Louisville’s Neighborhood Places are celebrating 10 years of providing services that help families achieve self-sufficiency and well being goals at an annual meeting this week.

The meeting is on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the downtown Kentucky International Convention Center. About 600 Neighborhood Place staff, community partners, private child-care providers, foster and adoptive parents and others will attend the city- and state-sponsored forum.

Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children Secretary Viola Miller, Louisville Metro Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Mary Gwen Wheeler and Louisville Metro Human Services Director Joanne Weis are scheduled to speak. Weis, who currently serves as co- chair of the Neighborhood Place Managing Board, was administrator of Louisville’s first Neighborhood Place.

Neighborhood Places are "one-stop" family centers that house several public health, education and human service agencies, including the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children, Louisville Metro government, Seven Counties Services and Jefferson County Public Schools. Jefferson County has eight Neighborhood Places and four satellite locations, each of which is guided by a Community Council made up of customers and people who live and work in the area.

The city’s newest Neighborhood Place - South Central -- had its grand opening Sept. 18 at 4255 Hazelwood Ave.

"Neighborhood Place is an innovative partnership that bridges bureaucratic boundaries to make it easier for our citizens to connect with services," said Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson. "Staff from two city agencies-Human Services and the Health Department-are part of a caring team that provides the kind of help families need.

" It’s a perfect model for a customer friendly way to deliver services-a place where people can get help , from school related services to financial or housing assistance or child welfare services."

This year’s event is a celebration of ten years of growth and commitment to the vision of integrated neighborhood based services.

The 45 workshops have been planned with city residents’ changing needs in mind. Topics will center on the themes of strengthening community collaboration, partnering with families and improving outcomes for children. Topics include the importance of family team meetings in guiding customers to self-sufficiency, working with Hispanic and Latino families, case management with an interpreter , engaging the community in child protection, and recent trends in child welfare outcomes.

During the event’s luncheon, awards will be presented to Abramson, Miller, Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Stephen W. Daeschner and Seven Counties Services President and CEO Howard F. Bracco for their support as major partners with Neighborhood Places.

The day’s events also will include a look at the past 10 years in Neighborhood Place communities.

The convention center is at the corner of Jefferson and Fourth Streets. Registration for the forum is at 7:30 a.m. The welcoming address is at 8:30 a.m., and the meeting will end at 3:30 p.m.