Mississippi Families As Allies Inc

FAMILY PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIP/CSHCN - NIKKI FLIPPINS, PROJECT DIRECTOR, FAMILIES AS ALLIES, 840 EAST RIVER PLACE, STE 500, JACKSON, MS 39202, INFO@FAAMS.ORG, 601-355-0915, WWW.FAAMS.ORG FAMILIES AS ALLIES PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH A FAMILY-TO-FAMILY HEALTH INFORMATION CENTER IN MISSISSIPPI THAT WILL SERVE FAMILIES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS STATEWIDE. THE CENTER WILL PROVIDE DIRECT SUPPORT TO FAMILIES, ASSIST PROFESSIONALS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY PARTNER WITH FAMILIES, AND SUPPORT POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES THAT WILL BENEFIT THIS POPULATION OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OVER TIME. WE WILL LEVERAGE THE FAMILY-CENTERED PARENT-TO-PARENT SUPPORT ACTIVITIES, PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS/ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM AND ARE ESTABLISHING IN JUVENILE JUSTICE, EARLY CHILDHOOD AND HEALTHCARE. WE WILL BUILD ON THE WORK WITH FAMILIES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS THAT WE ALREADY DO THROUGH THE MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH PROGRAM OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, ITS PARTNERS, AND OTHER FAMILY, DISABILITY AND GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS WITH WHOM WE NETWORK. THE CENTER WILL BUILD ON FAMILIES AS ALLIES’ CURRENT SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES TO SUPPORT FAMILIES, INCREASE PARENT/PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND ENHANCE INFRASTRUCTURE. THE APPROACHES THAT WE ALREADY USE AND WILL BUILD ON IN THIS PROJECT ARE: 1) AN ONGOING OUTREACH CAMPAIGN THAT SUPPORTS FAMILIES, PROFESSIONALS, POLICY MAKERS AND THE PUBLIC AND INCLUDES INFORMATION ABOUT CYSHCN, MEDICAL HOMES, TRANSITION, HEALTH EQUITY AND ADDRESSING DISPARITIES; 2) AN ENHANCED WARMLINE TO RESPOND TO FAMILIES, PROVIDERS, POLICY MAKERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS; 3) EXPANDED FAMILY TRAINING TO BOTH TRAIN FAMILIES OF CYSHCN DIRECTLY AND TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PARENTS PROVIDING PARENT-TO-PARENT SUPPORT TO FAMILIES OF CYSHCN, AS WELL AS TRAINING PROFESSIONALS HOW TO PARTNER WITH FAMILIES; 4) STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS BY BUILDING ON EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH F AMILIES, OUR CURRENT FUNDING PARTNERS, THE CYSHCN STAFF AND ITS PARTNERS, THE STATE AGENCIES, PROVIDERS IN DIFFERENT SYSTEMS AND OTHER GRASSROOTS, DISABILITY ADVOCACY AND FAMILY RUN ORGANIZATIONS; 5) ASSESSMENT OF OUR EFFORTS THROUGH ONGOING EVALUATION OF OUR WORK AND MONITORING OF DISPARITIES, AND 6) ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE VIA SERVING ON STATE-LEVEL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEES, ISSUING POLICY BRIEFS AND UPDATES ON RELEVANT TOPICS, AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING OF FAMILIES TO SERVE ON DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEES. ESTABLISHED IN 1992, FAMILIES AS ALLIES IS THE ONLY STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION IN MISSISSIPPI RUN BY AND FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. SINCE 2018 WE HAVE EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF OUR WORK TO FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS. WE BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER THROUGHOUT THE STATE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN. OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE SURE FAMILIES ARE PARTNERS IN THEIR CHILDREN’S CARE SO THAT OUR VISION, THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL AND SUCCEED, BECOMES A REALITY. BY FAMILIES PARTNERING IN THEIR CHILDREN’S CARE, WE MEAN THAT THE SYSTEM OF CARE FOR CHILDREN IN MISSISSIPPI WILL BE FAMILY-DRIVEN. WE FOLLOW THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FAMILIES’ DEFINITION OF FAMILY-DRIVEN PRACTICE, “FAMILIES HAVE THE PRIMARY ROLE IN DECISIONS REGARDING THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES GOVERNING THE WELL-BEING OF ALL CHILDREN IN THEIR COMMUNITY, STATE, TRIBE, TERRITORY AND NATION.” AS A FAMILY-RUN ORGANIZATION, WE KNOW THE POWER OF PARENTS HELPING OTHER PARENTS IN THEIR SAME SHOES. WE BELIEVE THIS CENTER WILL HAVE REAL WORLD OUTCOMES FOR FAMILIES, INCLUDING INCREASED INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH THEM, GREATER POLICY INVOLVEMENT BY FAMILIES, AND MORE AGENCIES ENGAGED IN HELPING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN. MOST IMPORTANTLY, CHILDREN WILL RECEIVE BETTER CARE AND BE MORE LIKELY TO THRIVE.

FAMILY DRIVEN PRACTICE IN MISSISSIPPI - FOUNDED IN 1992, FAMILIES AS ALLIES IS THE ONLY STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION RUN BY AND FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES IN MISSISSIPPI. THIS PROJECT, “FAMILY DRIVEN PRACTICE IN MISSISSIPPI”, BUILDS ON AND EXPANDS OUR GRASSROOTS FAMILY NETWORK. IT ALSO SUPPORTS PARENT PEER SUPPORT, FACILITATES IMPROVED POLICIES DRIVEN BY FAMILIES AND INCREASES AWARENESS ABOUT CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH, GOALS THAT ARE CRITICAL GIVEN MISSISSIPPI’S POVERTY RATE, SYSTEMIC RACIAL DISPARITY AND LACK OF ACCESS TO RESOURCES. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL ENGAGE FAMILIES FROM ACROSS THE STATE IN PARENT-LED WORKSHOPS ABOUT THE SYSTEMS THAT MOST AFFECT CHILDREN. FAMILIES WILL LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, WHAT THEY SHOULD EXPECT AND WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE. TWENTY FIVE PARENTS WILL BE TRAINED THE FIRST YEAR AND FIFTY PARENTS IN YEARS TWO AND THREE FOR A TOTAL OF 125 PARENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. IN ADDITION TO HELPING FAMILIES ADVOCATE FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN, THE TRAINING IN THIS PROJECT WILL PREPARE AT LEAST TEN PARENTS EACH YEAR (THIRTY TOTAL) TO SERVE ON LOCAL OR STATE POLICY COMMITTEES, THUS INFLUENCING CARE IN THE STATE AT A MORE SYSTEMIC LEVEL AND ENGENDERING CHANGES THAT BENEFIT CHILDREN BOTH IN AND BEYOND THE PROJECT. WE WILL OFFER ONGOING COACHING TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE COMPLETED THIS TRAINING AND WORK WITH STATE SYSTEMS TO MATCH THESE FAMILIES WITH RELEVANT DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEES. ADDITIONAL TRAINING WILL TARGET PROVIDERS WHO WORK WITH FAMILIES AND WILL FOCUS ON FAMILY-DRIVEN PRACTICE. WE WILL ALSO OFFER TO WORK WITH THE STATE SYSTEMS TO DEVELOP A CROSS-SYSTEM COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PARENT PEER SUPPORT, IDEALLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH RE-ESTABLISHING ONGOING MEETINGS OF THE STATUTORILY-MANDATED INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH (ICCCY). THE ICCCY IS MADE UP OF THE HEADS OF THE STATE CHILD SERVING SYSTEMS, FAMILIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS AND IS MANDATED TO OVERSEE MISSISSIPPI’S SYSTEM OF CARE. ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES WILL BE PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER DISABILITY-RELATED STATEWIDE FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL GRASSROOTS FAMILY GROUPS AND ANY INDIVIDUAL PARENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED. NOT ONLY WILL THIS APPROACH ENHANCE FAMILIES AS ALLIES’ ALREADY STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE GROUPS, BUT IT WILL ALSO ALLOW THESE ORGANIZATIONS TO BENEFIT FROM THE INITIATIVE’S TRAINING AND INFORMATION. DATA GATHERED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE USED TO INFORM AND IMPROVE FAMILIES AS ALLIES’ WORK IN THE STATE AND ALSO IDENTIFY RELEVANT POLICY ISSUES AND NEEDED CHANGES IN CHILD-SERVING SYSTEMS. WE WILL ISSUE POLICY UPDATES AT LEAST QUARTERLY AND ALSO ENGAGE MORE FAMILIES IN WORK WITH POLICY MAKERS AND STATE LEADERS. THE PROJECT’S ACTIVITIES AND FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED IN WEEKLY ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER AND ON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SO THAT DECISION MAKERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL GAIN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FAMILY-DRIVEN PRACTICE RESULTS IN BETTER OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN AND A MORE EFFECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM.

MISSISSIPPI FAMILIES PARTNERING IN THEIR CHILDREN'S CARE

MISSISSIPPI FAMILIES AS ALLIES STATEWIDE FAMILY NETWORK EXPANSION PROJECT

MISSISSIPPI FAMILY AND YOUTH SYSTEMS REFORM NETWORK

MISSISSIPPI FAMILY AND YOUTH SYSTEMS REFORM NETWORK