ARKANSAS FEDERATION OF FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH
Arkansas Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (AFFCMH) was
organized in 1995 by Jane Burgan, a parent and longtime advocate for improving
services to families and friends of children with special needs. Once organized
an affiliation with the National Federation Organization was established. Jane
and the original board members recognized that the system serving children and
youth with special needs was fragmented and broken. They dedicated themselves to
training, informing and supporting families to become effective advocates for
themselves and their children. They worked with providers and agency
professionals to bridge the gaps to achieving effective service delivery for the
families who sought their services.
The AFFCMH approach to
empowerment helped families and caregivers become effective self-advocates using
the following steps: ·
* Believe in yourself
* Discuss your concerns
* Get informed
* Be assertive and persistent
* Realize you have rights
* Ask for help
* Use communication skills
A number of local support groups
and local advocates were developed across the state of Arkansas. Annual training
meetings were held and individual support for families who called for help was
provided.
The organization lost its funding
base in 2001, but continued assisting families on a person to person voluntary
basis, until 2002.
In 2006, through funding from the System
of Care cooperative agreement awarded to the State of Arkansas by SAMHSA
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) the AFFCMH was
revitalized. This coincided with efforts at the State level to implement System
of Care as the policy for the State of Arkansas.
In the summer of 2006,
Arkansas began its journey to develop a better system of care for children by
assembling a group of stakeholders and charged them with the task of
identifying the solutions. The AFFCMH engaged in this process with this group of
stakeholders. The first priority of this group was to insure that parents and
families were engaged in the process. First Lady Ginger Beebe led a listening
tour throughout the state to gain insights from the experience of
parents.
AFFCMH's executive director and other federation members acted as facilitators
on the listening tour.
One of the primary issues raised on the listening
tour was the lack of family support. Parents repeatedly stated "I
wish someone would have told me about this earlier". Almost every
parent mentioned struggles with finding information, locating
providers/resources and lacking knowledge about the supports available to them
and their rights concerning the service. Parents also talked about the need for
respite care or help in caring for their child. It is clear that parents are
searching for a parent driven support and information
network.
The AFFCMH has responded by creating or supporting
support groups in a number of counties. The AFFCMH has created a respite voucher
program and is working to expand the availability of respite to families across
the state of Arkansas. The AFFCMH continues to be engaged in a leadership role
in the development and implementation of System of Care within the state of
Arkansas.
organized in 1995 by Jane Burgan, a parent and longtime advocate for improving
services to families and friends of children with special needs. Once organized
an affiliation with the National Federation Organization was established. Jane
and the original board members recognized that the system serving children and
youth with special needs was fragmented and broken. They dedicated themselves to
training, informing and supporting families to become effective advocates for
themselves and their children. They worked with providers and agency
professionals to bridge the gaps to achieving effective service delivery for the
families who sought their services.
The AFFCMH approach to
empowerment helped families and caregivers become effective self-advocates using
the following steps: ·
* Believe in yourself
* Discuss your concerns
* Get informed
* Be assertive and persistent
* Realize you have rights
* Ask for help
* Use communication skills
A number of local support groups
and local advocates were developed across the state of Arkansas. Annual training
meetings were held and individual support for families who called for help was
provided.
The organization lost its funding
base in 2001, but continued assisting families on a person to person voluntary
basis, until 2002.
In 2006, through funding from the System
of Care cooperative agreement awarded to the State of Arkansas by SAMHSA
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) the AFFCMH was
revitalized. This coincided with efforts at the State level to implement System
of Care as the policy for the State of Arkansas.
In the summer of 2006,
Arkansas began its journey to develop a better system of care for children by
assembling a group of stakeholders and charged them with the task of
identifying the solutions. The AFFCMH engaged in this process with this group of
stakeholders. The first priority of this group was to insure that parents and
families were engaged in the process. First Lady Ginger Beebe led a listening
tour throughout the state to gain insights from the experience of
parents.
AFFCMH's executive director and other federation members acted as facilitators
on the listening tour.
One of the primary issues raised on the listening
tour was the lack of family support. Parents repeatedly stated "I
wish someone would have told me about this earlier". Almost every
parent mentioned struggles with finding information, locating
providers/resources and lacking knowledge about the supports available to them
and their rights concerning the service. Parents also talked about the need for
respite care or help in caring for their child. It is clear that parents are
searching for a parent driven support and information
network.
The AFFCMH has responded by creating or supporting
support groups in a number of counties. The AFFCMH has created a respite voucher
program and is working to expand the availability of respite to families across
the state of Arkansas. The AFFCMH continues to be engaged in a leadership role
in the development and implementation of System of Care within the state of
Arkansas.