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The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) http://www.fape.org/ The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) project is a strong partnership that aims to improve educational outcomes for children with disabilities. FAPE links families, advocates, and self-advocates in an effort to communicate the new focus of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The project represents the needs of 6 million children with disabilities. *** The Campaign for Mental Health Reform http://www.mhreform.org/index.html “ The Campaign for Mental Health Reform is a national partnership of organizations representing millions of people with mental or emotional disorders, their families, service providers, administrators, and other concerned Americans”. The Campaign’s website provides information about how families can organize and take action as an emergency response to mental health needs of children and families. *** Keeping Families Together Act Re-Introduced http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/2005/2-15-05kfta.htm The Keeping Families Together Act (s. 380/H.R. 823) was reintroduced to Congress early in 2005. Parents who have children with mental illnesses are often forced to give up custody in order to secure treatment for these children. The Keeping Families Together Act would put an end to this practice. It would allow children with mental illnesses who are in need of services to remain at home with their families and in their communities. *** The Alliance for the Safe, Therapeutic and Appropriate use of Residential Treatment (A START) http://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu/projects/ASTART.htm A START is an alliance of individuals involved in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, mental health law and family advocacy that seeks to promote safe and effective community-based care options for children and their families. In addition, A START promotes the use of properly licensed, monitored, and accredited residential programs to serve children with mental health needs. A START seeks to provide children and their families with accurate information regarding residential treatment programs so that together parents and children can make the best choice. The A Start Web site includes additional information about the organization, letters to congress, and fact sheets for parents considering Residential Placement. *** Successful Program Development in Family Organizations This presentation was given by Lisa Conlan at the recent 17 th Annual Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Conference. The presentation provides information about program development in family organizations, including social marketing strategies, delivery methods, and program evaluation. The presentation also shares models of individualized support and advocacy programs. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation in PDF Format Lisa also presented on this topic June 2005, as part of the TA Partnership -sponsored web-based learning opportunity (Webinar), “Individual Support and Advocacy.” The TA Partnership’s Webinar technology incorporates the use of the telephone (for the audio portion of the live event) and the Internet (for viewing the PowerPoint presentation on-line in real-time). To view a replay of the Webinar, visit http://tapartnership.org/learning_opp/replay.asp and follow the directions.
Evidence-Based Practices Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are gaining importance as a key approach in mental health services for children and families. In simple terms, evidence-based practices are service delivery programs and tactics that have been tested through a scientific process and have been found effective in helping children and families. United Advocates for Children of California (UACC) supports the expansion and increased use of EBPs in children’s mental health services in an effort to provide families with programs that have been proven to be successful. With the promise of proven programs comes the responsibility to make them available to and appropriate for all children who need them. While the current set of EBPs is helpful in the treatment of children experiencing mental and emotional difficulties, it cannot yet address the full range of needs. UACC is calling on family organizations to join the EBP movement as a key voice of, and for, families to ensure that all children who need mental health services can gain access to and benefit from proven programs. Read the policy paper published by The United Advocates for Children of California (UACC) entitled Children’s Mental Health and Evidence-Based Practices: Prelimary Thoughts and Issues. Please read this policy paper and UACC’s new monograph on Evidence-Based Practices. http://www.uacc4families.org/resource/mh/UACC_EBP_Policy.pdf This site includes helpful and quick definitions of the different terms used to describe EBP, UACC Family Values, questions that families can ask, and helpful links. http://www.uacc4families.org/resource/mh/ebp.cfm The Roles of Family Organization in the Evidence-Based Practices Movement http://www.uacc4families.org/resource/mh/EBP_Monograph_UACC.pdf *** Practice-Based Evidence: Building Effectiveness from the Ground Up This project, conducted by the Research & Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health of Portland State University, attempts to increase the knowledge about research methods that are appropriate for the evaluation of practice effectiveness for culturally specific and community-embedded services. The project is designed to expand the array of evidence-based practices through a participatory “ground up” process. It is designed to develop and test approaches to describing, documenting, and evaluating practices that are highly valued and thought to promote wellness in children, youth, and families, but for which empirical evidence is largely lacking. To read an overview of the project, visit: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgProjPractice.php#latest *** Strengthening America’s Families— Effective Family Programs for Prevention of Delinquency The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), is pleased to provide the results of the 1999 search for "best practice" family strengthening programs. At this Web site, you will find summaries of family-focused programs that have been proven to be effective. In addition, the site allows you to easily search for model family strengthening programs by program type (exemplary program, model program, or promising program) and program matrix (universal, selected, or indicated populations). The Web site also provides explanations of the resources’ rating criteria, matrix classification, and program type. In addition, you can use this Web site to explore helpful links and OJJDP Bulletins. Additional information as well as direct links to individual program Web sites can be found on the Strengthening America's Families site at www.strengtheningfamilies.org. To view this Web site, visit: http://www.strengtheningfamilies.org/ *** The Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health, sponsored by The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI), is a free, easy-to-use Web site that puts national, state, and regional survey findings right at your fingertips! Featured searches include the National Survey of Children’s Health (NCSH) 2003 and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) 2001. You will find interactive data search tools, personalized technical help by e-mail or telephone, and information and examples to help you use data more effectively. http://www.childhealthdata.org/DesktopDefault.aspx *** Data Trends: “The Experience of Parents of Young People with Mental Health Problems” As part of their participation in the Learning Community Partnership, the Research and Training Center at Portland State University collaborates with the Research and Training Center at the University of South Florida to produce Data Trends. Data Trends are a series of one-page briefs that address current themes, summarize recent literature, or present new developments in the field of children's mental health; multiple Data Trends are available from 2000-2005. The featured article, “The Experiences of Parents of Young People with Mental Health Problems,” presents findings from an interview study designed to investigate the experiences of parents of teenagers with mental health problems. Analysis of the interview data revealed a process of “parental deskilling” and “parental re-skilling” in response to relations with service providers and the role changes experienced by parents. To view this Data Trend, visit: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/phpCountDTPDF.php To view additional Data Trends, visit: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgDataTrends.shtml *** “What Families Should Know about Adolescent Depression and Treatment Options” Brochure This 20-page brochure, distributed by The Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness, discusses causes and symptoms of adolescent depression. It presents a variety of treatment options including explanations, effectiveness, and cautions about various therapies and medications, or the option of no treatment. The brochure also answers frequently asked questions by many families dealing with adolescent depression. In addition, the brochure includes organizations and resources to help families. To view a downloadable version of the brochure, visit: http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/Family_Guide_final.pdf Printed copies may be requested by e-mailing Patricia Braun at patriciab@nami.org. Copies are free for 1-9 copies, and 10+ copies require shipping and handling costs to be covered.
NEW NON-PROFIT DEVELOPMENT TOOLS Fiscal Sponsorship Fiscal sponsorship is needed to form family-run organizations that are taking steps towards becoming independent and sustainable in systems of care. It is important to understand what this relationship means between the fiscal sponsor agency and the developing family-run organization. The resources below will provide a better understanding of these relationships and an example of a fiscal sponsorship agreement. Developing family-run organizations are encouraged to investigate available fiscal sponsors in their system of care communities, to understand the advantages and disadvantages of entering into a business relationship with a fiscal sponsor, and to the have a written agreement between both parties. To obtain more information on fiscal sponsors, visit: http://www.ctaconline.org/fiscal.asp Click here to view a sample of a fiscal agreement *** Becoming a 501c3 Family-Run Non-Profit Organization: Filing with the IRS Many of the family leaders across the country are working on developing their family organization into a non-profit organization. Once your organization has a name, has filed articles of incorporation and approved by-laws, the next step is to apply for tax exemption status with the IRS. Below are the new 1023 application form and instructions needed to complete this process. Please feel free to contact the Family Resource Specialist for technical assistance to complete the application process. Click here to view the 1023 application form and instructions *** SYSTEM OF CARE GOVERANCE COMMUNICATION TOOL Communication Guidelines forParticipants in the Oklahoma System of Care Initiative All system of care partners, despite their roles as parents, youth, or professionals, need to develop effective communication between participants to further enhance their relationships, build trust, and enable a common vision to be reached for their system of care. The Oklahoma System of Care State Team has developed these communication guidelines to support their ability to work together. Click here to view this resource
Program Planning and Management This Web site offers information on various aspects of program planning and management. Topics discussed include feasibility studies, for-profit program planning and management, nonprofit program design and marketing, and program evaluation. To view this resource, visit: http://www.mapnp.org/library/prog_mng/prog_mng.htm *** Community Support Skills Standard (CSSS) Project This Web site notes that the need for national skill standards has arisen due to recent changes in the human services field and in the US work place in general. This Web site provides information on how to begin to think about developing workplace competencies. It explains why the CSSS project was funded and what the project plans to accomplish. To view this resource, visit: http://www.hsri.org/ddworkforce/csss/aboutcsss.html *** The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) is comprised of organizations representing various human services that work to improve the level of human services support by strengthening human services direct support workers. The Alliance focuses on issues that commonly affect the quality of human services provided, such as low wages for human services staff, high staff turnover, and limited staff training. This Web site provides many tools and resources to address these issues. To view this resource, visit: http://www.nadsp.org/index.html *** Staff Recruitment, Retention, and Training Strategies for Community Human Services Organizations This book provides guidelines for managers of human services organizations on three of the most important issues facing the human services field. Some of the topics discussed include how to effectively support staff, the use of mentoring programs as a way to enhance staff skills, and how to develop successful teams. To learn more about how to purchase this book, visit: http://rtc.umn.edu/pdf/brooksflier.pdf *** Research and Training Center on Community Living This Research and Training Center on Community Living Web site provides periodicals, guides, reports, curricula, Web site links, tools, and case studies of interest to human services organizations. To learn more about the resources offered on this Web site, visit: http://rtc.umn.edu/pub/ *** Family-Friendly Workplace This Web site provides introductory information on what it means for a workplace to be family-friendly. Four components essential to creating a family-friendly work environment are discussed, including benefits, programs, and policies; workplace culture and climate; workplace relationships; and work systems, processes, and practices. To learn more about family-friendly work environments, visit: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/wfnetwork/rft/wfpedia/wfpFFWent.html *** Starting and Implementing Peer Support Groups These handouts from the Vermont Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health provide excellent information on various aspects of peer support groups for families. The handouts discuss how to start a peer support group, how to prepare for a support group meeting, and a facilitator's guide for support groups. Click here to view this resource in its entirety
Tips for Developing Sustainable Family-Run Organizations The Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health has created a tip sheet with suggestions for developing sustainable family-run organizations. Topics discussed include the developmental process, building relationships, cultural competence and diversity, independence and autonomy, communication networks, running a business, and funding and accountability. Click here to view this resource *** Family Organization Sustainability Worksheets This tool was developed by Lisa Conlan, Co-Family Resource Specialist at the Technical Assistance Partnership, by reviewing experiences with family organizations, Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health Tips for Success, past presentations, the workbook Building Sustainable Non-Profits the Waterloo Region Experience, Centre for Research and Education in Human Services & Social Planning Council of Cambridge and North Dumfries, and other non-profit sustainability resources. Click here to view this resource *** Evaluating for Sustainability: Eight Steps to Success Evaluation is undoubtedly linked to sustainability. This article, which is a part of The Sustainable Nonprofit column, details the steps a non-profit organization should take to successfully create and implement a comprehensive evaluation system. To view this resource, visit: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/tsn/index.jhtml *** Building Sustainable Non-Profits: The Waterloo Experience This manual on sustainability is intended to be of use to all types of non-profit organizations. It discusses the topics of relationships and partnerships, organizational culture, planning and leadership, and organizational relevance. To view this resource, visit: http://www.crehs.on.ca/downloads/sustainability%20manual.pdf *** What's Next for the State We're In? This article, taken from the Fall 2003 issue of Giving Forum, focuses on the following question: What can nonprofits and grantmakers do to effectively ensure that Minnesota continues to maintain and strengthen the health and vitality of its citizens and communities? The article provides the responses of six different representatives from nonprofit organizations within the state of Minnesota. To view this resource, visit: http://www.mcf.org/mcf/forum/whatsnext.htm *** The Dynamics of Funding: Considering Reliability and Autonomy This article, taken from The Nonprofit Quarterly, discusses the inter-dependent relationship between a nonprofit organization's autonomy in decision-making and the reliability of its funding sources. The “Reliability-Autonomy Matrix” is described, along with a set of strategies and skills useful for organizations with low reliability and low autonomy. To view this resource, visit: http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/section/332.html *** Fund-Raising Forum Library This website provides links to a number of short articles on fund-raising for non-profit organizations. Some topics discussed include non-profit fund-raising myths, how to organize a grassroots fund-raising effort, and how to recruit a volunteer fund-raising team, among others. To view this resource, visit: http://www.raise-funds.com/library.html *** Successful Grant Writing Strategies This guide provides basic information related to writing winning proposals. It describes how you should prepare to write a proposal, what kind of sections to include in a proposal, and general writing and formatting tips. To view this resource, visit: http://education.ti.com/us/resources/grants/grantstrategies.html *** Nonprofit Sustainability: Mission Possible! This article in dialogue, a newsletter published by the Association for Volunteer Administration, discusses the importance of recognizing the link between fund development and volunteering as it relates to nonprofit sustainability. To view this resource, visit: http://www.sustainabilityonline.com/HTML/PDFs/LindaAVA.pdf *** Overview of Nonprofit Fundraising Sources and Approaches This website offers information on guiding principle for fundraising, the most common funding sources and their advantages and disadvantages, and information for small nonprofits. To view this resource, visit: http://www.mapnp.org/library/fndrsng/np_raise/fndraise.htm
More Information and Resources on “Grassroots” Organizing “Transforming Schools Through Community Organizing: A Research Review” The Harvard Family Research Project presents information on community organization for school reform, describing the goals, characteristics, and methods of community organization. This paper also presents ways in which parents and families can be engaged to participate in school reform, outlining ways to tap parent's strengths and develop parental leadership. To view this resource, visit: *** COMM-ORG: The Online Conference on Community Organizing and Development COMM-ORG is a multi-media website dedicated to helping create a network of people who share an interest in community organizing. COMM-ORG includes a moderated e-mail discussion list, a collection of original writings and papers, syllabi and teaching resources, and many other tools to help you to learn, teach, and implement community organizing. COMM-ORG is now sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at the University of Toledo . To view this resource, visit: *** “Community Organizing: People Power from the Grassroots ” This resource from the University of Toledo contains an outline of the principles, definitions, and strategies of community organizing. Authors Dave Beckwith and Cristina Lopez also lay out guidelines for forming an action strategy, including essential “dos” and “don'ts” for formulating a successful and practical plan. To view this resource, visit: *** “Dynamics of Organizing” The National Training and Information Center presents this brief by Shel Trapp, a well-known organizer who has worked in the field of community organization for over 15 years. In this paper, Mr. Trapp puts forth guidelines on how to systematically analyze the “power dynamics” of a community situation, and how to use that analysis to create a pro-active and effective community organization. To view this resource, visit: *** “The Citizen's Handbook: A Guide to Building Community” “As far as we know, this is the best quick guide to community organizing on the web,” states the Vancouver Citizen's Committee, whose site hosts the Citizen's Handbook. This resource contains an easy-to-use topic listing that leads the reader from the basic principles and strategies of community organizing, through community-building activities, and finally to links to full text articles, case studies, and other resources on community organization. To view this resources, visit: *** The Midwest Academy : Training that Works For Citizen Organizations If you're interested in workshops and training sessions on community organization, you might want to take a look at what The Midwest Academy has to offer. The Academy conducts five day training sessions for community group leaders and staff, and offers on-site training as well. Their website includes information on their course, sample agendas, manuals for community organization and community meetings, news updates, and job openings. To view this resources, visit: *** “Organizing for Social Change: The Midwest Manual for Activists” The Midwest Academy presents its guidelines for creating and sustaining community organizations in this new manual. Topics covered include building coalitions, using the media, working with religious organizations, public speaking, online research, grassroots fundraising, and administrative systems. Information for ordering the manual is included on the following site: http://www.midwestacademy.com/Book/page3.html
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