Do you know a child or adolescent who struggles with emotional, behavioral or mental health issues? Are you searching for assistance, and don’t know where to turn? Would you like to connect with families who are also coping with similar issues? Perhaps the National Federation of Families For Children’s Mental Health and Delaware Family Voices can help.
Through a grant awarded to Delaware Family Voices, we will be working with the National Federation of Families For Children’s Mental Health to create a Delaware chapter of Federation of Families. Delaware Family Voices is currently searching for families to become involved with the Delaware chapter and help us establish this much needed resource in Delaware.
What is Federation of Families?
The National Federation of Families For Children’s Mental Health is a family-run organization with chapters throughout the United States, whose focus is on the issues of children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs, and the families who care for these children.
Emotional, behavioral and mental health needs can affect families from every corner of society. These needs know no boundaries, affecting people at all income and educational levels, geographic locations, and racial, ethnic and religious groups. They affect single parent as well as two parent families, birth families to adoptive and foster families. Members of The Federation represent this very diverse group.
What can the National Federation of Families Do For You?
At the national level, members of National Federation work to develop and implement policies, legislation, funding, and services for families affected by emotional, behavioral and mental health issues. The organization emphasizes advocacy, giving families a voice in what they need to care for their children and youth mental health needs.
Specifically, the National Federation helps family by:
Providing advocacy at the national level for the rights of children and youth with mental health challenges.
Providing leadership and assistance to the nation-wide network of Federation of Families organizations, including the Delaware Family Voices chapter.
Working with other organizations to transform national policies on mental health care for children and youth with mental health challenges, and the families that care for them.
The organization’s website is also chock full of helpful resources for families and their children. Topics include:
Resources for Families – Find definitions, fact sheets, newsletters, and other helpful information about mental health issues. Learn more about connecting with others through webinars, conference calls, and the community forum.
Resources for Youth – It’s all about youth empowerment here! This section is specifically for youth and youth leaders to learn more about taking charge of their own mental health concerns.
Resources for Certified Parent Support Providers – Learn more about what it takes to become a certified parent support provider.
Browse the Publication Database for articles, fact sheets and other information across all topics related to children and families coping with mental health challenges.
By working with families who know all too well the toll mental health challenges can take on the whole family, the National Federation of Families hopes to improve the lives of everyone coping with these challenges.
How Can You Help?
Parents are the driving force behind a successful Federation of Families chapter, and to bring this program with all it’s wonderful resources to Delaware, we need parent partners. Delaware Family Voices will work with these parents to provide them with the tools and training they need to become effective parent partners with Federation of Families.
Training for parent partners will include organizational development, non-profit management, community development, business practices, financing of services, sustainability, leadership development, resiliency in children and families, and EPSDT mandate for children.
A parent partner can contribute at any level of support. There is something for everyone who wants to help create the Delaware chapter, from administrative to peer support, to note taking and sharing your story. Parent partners are the voice to empower other families and create system change.
Would you like to learn more about the Delaware chapter of National Federation of Families? Would you like to become a part of the effort to improve the lives of children with mental health issues? If so, please contact Peggy Prygon at 302-221-5363 or email her at peggy@defv.org.
Click on this link to learn more about the National Federation of Families and it’s mission. Because children’s mental health matters.
Need assistance and don’t live in Delaware? You can either call Peggy and she can help get you to the resources you need, or you may contact the National Federation of Families directly via this Contact Form or 240-403-1901. You can also search the Find A Local Chapter page to locate possible resources in your area.
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Delaware Family Voices is a 501 C3 Non-profit organization. Consider donating to our organization via United Way #12691.