The Ally
February 2020
The Families As Allies Newsletter

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Black History Month February 2020  background. Poster_ card_ banner
WE HONOR
BLACK HISTORY
MONTH
   
We encourage all of our readers
to read this thoughtful
Facebook post
by Disability Rights Mississippi and
join us in our profound
gratitude to
Lois Curtis,
particularly as we await next steps in Mississippi's own
Olmstead lawsuit. 

Please also check out #DisabilityRightsInBlack and this interesting read about honoring Black History all year long. 


THE MISSISSIPPI STATE LEGISLATURE IS IN SESSION! 


The deadline for introductions of general bills was February 17 and the next deadline is for bills to come out of committee in the chamber (Senate or House) they started in on March 3.

If a bill does not come out of committee, it
dies and is no longer considered. You can learn more about how a bill becomes a law here.  Timetables for legislation are at this   link. 

Two bills that might be of particular interest to families:

House Bill 488  by Representative Carolyn Crawford  adds this language to the current state law about formal state complaints in the education system :" If the local school district sends a complaint response to the State Department of Education, a copy of such response shall be simultaneously provided to the child's parents, along with any correspondence and response by the State Department of Education to the public agency."  

If you have feedback about whether this bill
should come out of committee, contact
House Education Committee Chairman Richard Bennett . His number at the Capitol is  (601)359-2860. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (601) 359-3770 and ask to leave a message.  

Senate Bill 2610 by Public Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Hob Bryan opens up the state code about the mental health system.  That means changes to how the mental health system is set up and operates can be made.  If you have suggestions about the state mental health system or feedback about if this bill should come out of committee, you can contact Chairman Bryan at (601)359-2220. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (601) 359-3770 and ask to leave a message.

This bill will be discussed in the committee meeting at 3 PM on Tuesday, February 25 in room 216 of the Capitol. We encourage all of you to attend. 

In general, phone calls are more effective than emails when sharing your feedback
with legislators. 

To all of our readers, you can track bills,
read about who represents you and listen to webcasts of sessions at the 
Mississippi State Legislature website.


MISSISSIPPI DISABILITY
MEGACONFERENCE:
SAVE THE DATES--  JUNE 18-19, 2020



 

 
Featured Article
 
 
WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN

" We support each other and work together to make things better for 
our children".... these are the words
we use to describe the core work of Families as Allies
What do these words really mean when difficult things happen and it's hard to trust anyone
?

There's been tough news over the past few weeks - some families were notified that their children were losing their Disabled Child Living at Home Medicaid benefits, and then news broke that six employees of the Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) had allegedly been involved in an embezzlement scheme of historical proportions. Then historic floods hit central Mississippi, displacing hundreds of families.

I won't pretend there are simple solutions for these painful
situations, but I will make three commitments to you on behalf of Families as Allies.  

1) We commit to providing practical support during difficult times .  For families dealing with the loss of Medicaid benefits, we encourage you to access all of the rights available to you , including hearings and appeals, as described on the Division of Medicaid's website and to contact Disability Rights Mississippi or a private attorney for additional legal advice. For families who are interested learning how to work with state systems to make policies as effective as possible, check out our upcoming leadership training sessions in  Meridian  on March 6 and  Hattiesburg on March 20.

2) We commit to sharing as much information as possible, including about Families as Allies, with you.  Some people have asked if we are part of Families First, one of the non-profits associated with MCEC. We are not, but we do occasionally work with Families First staff, most recently to conduct focus groups with kinship care families this past August. We have never received funding from any non-profit associated with MCEC but did have a pending contract for a $75,000 sub-grant to provide parent education and support at the time this news broke.

One way to learn more about how non-profits use their funds is to examine their 990s, the IRS returns non-
profits are required to file. You can see Families as Allies 990s here.  We encourage all non-profits to make their 990s readily available to families and the general public.

3) We commit to making practical, vetted information about supporting your child's mental health readily available to you. We do this online and through training. This resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network on helping your child cope with flooding may be particularly helpful right now. Check out our resource page on our website for additional mental health information and don't forget to sign up for our February 26 webinar:


THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME
TO OUR 6TH ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE
AND GAVE US FEEDBACK!



We are always focused on gathering feedback from parents, caregivers and families, as well as other stakeholders. At our open house in January we asked those who attended the following questions, and here's some of the responses that we got: 

1 ) How can we make all the systems that serve our children
better in 2020:
"
Collaborate more and work together, communicate more and eliminate silos, be more involved in the schools, advocate with DHS to help those in the foster system, evaluate the systems/programs and include families in that process, provide support to children and families, train parents and get them to realize they are their child's biggest advocate, make sure the systems are truly centered around the families."

2 ) How can Families as Allies make things better for our children
in 2020?
"
Be a resource for families, trainings--leadership training, schools--provide in school trainings to teachers and educators and help with literacy efforts, encourage more collaboration with families, help kids in the juvenile justice system, continue to let the community know who you are and what you do, keep advocating for more outpatient mental health services, connect issues affecting children to the communities who can actually help them."

3 ) What do you think the role of a family-run organization is in 2020?
" Help put core values of families back in the center--involve more families, empower them, and educate families to thrive on their own, continue educating on advocacy and peer support so that families can take on leadership roles, help families identify their underlying needs, provide support to people who have been through the same challenges as ourselves."



MONTHLY WEBINARS AND
PEER SUPPORT COACHING
KICKOFF IN FEBRUARY
  

On the third Wednesday of every month we are doing a virtual support and coaching session from noon to 1 PM that's open to any parent providing support to other parents, including family partners and parent peer support specialists.  Our first session got off to a great start on February 19! Sign up for upcoming sessions here.

On the fourth  Wednesday  of every month, starting with February 26, we will host a webinar from noon-1 for families and anyone supporting families.  February's webinar will be   "Partnering in Your Child's Behavioral Health Care:  How Do I Know If My Child Needs Help and
Where Do I Go If They Do?" Register here.

Watch our 
website  and Facebook page for more updates and information.



MERIDIAN AREA FAMILIES:
 
Friday, March 6th  8 am to 4 pm.



   
Friday, March 20th  8 am to 4 pm.



MEET OUR NEW INTERNS:
DAVIDA KILPATRICK,
TAYLOR PAYNE and
BRIANA HUDSON



H ere's a short video that introduces you to our
three new interns 
from Jackson State University,
Davida Kilpatrick, Taylor Payne and 
Briana Hudson.
We are so happy to have them join us and become part
of 
the Families as Allies family!