt. Starla Green; and at left, Officer Vollmeer. Courtesy Starla Green Two officers recently gradu- ated from the Basic Oregon Police Academy. Officer Johnathan Adkins has been employed with Warm Springs Police Department since July 2015. He is assigned to patrol with the Department. Officer Thomas Vollmer has been employed with the Branch of Natural Resources since March 2016 as a Conservation Law Enforcement Ranger and has full police authority. Pet owners: Former resident established Daisy Fund (Continued from page 1) The service will include a pre- surgical exam, the spay or neuter surgery, pain injection, anesthesia and monitoring post surgery, and a rabbis vaccination if needed. Daisy Fund The background of how this partnership happened begins in the 1940s. At that time, a doctor and his wife were living on the reser- vation. They were living on a ridge that gave them a view of some of res- ervation “rez” dogs, said Megan Gram, executive director of the Bend Spay and Neuter Project. Years later, the wife wanted to leave a legacy to help address the dog situation in the county, and especially on the reservation. She created the Daisy Fund, which now funds the Bend Spay and Neuter Project. Earlier this year after some con- sideration, the project leaders con- cluded that a way to fulfill the legacy—helping dogs at risk— would be to offer the free pet clinic on the reservation, Megan said. Arlissa Rhoan and the Housing Authority this summer worked with the Spay and Neuter Project to secure the location; and the clinic is now set to begin next week. Weather permitting, the clinics will continue the first Tuesday of each month at least through the rest of this year, Megan said. It is possible in the future, she said, that the program could be ex- panded to include the ownerless rez dogs. The project helps the dogs, and is a chance for people to volun- teer and learn: Help will be needed with the pre- and post-surgery as- pects of the procedure. Volunteers are needed for cleaning, sweeping and mopping, cleaning instruments, wrapping and sterilizing surgical packs, help- ing lift and transport the dogs, etc. There may be a need for people to help transport dogs of owners who do not have transportation, or otherwise cannot it make to the clinic. For more information call 541-617-1010. Or go to: Bendsnip.org Or call Arlissa at Housing, 541- 553-3250. Jayson Smith/Spilyay Native Aspirations hosted an all-night party, at the community center, toward the end of the program in August. CPS: plan for improvement (Continued from page 1) Get up to date with all billing and compliance standards with the Department of Human Services, the BIA, and federal pass-through grants. The final two goals have to do with facilities: One is to develop a confirmed plan for a new or re- modeled CPS facility; and two, cre- ate a separate facility for juveniles in need of supervision. Each of the goals includes a list of activities to carry out the ob- jectives. A number of people were part of the team that worked on the evaluation and improvement plan for CPS. They include Caroline Cruz, chief operations manager Alyssa Macy, tribal health liaison Shana Radford, Isaac George of Finance, tribal court judge Lola Sohappy, and the CPS staff. An expert in the field of tribal child welfare, Mary McNevins conducted an independent assess- ment of the CPS-foster care ser- vices of the Confederated Tribes. In her assessment findings, she sees strengths, as well as concerns and challenges. Some of the strengths: The CPS staff are dedicated, “they seem to like their work, and are supportive to each other in that work.” And there is a strong desire and accountability to keep children in the tribal community, rather than placing them outside the commu- nity. These are some of several strengths identified in the review. Training opportunities for the staff would go a long way toward addressing many of the concerns and challenges, according to the report. Here are some of the concerns, as identified in the as- sessment: “The review found a serious disconnect between CPS policy and actual practice. This is across the program in foster care, CPS assess- ment services, and Indian Child Welfare Act cases….” “Policies and procedures were reviewed and were found to pro- vide an acceptable framework for child welfare practice. In any event, they were not being followed.” “CPS is staffed well below the level that would be required to pro- vide comprehensive services to families, and to carry out the poli- cies currently in place.” Parts of the assessment can sound harsh, but the goal was to present Tribal Council with an ac- curate and honest report, Ms. Cruz said. The point was not to criti- cize the staff, who are dedicated and whose work by its nature can be stressful, she said. Instead, the goal is to find a so- lution and implement the needed changes. She gave some back- ground on how the current situa- tion arose: “CPS experienced more than 25 years of sustained manage- ment. About four years ago, CPS experienced a change in leadership. As is not uncommon after a break in long-standing consistent pro- gram leadership, CPS has since ex- perienced organizational chal- lenges. “As a result, staff turnover has increased. Staff retention, training and development have decreased. And over the past few years con- cerns have been identified regard- ing compliance with funding re- sources, and the experience of families, relatives, program part- ners, law enforcement, the courts and other partners.” Fortunately, the report presents a plan of action to address the situ- ation. New hires, and more train- ing opportunities are the points of emphasis. “This plan will ensure CPS works effectively with the com- munity, tribal government and partners, while nurturing staff in order to create a positive work en- vironment… CPS aims to be seen as a helpful and respectful re- source, one where children have the opportunity to be raised amongst our community and cul- ture by building healthy families, ultimately encouraging preserva- tion of the family.”