By Madeline Otten
Correspondent
The Virginia General Assembly passed the Comprehensive Services Act in 1992 for at-risk youth and families, which was later renamed the Children’s Service Act (CSA) in 2015. CSA is a department of local government that facilitates services to meet the needs of families with children who have or are at risk of having serious emotional or behavioral difficulties.
Bryan Moeller is Fluvanna County’s CSA coordinator and has been in this role for 18 months. He described his position as a connected web of entities that are invisible, due to the many different programs and services with which he works. While some days include meetings lasting the entire day, each day has something new to offer.
“What is challenging about this job is that there are no black or white solutions,” said Moeller. “We work with families who are facing hardships and we perform case-by-case [analysis], which means answers for one family may not apply to another.”
On Tuesdays, Moeller runs two meetings: the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) and the Community Planning and Management Team (CPMT). In the FAPT meetings, plans for children are reviewed and approved. More specifically, the team assesses the strengths and needs of at-risk children to determine if they are eligible for CSA funding for needed services.
The CPMT creates and maintains a system of services and funding that is child-centered, family-focused, and community-based. At the meetings, the team reviews and approves spending for various services. Services include outpatient counseling, intensive in-home services, support for families with temporary aid, and placing children in private day schools.
“It is rewarding to see the children and the families that we work with transform and no longer need our services,” Moeller said.
Moeller eventually wants to see the number of children and families receiving CSA services dwindle down to zero. This will be through the evolution and growth of systems in Fluvanna County to reduce the need for CSA’s involvement. But for now, Moeller wants to ensure that the programs run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Before living in central Virginia, Moeller lived in Ohio for three and a half years, but moved to be closer to family. He previously worked at Region 10 as an intellectual disability case manager, where he monitored the care and treatment of people living in Fluvanna County who received services related to intellectual disability. He worked with multiple groups of people, including adults and adolescents.
“While this is my first job with Fluvanna County’s government, my last position was with Region 10 for children and adults who were intellectually disabled,” said Moeller. “I thought it would be difficult transitioning because of knowing different laws and relations, but researching policies and laws transitioned over very well to the CSA coordinator position.”
Moeller enjoys walking trails at Pleasant Grove with his dog in tow, Argentine tango, reading about current events, history, and science fiction, and showing his children around the county and region. On the weekends, if Moeller and his family are not spending time together exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, they are traveling to sightsee in Richmond, an area where Moeller spent some of his childhood.
