Brief Chronological History of the Agency:
NewDay was formed as a non-profit organization in 1997. Randy Thomas, its founder, was motivated to begin NewDay Services after years of experience working with custodial and non-custodial parents as a Singles Minister. He contacted local family judges and volunteered to serve as a Family Court Chaplain. In this capacity he met with frustrated or distraught litigants, assisted the courts with difficult cases and provided on-the-spot help to troubled families. At the request of the Family Courts, Tarrant County provided an office for NewDay at the Family Law Center, 200 E. Weatherford, Fort Worth, TX Don Mansfield now serves as the Family Law Advocate-Chaplains.
In 1999, the Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Center, after hearing of the successful chaplaincy program in the Family Courts, asked NewDay to provide chaplains to their facility. Mike Brown and Kristi Lambert now serve in this role. The Juvenile Chaplains pay one-on-one visits to detained juveniles, coordinate Character Classes, Life Skills courses and on occasion work with the families of the perpetrator as well as the victim. At the request of the Juvenile Justice Center, Tarrant County also provides an office for NewDay at 2701 Kimbo Road, Fort Worth, TX. In August 2002, the NewDay Services Board of Directors hired Elna Vanderberg as Executive Director.
In May 2006, Tommy Jordan became the full-time F.O.C.U.S. Co-coordinator. NewDay Services is always searching for ways to improve existing programs such as FOCUS, a 10 week, two hour class for fathers, emphasizing the importance of responsible father involvement in the lives of their children. This program has a proven track record. The FOCUS Curriculum, created by NewDay, has been adapted by the Office of the Attorney General, State of Texas.
In 2010, an evaluation and field study of the FOCUS program was conducted by Dr. Joan Rycraft, PhD., Professor of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. The positive findings were expected by NewDay; most notable were: validation of the importance of the male model template for the class facilitation, the curriculum design having a positive influence on the relationship between the father and the child, and the lasting long-term effects on both the child and the father.
In March 2011, NewDay completed a 3-year collaborative grant with the Texas Dept of Family & Protective Services. This project was launched under three national partners: American Humane Association, American Bar Association Center for Children & the Law and the National Fatherhood Initiative. These national partners chose 4 sites; including one in Texas which was managed by the Texas Dept. of Family & Protective Services (state agency for CPS) and partnered with NewDay Services to conduct the program. This three year research project has been offering strategies for engaging fathers in child welfare cases as well as evidence on how the involvement of non-resident (same as non-custodial) fathers of children in foster care impacts child safety, permanence, and well-being. The Children’s Bureau has stated that the outcomes of this project WILL influence child welfare programs all over the nation. Final reports and analysis will be available sometime after Sept 2011 on the Health & Human Services/Children’s Bureau website.