Register now for Family Empowerment Month!
We kick the virtual event off with our annual Family Empowerment Day general session on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022 and continue throughout the month of February. More information below.
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January, 2022
'The Voice' is Families Together in New York State's monthly newsletter with information that is important to families, and youth across the State of New York.
For further information visit our website:
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LYNDON HERNANDEZ
Lyndon is a new Board Member as of Spring 2021. He has been a board Member of the Youth Action Board since June 2018. He is currently working as a Youth Peer Advocate at Sheltering Arms for Children and Family Services. There he is President of their Youth Social Justice Corps since 2017.
Lyndon graduated from Penn Foster High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania in March of 2015. He has completed many certifications before and since his graduation including his certification as a Youth Peer Advocate through Families Together.
Lyndon is a gifted poet and rapper and has shared his gifts with us at the Families Together Conference Youth Speak Out! His performance was what caught the eye of the FTNYS Board and he has been invaluable to the Board ever since.
Welcome Lyndon!
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As part of the 2022 New York State What's Great in Our State (WGiOS) celebration on May 3. 2022, the planning committee for the Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day event is seeking nominations to honor the individuals, communities, schools, and organizations across New York State that are making a difference in the field of children and youth mental wellness.
Selected honorees will be recognized at the New York State What's Great in Our State (WGiOS) celebration on May 3, 2022., from 8:30 am to 3:30 p.m., at the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, New York. The event program will include a keynote, workshops and an opportunity to celebrate those who are working hard to produce positive outcomes for children, youth, young adults and families."
Here’s your opportunity to recognize those who are doing outstanding work!
Our annual recognition focuses on the following six categories:
- Youth/Young Adult
- Family/Caregiver
- Lifetime
- Systems of Care Community
- Organization or Community Group
- School/School District
We are looking to recognize individuals, programs, organizations, or schools whose work demonstrates the following:
- Collaboration across sectors of the community
- Innovation and utilization of new strategies to meet the challenges of the last two years
- Positive impact on the community’s sense of mental wellness and resilience
- Participation of youth, parents and families
The deadline for nominations is February 18, 2022.
All nominations will be reviewed by the inter-agency planning committee and notifications will be made by April 4, 2022.
About the Planning Committee
The Planning Committee is comprised of 16 state agencies and not-for-profit organizations which are committed to advancing children’s mental health. Through this event, the committee works collaboratively to promote the importance of children’s mental health as a necessary component of children’s overall health.
Families Together is honored to be part of this committee.
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FANS Technical Assistance Office Hours
Multiple Dates
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Family Empower-ment Month
February 2022
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SAVE THE DATE
Annual Conference
May 1st-2nd, 2022
Registration coming soon
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Sharing Your Story with a Purpose |
2-part Virtual Workshop
January 27 @ 5:30-7:30 PM
February 3 @ 5:30-7:30 PM
Do you want to make your voice heard? Join this free 2 part virtual workshop on advocacy and leadership and learn to:
- identify a policy or systems issue where you would like to make a difference.
- follow a process that can be used to develop a 2-3 minute presentation for delivery to decision-makers.
- Effectively advocate for change using your family’s experience as an example.
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(NEW!) Supporting Students with Mental Health Needs |
Education Matters! A Webinar Series for Family and Youth Peer Advocates
CTAC announces a continuation of a series of webinars on educational advocacy! Join a statewide panel of experts who both understand peer services and the education system to provide you with relevant information on the special education process and strategies you can use to best support parents and young people.
Topics include:
- Supporting Students with Mental Health Needs
- Bullying and Emotional Vulnerability
- Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavioral Intervention Plans
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Statewide Peer Support Positions |
Looking for work as a Youth or Family Peer Advocate?
Visit our Job Board for the latest employment opportunities across the state!
Is your agency hiring?
Email info@ftnys.org with a detailed description, application instructions (including deadline), contact person, website link and logo, if applicable.
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Schedule so far:
Week 1: February 1st-4th
Family Empowerment Day
Tuesday, February 1st, 2022 at 11:00 A.M.
Addiction & Recovery Townhall
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 at 2:30 P.M.
Mental Health Townhall
Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 at 1:30 P.M.
Week 2: February 7th-11th
Child Welfare Townhall
Friday, February 11th, 2022 at 11:00 A.M.
Youth Justice Townhall
TBD
Week 3: February 14th-18th
Developmental Disabilities Townhall
Friday, February 18th, 2022 at 1:00 P.M.
Education Townhall
TBD
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FTNYS Responds to Governor Hochul's First State of the State Address
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This week, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her first State of the State address to officially kick off the 2022 legislative session and forecast some of her priorities for this year's state budget. From Families Together's perspective, there are some clear bright spots regarding children's mental health including..
- $2 Billion for Health and Mental Health Worker retention bonuses,
- $500M for Cost of Living Adjustments
- Telehealth reimbursement equivalent to traditional services, parity across commercial insurance plans, and requiring insurances network adequacy.
- Aligning Child Health Plus mental health benefits with Medicaid benefits, such as Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS)
- Provide Home-Based Crisis Intervention to More Families
- Integrate Mental Health Services into Pediatric Primary Care
- 10,000 Supportive Housing bed capacity that includes opportunities for runaway and homeless youth.
However, noticeably absent are issues related to child welfare. This list is not exhaustive and we anticipate more specific details on each proposal in the Executive Budget proposal expected to be released on January 18th.
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Behavioral Health Advocates Hold Workforce Rally |
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On December 21st, 2021, behavioral health advocates held a rally to demonstrate the dire need for a 5.4% Cost of living adjustment and a +500M investment for NYS Workforce and Services. New York's Mental Healthcare System is, like many other sectors, suffering from a severe workforce shortage. Families Together in New York State, together with our fellow behavioral health advocates rallied together to show the need for investment during a time when New York youth and families need these services now more than ever.
Two examples of those who spoke at the rally are Kim Kaiser and Christina Hauptman. You can find clips of their remarks above. Call your representatives today and demand a 5.4% Cost of living adjustment and a +500M investment for NYS Workforce and Services!
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Governor Signs Legislation to Raise the Lower Age |
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Before the end of the year, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law legislation to end the arrest and prosecution of children as young as 7 as juvenile delinquents for almost all offenses. Furthermore, the bill aims to create an alternative response with community-based supports to keep our children out of the justice system.
The criminal justice system can be tremendously harmful to children's health and development. Exposing them to this system can have devastating consequences on a child's future by decreasing the likelihood of school participation and enabling a future of incarceration. Signing into law S4051/A4982 improves on a judicial process that places community support over a system that is cruel and ineffective to children.
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New York Lawmakers and Advocates Call on Gov. Hochul to Enact the Children and Family Reinvestment Act |
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FTNYS is proud to join Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Senator Jabari Brisport, and fellow advocates in calling for bold investments in prevention and family supports that centers children, youth and families in their community.
The Children and Families Reinvestment Act:
- Infuses funds directly into chronically underfunded prevention and support programs;
- Establishes a new flexible funding stream to support innovative approaches to child wellbeing and position New York as a national leader; and
- Creates a Universal Child Care System
With a new Governor who is know to be a strong advoctes for families and rare optimistic budget outlook, we are seizing the moment and calling for what could be a historic investment in children and families.
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New York Advocates Launch 2022 Youth Justice Platform |
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Organizations call on lawmakers to embrace a public health approach to gun violence; resist rollbacks to landmark Raise the Age law; Invest in communities of color; and promote the leadership of youth directly impacted by the legal system
Over 50 youth, community, and civil rights organizations statewide released the 2022 Youth Justice Platform for New York. The COVID-19 pandemic has compromised the safety and stability of families, highlighting and exacerbating existing inequalities and disproportionately impacting youth of color.
This is the moment for a bold new vision for youth justice that promotes safe, resilient communities. Our leaders at every level of State and City government must embrace these principles to promote true community safety and well-being.
The key elements of the Platform include:
- Promoting and Centering the Leadership of Directly Impacted Youth and Young Adults
- Building on the Success of Raise the Age, While Resisting Calls to Roll Back This Crucial Reform
- Embracing a Public Health Response to Gun Violence
- Investing in Health, Mental Health and Well-Being for Youth and Families
- Focusing Investments on Education, Employment for Youth, and Economic Mobility
- Supporting Youth Justice Reforms; and
- Building Community Capacity to Reduce Youth Incarceration and Reinvest Savings from Youth Prison Closure
The Campaign also released a short brief summarizing Myths vs. Facts About New York’s Raise the Age Law. After the Raise the Age law went into effect in 2018, arrests and incarceration of 16-and 17-year-olds declined while crime remained the lowest it has been in New York in decades. Nevertheless, some have falsely blamed these long-overdue reforms for the recent increase in gun violence in New York. This document sets the record straight.
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Addressing the COVID-19
Delta Surge
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Resources for families affected by COVID-19; Prioritizing mental and physical health while staying home.
Families Together is here to help.
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2021 FTNYS Digital Advocacy Center
Stay up-to-date with all our advocacy efforts and use emails, social media, and phone calls. We might have to stay home, but our advocacy doesn't have to.
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POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
Part Time - Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Youth Engagement Specialist
TEMPORARY- Part-time - Western Region Youth Partner
Part Time - Grant Funded - NYC Region Youth Partner
Full Time - Hudson River Region Youth Partner
Full Time - Central Region Youth Partner
Full Time - Long Island Region Youth Partner
APPLICATION PROCESS: Applicants must send a resume with a formal cover letter, outlining their lived experience as a youth as described in the qualifications above, to employment@ftnys.org in order to be considered.
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Join the Youth Power Advisory Council |
Youth Peer Meetings Are Here for You! |
Join Our Peer Supervisors Meetings |
Nominations for Youth/Young Adult WGiOS Awards Needed! |
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IT'S TIME TO MEET
OUR NEWEST REGIONAL PARENT PARTNER!
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PRISCILLA ROMERO
Priscilla Romero is our newest Parent Advisor. She joins the team based in New York City. Her previous experience has been as a TBI/NHTD ISP Writer/ Waiver Service Coordinator, a Residential Program Manager as well as a Waiver Service Provider for B2H. She is a certified ABA/RBT Behavior Technician. Her lived experience is in the autism world with her 9-year-old son. Her son is the reason she wants to work with families that have a loved one with a disability. It is her goal to be able to not only advocate for them, but to be able to provide families with the resources and support they need to thrive in the community and at home.
Priscilla is now the mom of two, adding a daughter to her family two years ago. For fun they enjoy arts and craft, watching Disney movies, finger painting, and dancing. When possible going out to watch Disney on Ice is a must.
WELCOME PRISCILLA!
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New York’s FREE and confidential COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline
1-844-863-9314
8:00am – 10:00pm / 7 Days per week
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Expand Certified and Credentialed Peer Capacity Funding Opportunity
The New York State Office of Mental Health has updated the previously issued Request for Application for the Expand Certified and Credentialed Peer Capacity funding opportunity to address the following:
- To clarify that Public Benefit Corporations and County governments are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.
- To clarify that the associated payroll costs from providing recruitment and retention bonuses are eligible costs.
- Extend the submission due date to February 4, 2022.
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EMPOWERING FAMILIES. COORDINATING SYSTEMS.
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