The Arkansas Family Voice for Children's Mental Health

JOIN US ON THE ROAD TO FAMILY DRIVEN CARE

The Arkansas Federation of Families for Children's Mental health (has received funding to develop activities which include outreach, coordination and collaboration and training for sustaining a statewide network of families/caregivers and advocacy groups supporting children and young adults with diagnoses of serious emotional disturbance (SED), serious mental illness (SMI) and children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN).  We also will develop a youth leadership group representative of these populations with skills to assist policy makers in shaping a youth guided component to our evolving system of care.

Our goals are to create strong relationships between diverse families around a common data reporting system in development through our System of Care; to increase leadership and business skills to develop sustainable support activities at a local level; to develop mechanisms to business skills to develop sustainable support activities at a local level; to develop mechanisms to collect input on needs and the impact of services from these families and to share that information with policy makers who shape these systems; and to create and sustain youth information with policy makers who who shape these systems,; and to create and sustain youth leadership to guide system change.

We propose to have a minimum of 100 (one hundred) family service encounters per year entered into the data system once it is completed; to develop a minimum of 10 (ten) youth leaders per year; to train a minimum of 60 parent and professionals to become collaborative change agents; and to offer 90% of the identified family/caregiver leaders in leadership skills and business skills for sustainability of the network beyond the 3 years of the funded project.

We are inviting family members, family group leaders, youth, providers and other interested partners to join us in implementation planning and organizing which will begin with training on October 19th, 2009 in Little Rock (time and location to be determined).  The event will be repeated in locations outside central Arkansas later in October and November.  If you would like an event in your local community please contact us.

Billie Denney, Searcy

    James Wilson, Searcy       (Y)

Glenn Phillips, Little Rock (Y)

Adrian Avery, Little Rock   (Y)

Alexis Horton, Little Rock  (Y)

Johnnie Branch, Little Rock

    Clay Lewis, Jonesboro       (Y)

Kelly Richter, Jacksonville

Melody Gaylor, Hot Springs

Angela Roberson, El Dorado

Octavia Bright Webb, Osceola

Nekiel Jackson, Marianna

Eartic Kendall, Helena

Diane Chachere, Little Rock (A)

Ruth Eyres, Sherwood

(Y) = Youth Member

(A) = Associate Member