A Brief Overview:

In 2015, Michigan was selected as one of 3 states by the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to participate in the Defending Childhood State Policy Initiative, the intent of which was to address the significant impact of violence and trauma on our nation’s children. Michigan worked with national experts to develop a strategic plan to identify, assess and treat children who had experienced trauma, with the goals being to improve the outcomes for children and youth and develop sustainable policies and programs.  

From this original mobilization emerged a core teamwork group consisting of representatives from the Governor’s office and the Michigan Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, whose charge it was to identify ways that communities, like Jackson, could work together to ensure that children touched by trauma and toxic stress would be able to thrive in their environments.

An environment scan of 75 organizations was conducted, in which Family Services and Children’s Aid (FSCA) was included. A subgroup was then identified and who subsequently met as a more refined   collaborative. More surveys took place from which several groups emerged as already being in one of  development stages: beginning, intermediate and advanced.  FSCA was identified as “ADVANCED” and was to become a champion in the Jackson Community.

It was from here, in 2015,  that the Trauma-Informed Community Collaborative (TICC) was begun.

FSCA  was able to secure funding in order to enhance trauma awareness in the Jackson Community and the mission of the TICC was established: to promote evidenced based practices and models that would apply to targeted professionals, to include: educators, health professionals, mental health clinicians, law enforcement, etc.  

A core group was selected as the TICC’s Leadership Team and consisted representatives from the following child-serving agencies:

Jackson County Intermediate School District

Jackson County’s Department of Health and Human Services

Community Action Agency / Head Start

Jackson County’s Great Start Collaborative

LifeWays Community Mental Health

Family Service and Children’s Aid

 A three Year Plan was developed and Targets were identified. These were  to (1)  increase attendance at trauma-focused trainings and (2) to increase the understanding of the physical and emotional impact of trauma on individuals, particularly children. The TICC met quarterly for over three years.

By the end of Year Three of the TICC’s Action Plan, over 4800 individuals in the Jackson had received trauma training. The attendance at the Quarterly TICC meetings had waned and funding for the provision of free community trainings had been exhausted. The TICC Leadership made the decision to reorganize, with the focus being on the provision of resource development and coordination. The Collaborative was renamed the Trauma Leadership Network or TSN.

Contact: 517-787-7920

In keeping with the mission of strengthening the emotional health and functioning of our community, FSCA offers guardianship services within Jackson County for adults who are unable to protect their own interests and are, therefore, vulnerable to exploitation, neglect or injury.

Services offered are:

• Guardianship to take legal responsibility for care of a person, as appointed by the court
• Conservatorship to take legal responsibility for the finances of a person, as appointed by the court
• Representative Payee to perform financial tasks for persons who receive income only through Social Security and have no other assets that would require a court-appointed conservatorship, as filed with Social Security Administration

The Service Philosophy of guardian services is to protect vulnerable adults while respecting the individual’s right to self-determination. Eligibility for guardianship services requires a referral for the services and an analysis of whether guardianship is the least restrictive alternative that will still effectively meet the individual’s needs. Guardianship also requires a determination of whether there is a more appropriate family member or friend to assume guardianship. Acceptance for guardianship services may also be based on our capacity to provide appropriate, high-quality care to each client.

Key components of Jackson County Guardian Services include:

• Obtain and coordinate community services.
• Provide consent for medical interventions.
• Secure Benefits
• Secure Housing
• Make a funeral plan
• Contact monthly and as needed
• Communicate and collaborate with family, friends, caregivers and service providers
• Attend Probate Court hearings
• Complete and submit annual report to Court

There are community programs and services available for vulnerable adults in Jackson County.  Available resources can be found at:

Jackson County Community Resources

Jackson County Department on Aging Senior Citizen Resource Directory

If you or your loved one are having trouble managing money, there are guidebooks available to explain various ways to set up financial management (Power of Attorney; Trustee; Representative Payee for Social Security or Veterans benefits; and Court Appointed Conservator).  These guidebooks also contain lists of other financial and legal resources.

Our Parent Education classes are provided free of charge and are available to anyone who wants to learn how to become a better parent. Classes give parents new techniques and information so they have a better understanding of their own parenting style, have better communication with their children, improve their ability to discipline in a positive way, and become the best parents they can be. We use the Nurturing Parenting curriculum and classes run in eight-week cycles that parents can join at any time. Our trained facilitators cover topics like building empathy in children, fostering independence, developing age appropriate expectations, maintaining appropriate roles, barriers to positive parenting, and positive discipline techniques.

Class times are Tuesdays 10am-noon and Thursdays 5:30pm-7:30pm. We offer specialized workshops for teachers, daycare providers and community members periodically. 

Parents must complete an assessment prior to joining the Parent Education program. Please call 517-787-7920 for more information or email: cduncan@strong-families.org

To learn more information please visit the Nurturing Parenting Website

To get an overview of the ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) please click on the link below:

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Learn more about how resilience is built in children by clicking on the video below:

Parent Education Frequently Asked Questions

Contact: 517-787-7920

Breakout Drug Education provides eight days of school-based alcohol and drug prevention education for adolescents in grades 6-10th. Our experienced classroom instructors teach children, in an age appropriate way, the health risks associated with alcohol and other drug use, how alcohol and tobacco advertising influence young people’s choices, the financial impact of drug use (including education and earning capacity), effective problem solving, how to handle peer pressure, using assertive communication, coping mechanisms, peer refusal techniques and avoiding risky situations. The Breakout staff are also available for presentations and workshops to parents, local businesses, and the community at large.

Please call 517-787-7920 or email breakoutprogram@gmail.com for more information, or visit the Breakout Drug Education Facebook Page

Breakout Drug Education Frequently Asked Questions

How do you know your program is effective?

Every student who participates in the program completes a pre and post-test. Each pre and post-test contains a unique code so that the student’s test results can be compared from pre to post-program. Over 4,000 pre and post-tests were completed during the 2014-2015 school year. Information collected from those tests, along with community data, is how Breakout measures the success of the program, what part of the lesson plans need to be enhanced, changed, or removed.

Contact: 517-787-7920

J.U.M.P. (Just Understand My Potential)

The JUMP program is a prevention program for youth between the school ages of 3rd-12th grade. Throughout the program youth will have the opportunity to:

· Build skills to refuse alcohol and other drugs

· Learn stress management, decision-making and coping skills

· Develop skills for healthy relationships and communication

· Obtain emotional support services

· Have access to on-going mental health and/or substance use treatment services

To make a referral to these services please call Family Service & Children’s Aid at 517-787-7920 or email us at JUMP@strong-families.org

School Referrals:

School personnel are able to make direct referrals to JUMP for students who may need the support or extra social-emotional skill development. Students may be referred for many reasons including anger management, truancy/school attendance, substance use (including vaping), and other behavioral concerns. To refer a student please fill out this referral form and other information requested on this form to JUMP@strong-families.org.

If you are looking for JUMP to come into your district to provide on-site life-skills groups, please contact Amanda McVey directly at amcvey@strong-families.org or call 517-787-7920 for more information.