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Bringing Family Lived Experience To You
Accept, Advocate, Act
January 5, 2024 | Volume 2, Issue 4
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Note from the Executive Director
Mentoring the Family Peer Workforce
in Social Justice Work
Happy 35th Birthday, National Federation of Families!
As we start 2024 with hope and a renewed sense of purpose, NFF is reflecting on our three and a half decades of social justice work to support family-driven systems, policies, services, and communities. Our organization was founded by family advocates who had a vision for more inclusive support for families of children with mental health challenges and came together to take action to make that happen!
Over our long and storied history, NFF has been at the vanguard of the social justice movement for families. As we move into this next year with a focus on putting social justice back at the forefront of family peer support, we're hard at work planning the next Annual Conference in Orlando, so let your ideas start percolating now!
This month, we have some infographics, online training modules and recordings, and events that will support you in filling your social justice toolkit with strategies and resources to mentor the families you work with to advocate for their loved ones' goals and to realize the ultimate goal of family-driven partnerships with mental health and substance use stakeholders we work alongside.
With hope,
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Lynda Gargan, PhD
Executive Director, National Federation of Families
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Family peers support all families, no matter their lived experiences, challenges, or personal traumas. By focusing on the strengths and potential of families, family peers help build family resilience. True equity celebrates diversity and promotes self-reliance. As stated in our commitment to social change, we believe equity is the result of communities and systems that lift up all members of our society.
Use these graphics, provided in English and Spanish, to introduce the concept of equality vs. equity in your own communities and the systems you collaborate with. Help others understand the importance of meeting the needs of all people and that one size does NOT fit all.
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After reviewing the graphics above, we hope you will reflect on the following questions:
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What lived experiences do you have that can help you promote social justice?
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What inequities have you seen and/or experienced that need to be brought to light and who needs to know about them?
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What solutions can you promote with decision-makers and advocates?
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What opportunities do you have to promote equity in your community?
We believe tools like these, used in concert with your lived experience, are powerful in promoting the importance of acceptance and social justice for all families and their children. Challenge yourself to spread these messages to those you live and work with.
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Our Headquarters Has Moved
Please make a note of our new address and share it with others on your team that coordinate with our main office.
9841 Washingtonian Blvd, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
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Survey Says...We Need Your Input
NFF is looking for your feedback on two important surveys. Please complete AND share them widely with your network of families, the family peer workforce, colleagues, and partners.
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1. How Are Our Children and Families Doing, Really? Edition 3
Please take a few minutes to complete the 3rd and final edition of our "How Are Our Children and Families Doing Now?" survey. Please complete and share it with others. Input from families like yours is the most valuable resource we have. Your lived experiences are shared with SAMHSA and mental health and substance use prevention leaders. All families with children—of any age—living at home are invited to participate.
2. Expanded Definition of Family Peer Support
Please share your feedback on the newly proposed definition of Family Peer Support. Please select the version(s) below that best applies to you. It's just two questions!
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SAMHSA's Fentanyl Awareness Youth Challenge
SAMHSA invites youth to pitch their ideas to help educate their peers and others in their community about fentanyl and fake pills to prevent overdoses. Ideas can include any innovative ways to reach youth on this topic such as social media posts, vlogs, podcasts, video journals, etc.
Award Information
- Submission Period: December 1, 2023 to February 26, 2024, 6 p.m. ET
- Judging: February/March 2024
- Winner Announced: April 2024
The top 6 ideas will be awarded a $5,000 prize each, and up to 25 youth will receive a $2,000 honorable mention prize.
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A Year in Review: Resource Roundup
Our team at NFF and at the National Family Support Technical Assistance Center (NFSTAC) listens to the voices of families nationwide and brings our own lived experience to the creation of every toolkit, infographic, and event we host. As we reflect on our 35 years as the national voice for families, we want to be sure our latest resources are easy for parents, caregivers, family members, and the family peer support workforce to find. Below are key links to help connect you and/or families you support to free resources and events designed with families in mind during 2023. We invite you to use and share them to support your own family as well as those in your network, community, and state.
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Key Resources and Events:
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Congress is on recess until January 8th, so it's a great time to visit our Advocacy webpage to acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with the national and state resources and tools NFF has to support your advocacy efforts in 2024! | | | |
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Keep Up with the Latest Legislative News
NFF's Legislation and Policy News for Family Advocates is the place to find the details on the bills, policies, and opportunities for input that family advocates need. Visit for the latest news and releases, proposed legislation and policies, and what's being implemented in both policy and legislation. It's updated monthly to give you the latest information in one place.
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| QUESTION: How do you mentor others to promote social justice for families? | | | |
Responses from December Poll: What was your favorite part of attending the 34th Annual Conference? | |
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As we celebrated an amazing conference in our December newsletter, we asked you what your favorite part of attending was. Over a third of you were most excited to connect with colleagues and meet new friends. Nearly 20% of you most enjoyed learning about hope in social justice work with Hasan Davis. A little over 16% of readers found the Saturday panel on social justice to their favorite part of the conference. Just over 15% of people most enjoyed Dr. Stephen Loyd's acceptance in social justice work plenary. About 13% of conference attendees thought the breakout sessions were the best part of the event.
Stay tuned for more information about our 35th Annual Conference in the February newsletter! Family peers can register for our January Office Hour for training on what social justice looks like in family peer support.
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NFSTAC News and Highlights | | |
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Wellness & Resiliency: Supporting Holistic Well-Being
This companion infographic to our December Office Hour explains the key skills Certified Family Peer Specialists master to demonstrate competency in Wellness & Resiliency, the first of the Five Core Competencies for CFPS.
| Learn more about strategies and resources like the Community Resiliency Model and Wellness Recovery Action Planning in our December Office Hour: Wellness & Resiliency: Supporting Holistic Well-Being with Wanda Douglass, CFPS. | |
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Office Hour: Effecting Change: Social Justice and Advocacy for Families
January 9th, 3:00 p.m. ET
Barbara Callahan, Family Peer Advocate, joins us to talk about how family peers can support families to advocate for their loved one’s goals, dreams, and desires, as well as family-driven systems. This social justice work is an essential aspect of family peer support work.
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Family Connections: Emerging Adults: The Transition Years
January 11th, 1:30 p.m. ET
"Emerging adults"—aged 18-29—experience a variety of factors that may affect their ability to thrive during this time of identity explorations, instability, and self-focus, feeling in-between adolescence and adulthood. Join this discussion to gain strategies to support emerging adults.
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Webinar: Reignite Your Passion: Resilient Ways to Avoid Burnout for Caregivers
January 17th, 2:00 p.m. ET
As we start the new year, this webinar will provide valuable insights and tools for caregivers at all levels to navigate their roles with renewed energy and a positive outlook.
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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. | | | |
Watch Recent NFSTAC Training Recordings | |
If your organization supports national Certified Family Peer Specialist candidates, our new mini-training series recordings Family Peer Specialist Certification: Optimizing Organizational Follow to Prepare FPS to Apply, Part 1 and Part 2, offer best practices to support the success of the candidate and the sustainability of the organization. | |
Offer Feedback on FAMILY Partnerships Module | | | |
Celebrating Our Affiliates! | | |
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Wyoming NFF affiliate UPLIFT supports families of children in search of emotional and behavioral support to recognize and embrace their strengths, utilize their voice for impactful change, and benefit from mutual connections with others. Through a team-building, peer support model, they help elevate families toward positive change and emotional well-being. Families lead through a process that allows them to embrace their own strengths, find their voice, and lean on others who have lived through similar experiences.
UPLIFT's strengths-based, person-centered, family-driven approach to family peer support exemplifies how this work is social justice work, leading us closer to equitable and inclusive communities that uplift all individuals and families to see them thrive. Learn more about UPLIFT's services in Wyoming and encourage any families in the area to reach out if they want support with advocacy and training to increase acceptance of mental health and substance use challenges everywhere that families are.
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Interested in being a Featured Affiliate?
In February, we'd love to feature YOU! Reach out to dasby@ffcmh.org if your organization has a program, event, or great story to share!
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Each January, communities come together for National Mentoring Month to celebrate the power of supportive and meaningful mentor relationships—much like those of the family peer workforce and the families they support. The campaign envisions a world where young people feel encouraged and understood, leading to greater positive outcomes for youth. Join in to help raise awareness for how one conversation, one experience, and one mentor (or family peer) can change a young person’s life. Help grow the movement and celebrate the power of mentor relationships!
Use the following tools to get involved and to access free resources and technical assistance that supports mentoring programs.
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