The Monroe County Children's System of Care

Guiding Principles

Select a special message from one of the System of Care leaders who have shared their perspective on the endorsement of the Monroe County Children's System of Care Guiding Principles. 

A special message from...

Cindy Lewis, Director of Child & Family Services for Monroe County

Bob Burns, Chief Probation Officer

Kathy Plum, Director of the Office of Mental Health

Bob Zinck, Executive Director, Rochester/Monroe County Youth Bureau

PDF of the SOC Guiding Principles

You may also be interested in the System of Care Values.

Special message from:
Cindy Lewis, Director of Child & Family Services

The System of Care Guiding Principles are a tangible reflection – and a visual reminder -  of the values and beliefs that serve as the foundation for all of the work we do with children and families, and that inform our practice and our behavior on a day to day basis. 

Moreover, the agreement and embracing of these principles across child-serving systems in Monroe County will powerfully influence our collective ability to more fully and effectively partner with families in an inclusive, respectful, and responsive way.  By committing these shared principles to writing and displaying them proudly throughout our buildings, we are making a strong, clear statement about what can and should be expected of ourselves and each other -- for which we are prepared to be held accountable. 

I am very proud about what they say about who we are as professionals, the value we place on meaningful family engagement, and the recognition of the importance of understanding and embracing uniqueness and diversity. The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts!

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Special message from:
Bob Burns, Chief Probation Officer

The community, supported by law, expects dramatic outcomes from the services of a Probation Officer and such demands require a specific set of skills.  Our officers must balance the needs of youth with public safety concerns and strive to not only manage current risks but also reduce the likelihood of future risks.  

Realizing that this task cannot be completed without partnering with parents, we changed the name of our “Juvenile Services Division” to the “Family Services Division”.  But this work requires much more than a name change!  It requires Probation Officers, Supervisors and Managers who believe strongly in the potential of youth and families and are genuinely committed to, and comfortable with, changing long-standing practice. 

Being strength based in a problem oriented environment, changing our culture to a youth and family focused orientation, partnering with parents and the community, being trauma informed and best practice guided are only a few of the goals we strive to achieve.  We embrace the System of Care Guiding Principles and are excited to partner with all the stakeholders in the Juvenile Justice and across the child serving system to improve outcomes for our youth and their families. 

We appreciate how the System of Care initiative has been steadfast in its efforts to stimulate change in traditional systems and are grateful for messages on this webpage, on our office walls and elsewhere that provide a constant visual reminder of the values we share and that have helped shape our vision for practice improvement.

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Special message from:
Kathy Plum, Director of the Office of Mental Health

The System of Care Guiding Principles is a deeply personal commitment to be carried out with great purpose. I continue to learn so much by actively listening to youth and families, and this enables me to better use our public resources to support their strengths, hopes and dreams. I have gained a heightened awareness of the impact of policy level decisions on racial/ethnic disparities, and the very urgent and real need to reformulate policy through a more culturally competent lens.  And as a consequence, I believe that only by genuine collaboration among all stakeholders and systems partners, can we truly transform services and transcend disparities. This is how I aspire to use System of Care principles in my day-to-day work as Mental Health Director for Monroe County.

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Special message from:
Bob Zinck, Executive Director
Rochester/Monroe County Youth Bureau

The System of Care Guiding Principles will help to keep the staff at the Youth Bureau grounded in what's important... supporting the positive assets in our community for ALL youth and ensuring they are accessible to those youth in our community who are at risk and those who are engaged in other parts of the child-serving system.

We believe every youth should have the access to the resources, services and supports this great community has to offer, no matter what their circumstance, background, ethnicity or economic status.

The prinicples challenge us in continuing to be progressive and innovative in our thinking.  Our decisions always need to take into consideration the youth perspective - with youth, for youth.

Youth are not only our future but they have valuable lessons to each us today. 

The Youth Bureau is excited to embrace the System of Care Guiding Principles and take part in ensuring that youth voice and perspective is imbued throughout the child-serving system.

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