San Carlos Apache Tribe-PA 9 2021

To address the 67.9% truancy rate in the local school district, the San Carlos Apache Tribe will facilitate the implementation of the prevention and remediation mechanisms addressing chronic absenteeism. This rests with the Family In Need of Services (FINS) Coordinator who is responsible for coordinating services with the school and other agencies of the Tribe, leading intervention teams, screening and formulating plans to refer the case for prosecution and propose remedies for the causes of individual truancies. To date, the Tribe has not had the resources to hire a dedicated FINS Coordinator.  This program will address truancy at the foundation – which is with the family. The goal is to implement the FINS Program and reduce the truancy rate by 30 percent over the next five years. To do this, the team will provide services to at least 100 children and their families a year with an objective to achieve a 70 percent success rate. The program will conduct outreach to normalize the program within the community and ensure that community members are aware of the program. To this end, the program staff will strive to increase coordination between programs and facilitate increased services for youth and families.