The Federation on the Move
March 2021 Newsletter
March 10th Webinar Invitation
The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center (NFSTAC) and Partnership to End Addiction invite you to their upcoming webinar titled "Families, Make Your Voices Heard: An Introduction to Advocacy" to learn how you can advocate for policies that support families and individuals impacted by mental health and substance use.

Hear from presenters Marcia Lee Taylor and Denise Mariano, who helped produce the Partnership's terrific new advocacy toolkit for families, and learn how you can make your voices heard!
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Learning Objectives
  • Participants will learn strategies for effective communication with policy-makers
  • Participants will examine the value of advocacy
  • Participants will enhance their understanding of sharing their story to effect change

Learn more and register today!
Important Family Survey Results
How are Caregivers and
Children Doing, Really?

In case you missed our email earlier this week, we shared the results of our recent survey of families about their experiences with COVID-19 and education,
and how it is impacting the mental health of families.

The results have been compiled into an infographic linked below, which depicts the state of the nation as it relates to COVID-19 from the family perspective. While the data are compelling, the anecdotal responses shared in the "Family Voices" section highlight the circumstances
of our nation’s families.

Please help us relay this information to policy-makers, funders and others in your network who can assist in painting a brighter future for children and families.
Call for Presentations
That's right! We are hoping for the best - being together in person - and planning to move forward with our annual conference in Chicago this fall. We will continue to follow the COVID-19 case trends and vaccination progress and will adjust our plans if needed.
In the meantime, it's time to start planning!

We are seeking workshop proposals that will provide information on the following content areas: 
  • Collaboration and Integration of Services Across Multiple Systems
  • Collaboration with State and Local Policy-Makers
  • Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
  • Engaging Youth and Young Adults
  • Evidence-Based Practices
  • Family/Caregiver Peer Support Across the Lifespan
  • Family Peer Workforce Development
  • Family-Run Organizational Development and Sustainability
  • Mental Health and Substance Use Parity
  • Providing Services and Outreach in the Digital Age
  • Research to Practice
  • Strategies for Addressing Specific Diagnoses
  • Strategies for Reducing Bias and Discrimination
  • Supports for Special Populations 
  • Trauma Informed Care
  • Youth Leadership

Our Call for Presentations is open until April 30th.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Awareness Week
The 2021 Children's Mental Health Awareness Week campaign theme is
"Flip the Script on Mental Health." We are developing new tools and media to help you promote Awareness Week in your own community. We're excited to share the 2021 Family Activity Calendar to help engage youth and families in Awareness Week. New this year, the calendar includes direct links to activity ideas and educational information.
Look for our new awareness week calendar for community members
and advocates in next month's newsletter.

Below you will also find this year's Facebook cover which you can download to use on personal and business Facebook pages. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks and visit the Awareness Week site for updated tools and resources you can use to "Flip the Script on Mental Health" in your homes, organizations and communities.
Board Member Honored
We are proud to share that Board Member, Dr. Dennis Embry was named one of the 100 Champions for Children by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, CWLA chose to recognize the exceptional commitment of individuals, organizations, and corporations who serve as champions for children and those who work on their behalf. This is a well-deserved honor as Dennis has devoted his life's work to young children and their families. On behalf of the National Federation of Families and the countless families you have served, "Congratulations, Dennis!"


Look for additional Board news and updates in our April newsletter.
Legislation and Advocacy
Latest Newsletter Highlights
This has been a very busy month for legislative and advocacy news. Below are some of the highlights. For more detail on these issues visit our latest Legislative and Advocacy Newsletter.

  • President Biden's Rescue Plan has passed both the House and the Senate and is currently in the budget reconciliation process. The key elements of the plan for children and families are outlined in the newsletter as well as an explanation of the reconciliation process.
  • Some key bills have been reintroduced:
  • Barriers to Suicide Act
  • Mental Health Access Improvement Act 
  • Medicaid Reentry Act 
  • The TREAT Act (Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment)
  • Mental Health Services for Students Act
  • Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act
  • The National Federation of Families has joined 30 other national leaders in signing onto the Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care.
  • The Federation along with 350 organizations and leaders, have called upon the incoming Biden-Harris Administration to establish a White House Office on Children and Youth and a federal Children’s Cabinet. 
  • A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals and families for Marketplace coverage in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has been opened.
  • Governors were informed that the states will continue to receive enhanced Medicaid funding through 2021.

For full details subscribe to the Newsletter dedicated to L&A issues and for up-to-the-minute news follow our

You will also find information on our Legislative and Advocacy web pages about national and state advocacy organizations and tools and resources that can assist in your efforts
to represent the voice of families.
Webinar and Training Highlights
There are far too many events for us to capture in the newsletter each month.
While we have highlighted a few below, we highly encourage you to visit our
webinars and events page for a more complete listing. We update the page
regularly and welcome submissions from our network of affiliates and other organizations. Please include a weblink and contact person with any submissions.
Title: Flourishing Families 2021
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. ET

Join us for monthly listening and learning sessions to build tools and create a support network with other parents and caretakers of young adults. Panelists include mental health professionals, parents, students, and advocates. Monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of the month. Go to the registration page to select a date
and to see monthly topics.
Title: Virtual Monthly Support Group for LGBTQ Adoptive Parents
Date/Time: Thursday, March 18, 2021, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET

Having the opportunity to be surrounded by those who understand your family journey is a vital experience. In this LGBTQIA+ adoptive parent support group, you will have the opportunity to talk about the challenges you and your family may be going through, while receiving support from clinically trained therapists and professionals with lived experience in LGBTQIA+ adoptive households. This psychoeducational monthly “drop in” support group meets the 3rd Thursday of each month from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. ET.
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Providing trauma-informed supervision is critical to fostering employees' personal and professional development, enhancing clinical skills, implementing best practices, ensuring accountability, promoting self-care and wellness, and most importantly,
improving client outcomes.

Trauma-informed supervision is especially relevant in settings where staff serve clients who are likely to have histories of trauma exposure and staff often experience secondary trauma exposure through their clinical work.

Trauma-informed supervision helps supervisors create an atmosphere of safety, trust, choice, and collaboration in the workplace, which both benefits staff and serves as a model for how staff treat clients. Whether you’re experienced, new, or not yet a supervisor, you are invited to explore trauma-informed supervision – what it is, why it matters,
how to use its frameworks and skills to enhance supervisory practice, and how to
employ specific strategies to help staff thrive in their work.
Date/Time: Wednesdays, March 24 - May 12, 2021, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

This learning community will bring together people and organizations seeking to integrate peer support into crisis services. National experts - led by C4’s Cheryl Gagne - will share best practices and strategies for addressing challenges related to service delivery, organizational readiness, and recruiting and supervising peer support workers.
Title: Surviving and Thriving - Virtual Edition
Date/Time: Saturday, March 13, 2021, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET

Are you a parent or caregiver experiencing an unexpected crisis during these unprecedented times? Do you need help managing power struggles at home? Do you want to navigate systems of care with effective communication? Do you feel like you are losing control trying to manage stressful moments with your child or community? Do you want to learn how to respond to your child’s crisis in the home and or in the community during these unprecedented times?

Federation of Families of South Carolina is excited to offer Surviving and Thriving training which focuses on parents and caregivers with children and youth who experience emotional, behavioral, substance use or mental health challenges.
Title: Training Institutes LIVE!
Date/Time: Thursday, March 4, 2021, 1:30 - 5:00 PM ET

The Training Institutes are back, and we are LIVE! We are excited to bring you a monthly series of virtual 90-minute workshops focused on integrating systems and improving outcomes for children, youth, young adults, and their families.

Consistent with this premier convening of leaders in children’s services, these Training Institutes LIVE! workshops emphasize practical strategies that you can apply in your states, communities, tribes, and territories. Join us to discuss and share the latest policies, practices, resources, and research. Connect with experts and leaders from child-serving systems across the nation.
Date/Time: Thursday, March 11, 2021, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. ET

This webinar series is designed for child and family-serving system leaders and other stakeholders to meet the requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act. This series is an opportunity to develop a service array that best meets the needs of youth and families using evidence-based programs (EBPs). Join us to discuss strategies and tools for identifying and addressing gaps in an existing service array; assessing the fit of EBPs to fill gaps; and leveraging and aligning an EBP array with existing financial resources.
Title: Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce
Date/Time: Thursday, March 18, 2021, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET

Families of persons with serious mental illness play an important role in the lives of their loved ones. In addition to being caring siblings, parents or spouses, they often function as caregivers and can be an asset to any mental health team to ensure optimal benefit of treatment. A new workforce is emerging to support these families. Family peer support workers are persons with a lived experience trained to provide support to other family members who are caring for a person with a serious mental illness.

Join us every month for our Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce webinar series, which will expand upon concepts outlined in our Aug. 20 webinar. Speakers will outline SAMHSA-published competencies in peer support and explore how persons with lived experience as a family member, friend or other caregiver of a person with a mental illness can support others in a similar situation, and discuss the training needs of this emerging workforce. Special guests with experience in the field will help tell this important story. Content is tailored to address needs within our four-state region — Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri — but all are welcome.
Title: Log On and Log In to Virtual Meetings
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. ET

Virtual meetings are probably here to stay and in this uncertain and ever-changing school year, communication between families and schools is even more important. Learn how to optimize the effectiveness of this new way of planning. This session will help you be prepared for a productive virtual experience. Dates available in March, April and May.

This webinar will cover:
• Pre-meeting preparation
• Communication techniques for during the meeting
• Protecting confidentiality while online
• Managing the challenges of virtual meetings
• Follow up suggestions
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET

Since March 2020, children across the country have been isolated at home participating in distance learning. The impacts academically, socially and emotionally have been staggering, particularly for children with pre-existing serious emotional disorders and their families. There has been a reduction in referrals to child protective services, an increase in isolation, depression, anxiety, and a decrease in engagement which can lead to lower academic success. What do all of these things mean in the short-term and the long-term? What can be done to attempt to mitigate some of these adverse effects? Join our Roundtable Discussion as we provide information and answer your questions.
Our state chapter in Nevada, Nevada PEP, is offering a number of webinars covering a variety of topics in March that support parents, caregivers, families and their children as well as the professionals who support them. Click the button below to view their calendar, see titles and descriptions and to register for this month's webinars.
Title: Taking Care of Yourself: A Workshop for Parents
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. ET

Join us for an evening chat with other parents of children with special health
care needs for a reminder of the importance of self-care.
Title: PAX Tools for School@Home Workshops
Date/Time: Multiple Dates and Times Available Beginning March 2nd
Resource and Opportunity Highlights
From Families for Depression Awareness
Create a Mental Health Family Tree
Looking for a unique way to start a conversation about mental health with your family? Mental health conditions often run in families. Did your grandparent experience persistent sadness? Does your uncle engage in risky behaviors? Does your parent live with depression? Talk to your family about the past so you can prepare them for the future. 
Use Family Stories to Help Your Own Family
When a loved one is living with mental health challenges, it can feel like your family is alone in going through difficult experiences. Family Stories, available as written stories and videos, are reminders that others have faced mood disorders and suicidal behaviors. They found a way through. You can, too. Let their stories motivate and inspire you.
From The National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC
Free Telehealth Mental Health Services for Native Youth

The National American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network's K-12 School Initiative now offers a year’s worth of free telehealth mental health services to children and youth in grades K–12. The services will allow children and adolescents to connect via cell phone with counselors, therapists, or social workers. Providers must have a computer, laptop, or cell phone to conduct virtual appointments. Interested providers who work in school or community
healthcare programs for Native youth are encouraged to
email Teresa Brewington for more information.