LAN 40 - By Laws

Article I

Mission and Overview

Section 1 The Evanston Child and Adolescent Local Area Network (C & A LAN) is a voluntary network of service providers and concerned citizens.

Section 2 The mission of the C & A LAN is to assure an effective, well coordinated system of services for children, youth and their families in Evanston.

Section 3 The goals of the C & A LAN are to:

3.01 provide a forum for information sharing and discussion among agencies, governmental units, private practitioners, and consumers of services;

3.02 improve and coordinate services;

3.03 support and strengthen individual youth services providers;

3.04 support community-based services that build on a family’s strengths and focus on helping youth remain at home in their communities and local schools;

3.05 advocate for children, youth and their families

Section 4 The C & A LAN’s geographic area of responsibility is Evanston, Illinois, which is also known as:

4.01 Evanston Township

4.02 Youth Service 1500 Planning Area 40

4.03 Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Service (CCBYS) Planning Area 40

4.04 LAN 40

Section 5 The C & A LAN’s target population is residents from birth until the age of 21 and members of their families who are receiving C & A LAN services. The focus of C & A LAN services will be on children, youth and their families who are:

5.01 experiencing violence in one ore more parts of their lives;

5.02 experiencing behavioral and/or emotional problems;

5.03 at imminent risk for residential placement and require additional treatment or support to keep them at home and in their local school and community

Article II

Agency and Individual Members

Section 1 There shall be agency members and individual members in the C & A LAN.

Section 2 Agency members may include but not be limited to:

2.01 Evanston School Districts 65 and 202;

2.02 City of Evanston Human Services Department;

2.03 City of Evanston Mental Health Department;

2.04 City of Evanston Police Department;

2.05 Cook County Court Services;

2.06 Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS);

2.07 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE);

2.08 Evanston-based agencies that serve children, youth and their families;

2.09 Agencies that are not based in Evanston but do serve children, youth and their families who live in Evanston.

Section 3 Individual members may include:

3.01 private practitioners who serve children, youth and their families in Evanston;

3.02 Evanston residents who are consumers of services for children, youth and their families.

Section 4 Application for membership in the C & A LAN may be given in writing to the secretary.

4.01 Applications must indicate the way in which the candidate meets the membership criteria.

4.02 Those who apply for membership must be accepted by a majority vote at the next Steering Committee meeting. The secretary will forward the decision of the Steering Committee to the applicant in writing.

4.03 A member agency or individual may resign by submitting written notice to the secretary.

Section 5 The responsibilities of C & A LAN members are to:

5.01 become knowledgeable about local needs and services;

5.02 attend membership meetings regularly.

Section 6 The C & A LAN shall hold Membership Meetings at least quarterly which are open to all persons affiliated with member agencies and to all individual members. The Program Committee will develop agendas that will include such items as:

6.01 Case presentations;

6.02 Training, with CEU’s available when possible;

6.03 Sharing of information;

6.04 Open discussions;

6.05 Opportunities for informal social interaction.

Article III

Steering Committee

Section 1 The Steering Committee’s role is to be the governing body of the C & A LAN.

1.01 The Steering Committee will consider any issues of importance, make any decisions, and take any actions they deem necessary to the mission and functioning of the C & A LAN.

1.02 The Steering Committee shall oversee all financial affairs of the C & A LAN, including the work of the Fiscal Agent.

1.03 The Steering Committee shall meet at least quarterly. Meetings may be called by the officers or at the request of one-third of its members.

1.04 A quorum shall consist of one more than half the membership. A quorum being present, a majority of the votes of members present at any meeting constitutes affirmative passage of the motion. Each member agency and individual shall have one vote.

Section 2 The Steering Committee members will be members of the C & A LAN who are recommended by the officers and elected by majority of the Steering Committee:

2.01 Agency members of the C & A LAN may be elected to appoint a representative to serve on the Steering Committee. An agency may change its representative at its pleasure.

2.02 Individual members of the C & A LAN who are consumers of services for children, youth and their families may be elected to serve on the Steering Committee.

2.03 Steering Committee members shall be elected in June to a term which commences immediately and expires on the second June 30 after the election. Steering Committee members can serve additional consecutive terms.

2.04 The Membership Committee will review the membership of the Steering Committee annually and make recommendations for changes.

2.05 The Membership Committee shall contact any member who misses three consecutive meetings to determine continued interest and make a recommendation about continued service at the next Steering Committee meeting.

2.06 No member of the Steering Committee shall receive direct or personal fee for service to the C & A LAN unless as a part of a grant or fiscal agreement overseen by the Steering Committee.

2.07 The membership of the Steering Committee shall reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the C & A LAN.

Article IV

Officers

Section 1 The officers of the C & A LAN shall be two co-chairs and a secretary.

1.01 The officers shall maintain a current, general overview of the affairs and business of the C & A LAN.

1.02 The officers shall appoint the members and chairperson of all committees.

1.03 All committees except the membership committee shall have at least one officer as an ex-officio member.

Section 2 The duties of one Co-Chair shall be to:

2.01 preside at membership meetings;

2.02 serve as an ex-officio member of the program committee;

2.03 serve as an ex-officio member of the screening committee.

Section 3 The duties of the other Co-Chair shall be to:

3.01 chair the steering committee;

3.02 appoint a someone to take steering committee minutes.

3.03 The chair of the Steering Committee may not also serve as Fiscal Agent of the C & A LAN.

Section 4 The duties of the Secretary shall be to:

4.01 maintain an accurate and complete set of minutes of all steering committee meetings;

4.02 maintain accurate and up-to-date C & A LAN and Steering Committee membership and mailing lists;

4.03 mail to all C & A LAN members notices of all meetings at least one week in advance.

Section 6 The term of office for officers shall be two years. Officers can be re-elected to serve additional consecutive terms.

Section 7 If an office becomes vacant, the Steering Committee shall elect a successor to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term of office.

Section 8 The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the Steering Committee in June to a term which will commence on July 1 and expire on June 30, two years from the commencement of the position. For the first election, one of the co-chairs will be elected for a one-year term. After that, the co-chairs shall serve staggered two-year terms.

Article V

Committees

Section 1 The Membership Committee shall have at least three members appointed to serve a one year term. Current officers may not serve as voting members of the Membership Committee.

1.01 The Membership Committee shall nominate officers of the C & A LAN;

1.02 The Membership Committee shall orient new members of the C & A LAN;

1.03 The Membership Committee shall analyze Membership and Steering Committee attendance, consult with those who are not attending regularly and recommend action by the Steering Committee.

1.04 The Membership Committee shall provide all Steering Committee members with names and brief profiles of each nominee at least one week prior to any election.

Section 2 The Program Committee shall have at least three members appointed to serve a one year term.

2.01 The Program Committee shall have at least three members.

2.02 The Membership Committee shall plan the programs and activities for all C & A LAN Membership meetings.

Section 3 The Wraparound Screening Committee shall have at least three members appointed to serve one year:

3.01 The Wraparound Screening Committee will receive and review referrals from child and family teams to decide whether they meet C & A LAN guidelines;

3.02 The Wraparound Screening Committee will help child and family teams develop and manage creative service plans and interventions for children, youth and their families when referrals do meet guidelines;

3.03 The Wraparound Screening Committee will provide flexible funding dollars as needed for approved wraparound referrals up to a limit established by the Steering Committee.

3.04 The Wraparound Screening Committee will make recommendations to the Steering Committee for additional expenditures when approved wraparound referrals require more flexible funding dollars than the established limit.

Section 4 The Steering Committee may create ad-hoc committees as needed from time to time.

Article VI

Fiscal Management and Fiscal Agent

Section 1 The election of a fiscal agent shall be by majority vote of the Steering Committee. Determination is to be based on the prospective fiscal agent’s demonstrated ability to manage resources efficiently and practice sound fiscal principles.

1.01 The fiscal agent shall be an agency member of the C & A LAN and its representative shall serve on the Steering Committee.

1.02 No representative of an agency member of the C & A LAN shall serve as both fiscal agent and chair of the Steering Committee.

Section 2 The role of the fiscal agent shall be to:

2.01 disburse checks in a timely fashion to service providers when approved by the Wraparound Screening Committee or the Steering Committee;

2.02 make reports to the Steering Committee at each regular meeting regarding the C & A LAN’s budget and current actual income and expenditures;

2.03 receive funding dollars and disperse them as directed by the C & A LAN Steering Committee;

2.04 prepare an annual financial summary report;

2.05 make recommendations about fiscal matters to the Steering Committee;

2.06 fulfill all fiscal management requirements and complete any audits required by any funder of the C & A LAN.

Article VII

Amendments

Section 1 Proposed amendments to the by-laws may be suggested by any member of the C & A LAN by submitting the proposed amendment in writing to the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the next regular meeting of the Steering Committee. The Secretary shall present the amendment at the next regular meeting of the Steering Committee, and a vote will be taken at the following meeting. A two-thirds vote of members present at the Steering Committee meeting is required for the adoption of any amendment to the by-laws.

Adopted – January 26, 1999

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