Images not displayed correctly? Click here to view as a webpage.
The Federation on the Move
July 2021
NFF News and Highlights
We're excited to share the following news this month.

NFF is awarded $1 million as a partner with the University of Maryland on a Health and Human Services (HHS) grant.

Registration is now open and sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities have been posted for the 2021 NFF virtual conference.
  • Learn more and register to attend
  • Learn more and sign up to be a sponsor
  • Learn more and sign up to be an exhibitor

Diana Autin Selected as 2021 Family Voices Health Equity Champion Awardee
We are proud to share that Diana Autin, Executive Director of SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, our state chapter in New Jersey, was selected as the 2021 Family Voices Health Equity Champion. Read the full announcement.
Welcome New Affiliates!
We're excited to welcome three new executive directors and two new affiliates to our network this month! We encourage you to learn more about their organizations and to reach out and welcome them personally.

Brandon Jones, MA is named the new Executive Director of Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH)

Lydia Henshaw, Ph.D., CEO
Jeffersonville, IN (Partner)

Rachel Helt, Executive Director
Newton, NJ (Chapter)
NFSTAC News and Highlights
The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center (NFSTAC) invites you to submit requests for technical assistance. The NFSTAC is driven by the needs of families and the workforce that supports families. NFSTAC works for you.

Engagement with families and the workforce of family peers, providers and organizations across the mental health and substance use fields who engage in this powerful work is critical. As our Family Center of Excellence continues to grow, we invite you and your organization to join us! Feel free to request what you need to help your family, the families you serve, your organization or others in the field.

Perhaps you think the field needs:
  • Regularly scheduled office hours around a specific topic
  • Opportunities to strengthen skills in a particular area
  • Guidance on diagnostics for families
  • A space for family peers to connect and share tools to grow the workforce
  • Virtual training on engagement practices for families and the communities that serve them

Whatever you think is in NFSTAC's scope for technical assistance, please submit your request. Our technical assistance is always free and we are ready to assist you.
New Resource for Families on Understanding HIPAA
One of the first technical assistance requests the NFSTAC received was from family members and family-run organizations asking us, “When does HIPAA allow providers to disclose healthcare information to parents involved in their adult child’s care?”

This is a question our staff and colleagues have looked to answer many times for ourselves and our community we serve. Luckily, we were able to meet with FOCUS: PHI, the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information. Together, with PHI’s legal knowledge and with guidance from NFSTAC, a new resource titled "Understanding HIPAA: What Parents Need to Know About Privacy & Their Adult Child’s Health Information," was developed for families. We thank PHI for developing this informational tool and hope it will help parents and primary caretakers get the answers they need.
Lisa Lambert
Executive Director
Parent Professional Advocacy League
Question: Why should parents encourage their child(ren) to attend and be an active member of their IEP, Wraparound, and/or PCP team?
Event Highlights
There are far too many events for us to capture in the newsletter each month. We have highlighted a few below and we encourage you to visit our webinars and events page for a more complete listing. We welcome submissions from our network of affiliates and other organizations. Please include a weblink and contact person with your submissions.
Resources Highlights
We encourage you to explore these resource and opportunity highlights for caregivers, youth and young adults and the mental health and substance use support workforce.
Mental Health America (MHA) develops a public education campaign and toolkit dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Learn more here.
The Center for Parent Information and Resources released three informational videos for families of students with the most intensive needs, and the schools, educators, and other professionals who support them. The videos were produced in collaboration with National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII), the TIES Center, and the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB). They speak directly to parents and highlight key resources available to support families of students as they transition to and from in-school services during COVID-19. Access the videos below.
Unicef offers a Mini Parenting Master Class titled "How to Build Your Baby's Mental Health." When should I start thinking about my baby's mental health? How can I promote positive mental health in my family? In this free, online course, psychologist and child development expert Dr. Lisa Damour answers these questions and more.
What activities are you and your child(ren) doing this summer? In this article from The Mighty, parents share their favorite summer activities for their children who have disabilities.