October
2019
30th Annual Conference News
Hotel Accommodations
The Hyatt Regency Phoenix, where the conference will be hosted, is now sold out. We have made arrangements for additional rooms, within a very short walking distance offering the same group rate, at the Hilton Garden Inn. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations there as soon as possible.
Join Us for a Pre-Conference Session
We invite conference attendees to join us on Thursday, November 14th from 9:00 to 11:30 am, prior to the conference kick-off, for an update on the National Core Competencies Revision Project. During this pre-conference session, we will share final recommendations made to revise the core competencies of the parent peer support workforce, reflecting their work supporting families in the field today.
For the past two years the Federation has been researching and evaluating parent peer support across the nation. As the field of peer support has matured, it is incumbent upon us to revise the certification exam questions and protocol to incorporate what we have learned and to reflect the evolution of the field.

Recommendations for changes to the National Core Competencies as well as plans for the roll out will be discussed at the pre-conference session. Learn more
about the project prior to attending here.
Keynote Speakers
We are excited to share that Sue Badeau and Mia St. John will join us
 as keynote speakers at the 30th Annual NFFCMH Conference in Phoenix, AZ
on November 14th-16th. Learn more about Sue and Mia below.
Watch the clip of Sue above to hear about her family's adventures which inspired the toolkit she developed to support other parents and families.
Watch the interview above to learn more about Mia and her family's story which led her to become a mental health advocate for all families.
Film Screening
Join Randi Silverman for a screening of "No Letting Go" followed by a Q and A session on the evening of Friday, November 15th. The film is based on Randi's family's journey t o understand and seek help for her son’s mental illness.

Randi is the Founder of the Youth Mental Health Project - a national NFFCMH partner organization.
World Mental Health Day 2019
World Mental Health Day was celebrated for the first time in 1992. It is an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and is recognized by the United Nations, WHO, country leaders and many international organizations. It celebrates awareness for the global community, with a unifying voice, and encourages hope and empowerment to take action and create lasting change . This year, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has selected “suicide prevention” as the main theme of World Mental Health Day. We encourage you to look for our social media posts on October 10th and to share them in support of World Mental Heath Day 2019.
Executive Directors On the Move
NFFCMH affiliate Executive Directors Muriel Jones (Federation of Families Central Florida) , Lori Fahey (Family Cafe') and Susan Nyamora (South Florida Wellness Network) presented alongside our own leader, Lynda Gargan, at the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Family-School-Community Alliance. The event, sponsored by the PBIS Technical Assistance Center at the University of South Florida, took place in Tampa, FL last month and focused on enhancing family-school-community partnerships.
Legislation and Advocacy
Legislative Recess is Over!
There's a lot to get up to speed on. Look for the Legislative Newsletter mid-month covering the latest information coming to us both nationally and from the states. It will include updates on the decision in DOJ vs Mississippi and Tennessee's request for Medicaid to be issued as a block grant and what the implications could be beyond their state borders.
To help you find legislative and advocacy resources nationally and in your state, the Federation has created the following resource for you.
If you haven't already, sign up to receive legislation and advocacy updates, alerts and calls to action. In the meantime, find our most recent updates as well as news, tools and resources that can assist in your efforts to represent the voice of children, youth and families on our Legislative and Advocacy web pages .
Submit your state's advocacy and legislative news and updates to our
Legislative Liaison, Michelle Covington, at mcovington@ffcmh.org.
Webinars and Events
Having the Talk: How to Best Explain ADHD to Your Child, Family and Friends
Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019 Time: 1:00 pm EDT

When a child receives an ADHD diagnosis, they often take home a prescription for medication, maybe a handout titled “ What Is ADHD? ”, and that’s it. Rarely do they get a clear, fact-based explanation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. As a result, many kids - and parents - feel unnecessarily ashamed of the diagnosis. The gains to a child’s self-esteem and self-understanding are huge when a caregiver works to gain deep knowledge and insight about attention deficit disorder ( ADHD ) - and the words to explain it effectively to a child, family members, and friends. Helping your child explain his own ADHD to peers and teachers is empowering and the most effective form of self-advocacy.
Six Advocacy Tips that Turn No's into Yes's!
Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm EDT

Participants will learn the importance of advocacy and effective strategies to help children with disabilities. The webinar offers communication techniques that will help you feel confident advocating for children. Don’t miss this valuable workshop. It is full of information that can change a child’s life!
Involving Families in Community Mental Health, A Win-Win Proposition
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Time: 2:00 pm EDT

The National Council has partnered with the Family-Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA) to showcase Viewpoint Health – a community-based organization that has been integrating parent/family peer support into behavioral health service delivery for more than 10 years – and the Georgia Parent Support Network – a grassroots, family-run organization that works to create a network of support for parents of children living with behavioral health needs. This webinar will highlight the importance of parent/family peer support and the on-the-ground perspective of communities putting it into practice for those they serve.
Getting it Right: Mental Health and Special Education
Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019 Time: 8:30 - 10:30 pm EDT

This workshop will provide information on the challenges students with mental health needs have in the school setting and offer tips and strategies for using the IEP to provide support and instruction.
Using Text and Email with Clients - Guidance and Resources for Providers
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019 Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm EDT

The use of electronic communication is ubiquitous today. For young adults especially, texting is a primary communication tool. It is imperative for mental/behavioral health clinicians, agency administrators and legal counsel to understand how to meet the clients' communication preferences, while also upholding standards of patient privacy required by ethics and HIPAA rules. This webinar will give an overview of the different forms of email and texting and describe how each measures up to the standards of HIPAA's Security Rule and the professional ethics codes of mental health professional organizations. It will also provide guidance and resources to help providers decide how texting and email can or cannot fit into their practice. 
The TA Network operates multiple Learning Communities (LC’s) that are available to any and all participants on various topics. The LC’s were assembled with the most pressing needs of the children's behavioral health field in mind, and are facilitated by a diverse group of content experts. Opportunities for peer examples and interactions
are also provided in addition to robust resources and tools.

Their October Webinar Line Up includes:

  1. Crossover Youth: Understanding the Pathways, Characteristics, and Opportunities for Youth that Fluctuate between Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice - Tuesday, October 15th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm EDT
  2. Systems of Care Leadership: Beyond Impact Statements: Addressing Behavioral Health Disparities - Wednesday, October 16th from 2:30 - 4:00 pm EDT
  3. Financing to Support Better Outcomes for Young Adults - Tuesday, October 22nd from 2:00 - 3:30 pm EDT
  4. Care Integration Best Practices: Care Coordination Approaches for Children with Moderate to Intensive Behavioral Health Challenges - Wednesday, October 23rd from 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Resources and Opportunities
Family Informed Trauma Treatment (FITT) Toolkit
 The FITT Toolkit is built on trauma and family-informed principles and the integral role of cultural considerations and developmental processes across the life span and family life cycle in trauma recovery . This guide helps providers talk with parents and caregivers about skills that are important for participating in trauma-focused therapy relationships with their children and families. Learn more about the toolkit here .
From the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut
This free, self-guided toolkit is designed to help child- and family-serving organizations develop Health Equity Plans based on National CLAS Standards to reduce health disparities. The toolkit (a publication of Connecticut Network of Care Transformation) guides organizations through a four phase process developed by the CT Department of Children and Families, CHDI, Beacon Health Options, and Health & Equity, LLC .  Download it here .
IEP Resources in English and Spanish from CPIR
Don't miss these IEP articles for sharing and training from CPIR - provided in both English and Spanish.
The State of Mental Health in America 2020 Report
For the 6th year in a row, Mental Health America (MHA) released its annual State of Mental Health Report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on several mental health and access measures. Get access to key findings, state rankings and additional data that can assist your efforts to serve, support and be a voice for children, youth and families here .