June 2007 Is there a difference between flex funds and stipends? If so, what is/are the differences? ANSWER

February 2007 The theme around the national meeting in Atlanta was “collaboration”. There was time set aside for each community to meet individually and do some team planning around the status of collaboration in their communities. During this time our community reviewed and assessed where we were and what our next steps could be as far as collaborating with families. I have been assigned to research and find information that would help us build capacity to have a structured and monitored process across systems to incorporate family and youth involvement at levels of our system of care. What are some ideas or examples from other communities that we could possibly review to support our developing and hopefully implementation of a consistent model that all partner agencies could use? Please provide information that would be inclusive of not only policy level work but service delivery and program development also. ANSWER

December 2006 My granddaughter is currently being served in my community with an agency that is considered to be a part of the system of care. Several of us parents and grandparents have been asked to represent family voice at various committee meetings and focus groups in our community. At each of those meetings we are told about “Family Driven/Youth Guided” care. We totally have the definition down pact. My question is how do we know if we are leading and our children and grandchildren are driving this process? What are the challenges we could face and ways to overcome those challenges? ANSWER

October 2006 Our lead agency for the system of care is working on developing a contract with a local family organization that became a non-profit about a year ago. We are looking for sample contract language that will identify deliverables for the family organization to help support the system of care towards becoming family driven; continue the development of the family organization; and be able to provide family support services within our system of care. How do we know that the family organization is ready? ANSWER

June 2006 Many communities struggle with creating truly family-driven systems of care. The key to success is an infrastructure that integrates families into every aspect of the system, from the core team to governance, service delivery, social marketing, and evaluation. But how do you get there?
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February 2006 Our system of care community is focused on activities to sustain our system of care efforts. We have discussed how important it is for our families and youth to educate policy-makers on why they should adopt new policy and continue to invest funding into our system of care. We know that families and youth should share their stories now because this is a time when policy-makers are making important decisions. Could you provide some specific strategies to help our families and youth educate policy-makers and legislators? ANSWER

December 2005 Our family organization recently contracted to partner with the system of care in our area to lead the efforts in transforming systems of care into more family-driven entities. Our family organization is a newly developed Federation of Families Chapter and we are looking for information and guidance to get us started with how to approach transformation and family-driven care through policy work. Any suggestions would be helpful. ANSWER

October 2005 Our system of care community is in the process of hiring our key family contact. We are looking for information on how other system of care communities have approached the hiring of the key family contact, sample job descriptions, and the success and challenges of implementing the key family contact position and family involvement. ANSWER

August 2005 Our system of care community has a governance structure, and we are all working hard to recruit family members and youth to participate on the governance board. In an effort to ensure that families are involved with all system of care activities, we have developed a family involvement committee. Currently our lead family contact is working with system of care partners to identify and recruit family members, who are currently participating as service recipients of our system of care project, to participate on this committee. We as families are beginning to come together; we are looking for direction in defining our roles and developing policies and procedures for how we operate. What information can be shared to help us reach our next steps? ANSWER

June 2005 We are a new family organization focused on supporting, educating, and advocating with families of children and youth at risk for or who have serious emotional disturbance in a currently funded system of care community. Our organization is in the midst of creating a toll-free helpline for families and professionals calling with mental health and other related concerns. I was recently hired as the part-time family coordinator. In addition to fielding calls in the office, I also help to recruit additional family member volunteers who are willing to field helpline calls. Can you suggest any strategies or protocols to help us implement our toll-free helpline? ANSWER

April 2005 Our family organization has been contracted by our community's system of care to develop and implement a peer support and advocacy program. We have hired two family leaders from the community, and both of them have direct experience advocating for their own children and families and building positive relationships with service provider agencies. One of the family leaders has been facilitating a support group for families with children with ADHD in our community. We have recently developed job descriptions for these positions. The new staff members are adhering to our general office policies and procedures, but these policies do not specifically address the implementation of their roles and responsibilities. It is taking tremendous time and energy to build this program from scratch. What assistance and support is available to help us develop an effective peer support and advocacy program, and what advice would you offer? ANSWER

February 2005 Our system of care community has developed and implemented a local family-run organization that has been primarily funded by federal grant dollars. However, this funding stream will soon end, and o ur family organization and system of care partners are struggling with how to keep our efforts sustained. The members of our family organization's Board of Directors are very new in their roles, and staff morale is getting low. What are some strategies that will help us sustain our family-run organization and raise staff morale? ANSWER

December 2004 Our system of care community is committed to involving families and youth in all of our system of care activities, including but not limited to participating in meetings, attending trainings, and supporting other families. We want to respect the families and youth by being able to financially support the costs of their participation. I have heard that other communities are providing stipends and other supports to families and youth. Is this an allowable expense, and if so, what strategies are other communities using to get families and youth the support they need? Will families who receive benefits lose their benefits if they receive financial support? ANSWER

October 2004 I am a family leader involved with our recently formed governance structure for our new system of care project, and I am struggling with feelings of oppression and insignificance. I have also been asked to become the co-chair of this group. Are these feelings common for family members involved in system of care governance structures? How can our community's governance structure support equal and valued participation of family members? ANSWER

July 2004 What is social capital and how does it pertain to families? ANSWER

June 2004 Does the philosophy of cultural competence apply only to those receiving services in systems of care, or does it also apply to those who are employed? Some people in my community feel very strongly that any employee should be able to put their own feelings, culture, etc. aside in order to deal with the client. I don't see you putting your own culture "aside" to do SOC work. I feel a little confused about that. Could you address this issue, please? ANSWER

May 2004 I am at my wit's end trying to be a good parent to my 15-year-old daughter.  I want her to know that she must follow certain boundaries and meet high expectations. I also want her to know that I love her, and yet I feel like I am not able to get any of this across to her. What do you suggest? ANSWER

April 2004 I worry about my children.  Most of the time, I struggle to stretch our few dollars just to get food on the table.  I feel like this constant burden of poverty is weighing my family down and my children are deeply suffering from it.  What are some factors that help to alleviate the strain of poverty on children and families? ANSWER

February 2004 How do we get connected to family peer support when the child-serving agencies will not allow us to meet each other. They tell us this lack of contact is a confidentiality issue. Is it? If it is, how do we change that? If it is not, how do we respond to these agencies?ANSWER

Holiday 2003/2004 My project manager recently threatened me with the loss of my job. I wasn't actually fired, but I was told that I was in jeopardy of being fired. I was not told what I could do to change the situation. Ever since that discussion, I have felt sick and depressed; and as time goes by and no other discussion is happening, I feel more and more angry. I have heard you talk about a "covenant for safety" and the importance of trust in our work. When those in management are in control of all the information and have all the power and can fire us without discussion or support, how can we trust them? ANSWER

September 2003 There is no way that I can get through to my son's school staff that he wants to be in regular classes. He has mental health challenges. He's constantly being sent home because of behavioral issues. He can't seem to manage even in a special education classroom. He tells me that the other children tease and hit him first. I believe my son, but I am also sure that no one else does. Over the last couple of years, I have been called to his school so many times that I am on the verge of giving up. I don't know if I can hold onto my son. ANSWER

August 2003 My family has been going through a series of difficult events recently. My husband lost his job, and we had to move home to live with my parents. During that same time, my father-in-law became very ill and died, and my husband left to be with his mother for a while in another state. Our oldest child is in pre-kindergarten, and her teacher in her new school says that she is not able to make "lasting relationships" with her peers. At first, I was amused by her comment, but the teacher has been pressing me to get a psychological evaluation for my child. At home, she is the same lively interactive child she has always been and is adjusting well to life with her friends in our neighborhood. I feel like we are talking about two different children. I guess you should know that mental health issues run in our family. Do you think I should seek the help of a therapist as her teacher suggests? ANSWER

June/July 2003 After all our strategic planning meetings; our advisory and governance board meetings; the technical assistance we have brought into our system of care community; and the hours we spend each week away from our families mapping our strengths, challenges, and barriers, why aren't we seeing increased community-based services? I came into this work to help design and access better services for my family. We are in year four of our grant, and we still have to search for the right supports and services in our community. Where are they? ANSWER

February 2003 "I'm a family advocate working with families whose children have serious emotional and/or behavioral disorders. Sometimes, someone in our partnership or staff meeting will say something about a family member or a situation that I don't agree with, when they are not there. I want to say something, but I don't feel safe enough to speak up. After the meeting, I feel guilty and wish I had said something. I used to speak up all the time, but suddenly I'm afraid to risk it. Why am I feeling like this?"   ANSWER

Holiday 2002/2003 Where can I find resources for system of care work in Spanish? ANSWER

November 2002 Is the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program required to keep children in the community instead of placing them outside their homes into residential treatment centers, juvenile justice facilities, foster care, and inpatient hospitalization settings? What can we do if our children continue to be placed outside of our homes? ANSWER

October 2002 Our children with multiple disabilities have a difficult time getting and keeping a job. How can I best help my child be prepared for a quality of life that includes his being able to sustain work and move away from home? I worry that he won't be able to emancipate and hold down a job. ANSWER

August 2002 I'm a parent working in the system of care and must say that I don't see the stigma and discrimination we talk about lessening in our daily work. Sometimes we can contribute as families and it feels great. Sometimes I wish I hadn't opened my mouth. And sometimes I don't because I don't trust what will happen to my child. It's hard for me to keep my passion for this work. ANSWER

July 2002There was not a frequently asked question for the month of July. Carolyn was doing other writing and will return shortly

June 2002 How can I get a copy of a Memorandum of Understanding for our grant community? We don't want to reinvent the wheel if we can help it. ANSWER

May 2002  My position in our community is that of Family Advocate. Several family members [parents with children who have serious emotional disturbance (SED)] have the same position as I do, but we all work in different locales. Our grant community also employs Family Service Coordinators. This is a 'professional' position in our community, but the people in these positions don't have to have a degree, and they also are not parents of children with SED. ANSWER  

April 2002 I am a family member. I would like to be an advocate for families like my own. What sets a great advocate apart from the rest? ANSWER 

March 2002 How can I keep my status as my child's mother while he is placed in a residential treatment setting? I'm afraid my relationship with him will be damaged even more than it already is and he will not understand how much I love and want to protect him? ANSWER 

February 2002 What can systems and child-serving agencies do to foster family empowerment?  ANSWER

January 2002 If the services in the system of care are supposed to be family-driven, why can't I get what I need for my child and family? ANSWER