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Bringing Family Lived Experience To You
Accept, Advocate, Act
October 1, 2024 | Volume 3, Issue 1
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Note from the Executive Director
Let's Celebrate!
We're just over one month from our 35th Annual National Federation of Families Conference! We have more presenters, sessions, meals, and attendees than ever before! This conference is sure to be one to remember as we celebrate our coral, 35th, anniversary, one that symbolizes longevity and success.
In addition to a conference agenda packed with a plethora of breakout sessions to address your family support interests, we've also got a superb pre-conference training with Dr. Dennis Embry, President and Senior Scientist of PAXIS Institute. Whether you're a family peer looking for training hours, an advocate looking for resources, or a family member looking for inspiration, you will find it in Orlando this November! If you haven't already, it's not too late to register now.
We started off our NFSTAC event series with a wonderful webinar about person-centered planning and its relationship to social justice in September. Read more and access the recording below. This month, NFSTAC is hosting an information session to learn more about the FAMILY Partnership Training Institute that launches this December. Family Connections and our NFSTAC Webinar series are back in full force, too. Office Hours return in December.
This month is a big one for starting conversations about mental health! In October, we observe Mental Illness Awareness Month, World Mental Health Day on 10/8, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Health Literacy Month, Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, and ADHD Awareness Month. We have some great resources for advocacy efforts in each of these areas in this month's newsletter.
Our newsletter will be back in December with a re-cap from the conference. We hope to see you in Florida soon to celebrate three and a half decades of accepting, advocating, and acting!
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Lynda Gargan, PhD
Executive Director, National Federation of Families
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35th Annual Conference in Orlando, FL | | |
The Full Schedule is Live | | |
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Plan Your Conference
The full conference schedule including breakout sessions, luncheons, raffle drawings, and more is now live. Review this year's exciting lineup of presentations, register to attend, and plan your conference experience today!
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Key Note and Luncheon Speakers and Celebration | | |
Pre-Conference Training Session Announcement | | |
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Come early and join us for an exciting pre-conference training session, Get PAX! New Innovations in Evidence-Based Family Support, taking place Wednesday, November 6th from 1:00 - 4:00 pm in Orlando. Reserve your spot today!
Join PAXIS Institute for a dynamic 3-hour training on implementing PAX Tools® to support families and caregivers. Together, these interventions utilize evidence-based kernels, the fundamental units of behavioral influence, to make measurable change in the lives of families and their children – of any age – who experience mental health and/or substance use challenges. This year’s pre-conference session will provide hands-on, practical instruction on how to apply these trauma-informed evidence-based strategies with families to support their loved ones in their homes and communities. Additionally, this interactive training session will explore innovative ways these strategies have been expanded to meet the needs of family-serving professionals across the various systems of care to include all family support stakeholders - parents and caregivers, family peer specialists, educators, therapists, youth development professionals, and now, even adult corrections and recovery settings. This exciting session is packed with new innovations and is not to be missed!
Note: This session is only available to registered 3-day conference attendees. You will see the pre-conference ticket as an add-on option on the conference registration form. Register today to reserve a seat! Space is limited. Already registered for the conference? Email conference@ffcmh.org to secure your spot.
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Become a Sponsor Today!
Did you know individuals and organizations can sponsor the only national conference dedicated solely to supporting families whose children—of any age—experience mental health and/or substance use challenges during their lifetime? Join our growing list of sponsors and enjoy great benefits at this year's conference while networking and promoting your work and programs with key researchers, administrators, policymakers, family members, youth, clinicians, and other stakeholders across the nation. Click the button below to learn more and see who else is sponsoring.
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Affiliate and Partner News | |
New Leadership at the Federation of Families of Central Florida | |
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The National Federation of Families extends a warm welcome to the new Executive Director of the Federation of Families of Central Florida (FFCFL), Suzi Tipton! FFCFL's longtime Executive Director, Muriel Jones Banks retired on September 30th and passed the baton to Suzi. You won't want to miss Muriel's keynote address with Cheryl Deas during our Friday morning plenary session at the Annual Conference in her home state! Congratulate Muriel on her well-deserved retirement and welcome Suzi into the NFF family when you see them in Orlando.
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Suzi joins the FFCFL team after a 24-year career in nursing with a specialization in mental health and addiction. In addition to her professional experience, she also brings family lived experience to this position. Suzi told us, "It's an incredible honor and responsibility to lead the next generation of FFCFL families. My vision is to expand our new respite program, as well as our current support services, into other Central Florida areas where diverse families and caregivers will continue to have a voice, to be respected and valued, and to know they are not alone in raising youth with mental health and substance use challenges." | |
In addition to her impact in Central Florida where Muriel served on several committees and boards while leading FFCFL, Muriel was a tireless advocate for families nationwide, encouraging everyone to Accept, Advocate, and Act to bring social justice to families of loved ones with mental health and substance use challenges. Muriel left us with these words of wisdom, "As I transition from my role as Executive Director of this incredible organization, which I have been blessed to lead and develop a respite program in Orange County, Florida, I am not retiring from my lifelong passion for advocacy and sharing my story. I will continue to spread hope and strength while combating the stigma surrounding mental health." | |
NFSTAC News and Highlights | | |
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NEW NFSTAC Training Opportunity!
NFSTAC is excited to launch our first training institute! The FAMILY Partnership Training Institute offers an opportunity for providers, wraparound facilitators, and others in the behavioral health workforce to deepen their understanding of skills to develop effective partnerships with families.
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Family Connections: Navigating Resources, Support, and More
October 3rd, 1:30 p.m. ET
Families—and the family peer workforce that supports them—tell us they need credible resources, guidance on accessing help, and the opportunity to connect with others facing similar challenges. Together, we'll dive into our top supports and resources for family members and the family peer workforce.
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NFSTAC invites you to submit requests for free technical assistance from our network of partners and subject matter experts. NFSTAC is driven by the needs of families and the workforce that supports families. You'll find education, training, and family support resources tailored specifically to families, the family peer workforce, communities, healthcare systems, clinicians, and educators. | |
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Everyone Leads: Leading Together for Collective Impact
October 16th, 12:30 p.m. ET
It takes collaborative leadership rooted in inclusion, equity, trust, and accountability to create change. Family Leaders and Family Peer Specialists can apply these skills to expand the family peer workforce movement through collective impact.
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FAMILY Partnership Training Institute Information Session
October 16th, 2:30 p.m. ET
Join us in this information session to learn more about the FAMILY Partnership Training Institute, our upcoming free training about partnering with families in behavioral health.
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In addition to the curated resources in the NFSTAC Resource Library, our team has worked with family members and the workforce to create a number of resources for families and family peers, including:
Find more on the NFSTAC Resource webpage!
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Other Legislative Actions Supported by NFF
Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024
The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a five-year reauthorization of the Family-to-Family Health Information Centers program with a $3 million increase in funding, for a total of $9 million for the program per year. This passed the committee unanimously as part of Rep. Buddy Carter’s (R-GA) bipartisan Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (HR 7623).
House Votes To Renew Autism CARES Act
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 402-13 to pass the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support, or Autism CARES, Act of 2024. The bipartisan bill, which represents an agreement between House and Senate lawmakers, would allocate more than $1.95 billion over the next five years for research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training, and other government activities related to autism.
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If you've followed our Social Justice campaign over the past year, you know we believe the path to social justice lies in person-centered support every step of the way—in our interactions as individuals, the opportunities provided within communities, and in the approach and design of the systems put in place. We must see, hear, and accept each person for who and where they are and treat them with dignity and respect in order to lift them up as members of our society.
We kicked off our first webinar of the season exploring that very intersection of person-centered approaches and social justice with the National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS), and together we explored how putting people at the center of our work can lead to more equitable and inclusive outcomes.
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NCAPPS defines person-centered planning as a process, directed by the person with helpers they choose, to learn about the choices and interests that make up a good life and identify the supports (paid and unpaid) they want to support it.
Bevin Croft, co-director of NCAPPS shared, "Kids and families are often intersecting—not just with the mental health system—but with the education system, the child welfare system, maybe with the criminal legal system. And so those folks who are facilitating these person-centered plans need to be responsive to those different intersections." By doing that, person-centered support emphasizes respect for individuals and their unique needs with a social justice lens.
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Want more? Visit our social justice page to explore ways individuals and organizations can promote social justice for families whose children—of any age—experience mental health and/or substance use challenges during their lifetime. We encourage you to use the tools provided there to strengthen your efforts to #AcceptAdvocateAct. | |
Celebrating Our Affiliates! | | |
NFF Affiliates Are Coming to Orlando! | |
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So far, we have 38 Affiliates and 10 National Partners joining us for our 35th Annual Conference and anniversary celebration in Orlando this November! We cannot wait to have a birthday party with you all.
We want to thank affiliates who are sending 10 or more people to learn more about family peer support, network, and be in community in person at the conference:
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October Advocacy Campaigns | | |
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Since 1990, Americans have celebrated the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week after the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) lobbied Congress to create this critical awareness event. This year, Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 6 – 12 and World Mental Health Day is October 10. This year's theme is “My Mental Health at Work.” NAMI has a collection of resources, including:
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Each October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year's theme is Heal, Hold, and Center. Visit the Domestic Violence Awareness Project's website for:
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Health Literacy is about how well we can find, understand, and use health information and services to make health-related decisions for ourselves or loved ones. For providers, it's equitably providing health information and services in ways that everyone can understand and use to improve their health. Visit HHS Healthy People 2030 and learn more about how health literacy can eliminate health disparities, achieve health equity, and improve everyone's health and well-being.
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Connected and Strong Compendium: TA Briefs to Foster Unity Across Crisis Response and Treatment Systems
This series of ten technical assistance briefs from SAMHSA focus on implementing a connected, strong, comprehensive, and effective behavioral health crisis services system nationwide that is accessible to all. Together, these papers lay out recommendations and highlight specific strategies to connect the fragmented crisis care system, and strengthen America’s approach to providing behavioral healthcare. Of particular interest might be the paper "Peer Support Services Across the Crisis Continuum."
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To educate families, SAMHSA released an article and resource list titled Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Guide for Expecting Parents, Caregivers, and Families. One resource particularly helpful to families is FASD United's Family Navigator, which provides confidential support and referrals to peer support, resources, and services for pregnant people and people intending to become pregnant who have challenges with alcohol. | |
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SAMHSA's "Find Treatment" locator is now available in Spanish! Designed to serve Spanish-speaking communities, it offers confidential and anonymous access to a comprehensive list of certified substance use and mental health treatment facilities, certified community behavioral health clinics, opioid treatment programs, buprenorphine practitioners, and healthcare centers across the United States and its territories.
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Major cellphone carriers now have the technology to direct 988 callers to contact centers based on the caller’s approximate location, versus by area code—known as “georouting.” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced, “With georouting in place, callers will be connected to 988 crisis contact centers closer to where they are, which will help us to more quickly connect people to local services and resources when they need additional on the ground support.”
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Virtual: October 7th-8th
In-Person: October 9th-11th
NFF Executive Director Lynda Gargan and NFSTAC Project Director Gail Cormier will be in Savannah, GA at the National Family Engagement Summit. If you're going to the in-person conference, add their session "Meaningful & Intentional Family Engagement in Schools: Hearing from the Families" to your agenda. It's not too late to register!
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The 4th Annual System of Care Summit will take place May 13 - 15, 2025. Submit your presentation proposal this week by October 4th to highlight best practices, innovations, lessons learned, or solutions to challenges. The 2025 virtual summit theme is "Empowering Communities and Transforming Systems Together." Proposals are welcomed from individuals engaged in community outreach, providing essential services, or who support families and youth in any capacity.
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