Family Support Resources The central tenet of Family Support is to uphold the value of every family’s unique set of strengths, circumstances, and needs. Family support describes the act of providing the family with whatever they need to help nurture and sustain the mental health and well being of their child(ren).
Advocacy Organizations for Children's Mental Health In addition to the organizations that provide general advocacy, leadership and training in family support for multiple concerns, there are many national and local organizations which specialize in serving families of children who share a specific disorder.
Educational Resources Positive school experiences for the child with an emotional, behavioral, or mental challenge, can be particularly difficult if not properly supported. Fortunately, there are many organizations at the federal, state and community level dedicated to helping families navigate through the maze of resources that serve children with special, educational needs, i.e. legal, curricular, and therapeutic.
Facts on Specific Disorders This link takes you to several informative online resources which cover a variety of specific mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, as well as, other related or co-occurring conditions. You will find the up-to-date facts you should know pertaining to children, teenagers, and families mental and emotional health.
Legal Advocacy Support & Resources Understanding laws, rights, and where to go for legal representation is important for families with children who have emotional, behavioral or mental challenges. Being informed about what is happening at different levels of government and knowing how to affect such policies can help families become an instrumental part in changing the laws that affect families with special mental health needs.
Anti-Stigmatization Resources Included are links to a variety of organizations working to reduce the stigmatization that has historically been associated with mental illness.
Evidence-Based Practice Listings There is increasing demand for programs that incorporate research-based evidence of effectiveness, of evidence-based practice (EBP). Links to information and tools regarding EBP are listed in this section.
Additional Resources Here we provide an additional list of advocacy, support, educational, and/or research organizations that you should be aware of as a family member, advocate, provider, educator or concerned individual.
Family Support Resources
The Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health can connect you with local Family Support Organizations that provide services to children, youth and families with emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. For locations, links, and/or the best practices in advocacy regarding research, prevention, early intervention, family support, education, transition services and other related support services, please visit the link above or call 1.703.684.7710.
Beach Center on Families & Disability is a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) devoted to research and training on policies affecting families who have children with disabilities. The Beach Center is funded in part by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the U.S. Department of Education. For a comprehensive overview of the Beach Center’s research and activities in family support please visit the above site.
Parent to Parent USA provide information and emotional support to parents who have a child or young adult with a disability, chronic illness, or other special health care need. The program connects two parents in a one-to-one relationship, one who has already been there and has since been trained and experienced supporting the parent who is seeking support.
Sibshops is a national program dedicated to the interests of brothers and sisters of people with special health and developmental needs. The projects primary goal is to increase the availability of peer support and education programs for brothers and sisters of people with special health and developmental needs. There are over 350 "sibshops" in the nation. For more information on these workshops, training materials and publications by and for youth visit their site above.
National Alliance for the Mentally ill (NAMI) has, since its inception in 1979, become the nation's leading grassroots self-help and family advocacy organization. They are solely dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder. NAMI has built its organization on four cornerstones: support, education, advocacy and research. With more than 200,000 members and 1,200 affiliates spread across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Canada, NAMI's members work to bring hope and progress to thousands of people with severe mental illnesses.
Advocacy Organizations for Children's Mental Health
National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) promotes awareness of the mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system and assists the field in developing improved policies and programs based on the best available research and practice. Their web site includes many excellent resources on addressing the mental health needs of youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
National Mental Health Association (NMHA) is an advocacy, education and support organization working to address the needs of people with mental health related needs and mental illnesess.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is a unique collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose mission is to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families across the United States. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and attention to cultural perspectives, the NCTSN serves as a national resource for developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed services, and public and professional education.
Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a nonprofit parent-based organization formed to better the lives of the individuals with attention deficit disorders and those who care for them. To find out more about CHADD visit the website above.
Attachment Disorder Network serves children and families affected by Attachment Disorder. This site will direct you to many links and resources including a bimonthly newsletter that features articles and ideas aimed primarily at the parents of children with Attachment Disorder.
National Alliance for the Mentally ill (NAMI) has, since its inception in 1979, become the nation's leading grassroots self-help and family advocacy organization. They are solely dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder. NAMI has built its organization on four cornerstones: support, education, advocacy and research. With more than 200,000 members and 1,200 affiliates spread across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Canada, NAMI's members work to bring hope and progress to thousands of people with severe mental illnesses.
ARCH National Resource Center/Respite Care One of the most critical demands in providing a family with the necessary support is giving caretakers time off or respite care. In addition to the benefits that respite care provides to the care providers, research demonstrates that the children involved also benefit from this service. This website provides you with information on how to obtain respite care in your area. Visit their website above or call: 1.800.773.5433 (1.800.7.RELIEF)
Educational Resources
The MCH Library is a virtual guide to maternal and child health (MCH) information. It offers a wide variety of electronic resources, including the MCH Alert, knowledge paths, databases, and other materials developed for professionals and families. The MCH Library is located at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) at Georgetown University.
The IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning. The web site includes many helpful resources for schools, families and advocates.
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law The Wrightslaw web site is designed for families, advocates, educators, and attorneys looking for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities, including those with mental illnesses.
PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) has a mission to improve and expand opportunities that enhance the quality of life for families with children or young adults with any disability – physical, mental, emotional, or learning. They have 25 programs assisting individuals with and without disabilities, and offer dozens of articles on disability-related issues in education, including parent training programs, programs for students and schools, and technical assistance to other parent centers regionally and nationally.
PACER programs help parents become informed and effective representatives for their children during early childhood, school age and vocational settings. Through knowledge of laws, resources and parents' rights and responsibilities, families are better equipped to work with agencies and obtain appropriate services for their sons and daughters. Most of PACER's staff and Board have children with disabilities. Visit their website or call: 1.888.248.0822 (U.S.) and for greater Minnesota: 1.800.53.PACER, or 1.612.827.2966 (Voice) or 1.612.827.7770 (TTY).
Technical Assistance (TA) Alliance for Parent Centers is the national coordinating office for parent centers across the country. These parent centers provide information and training to parents of children with disabilities under the Individual and Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Alliance website offers a national parent center directory, a news-line, updates on policy issues, a calendar of conferences, links to other sites, databases and a SSI (Supplemental Security Income) page.
Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) is a national, federally funded partnership linking families and advocates with current research and promising practices. Its focus is the implementation of the IDEA (Individual and Disabilities Education Act) amendments of 1997. This website offers a weekly newsline of hot topics, IDEA laws and regulations with related topics, significant case decisions, promising practices, juvenile justice issues, technical assistance experts, a conference calendar, self-advocate information, material on cultural diversity issues and translated materials.
ERIC EC (Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education) is one of the 16 federally funded clearinghouses contained within the ERIC system, a nation-wide information network sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Library of Education. ERIC EC gathers and disseminates professional literature, information, and resources on the education and development of people of all ages who have disabilities and/or are gifted.
IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning. The web site includes many helpful resources for schools, families and advocates.
The Wrightslaw web site is designed for families, advocates, educators, and attorneys looking for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities, including those with mental illnesses.
Disorders, Treatment, and Research News
National Alliance for the Mentally ill (NAMI) has, since its inception in 1979, become the nation's leading grassroots self-help and family advocacy organization. They are solely dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder. NAMI has built its organization on four cornerstones: support, education, advocacy and research. With more than 200,000 members and 1,200 affiliates spread across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Canada, NAMI's members work to bring hope and progress to thousands of people with severe mental illnesses.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is a unique collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose mission is to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families across the United States. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and attention to cultural perspectives, the NCTSN serves as a national resource for developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed services, and public and professional education.
National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
NMHA is an advocacy, education and support organization working to address the needs of people with mental health related needs and mental illnesess.
The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry provides information on a variety of mental, emotional and behavioral disabilities and disorders. In addition to English, they have translations in Spanish, German and French. Please see their website for a more comprehensive list of free publications on learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, pervasive and developmental disabilities, and mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. Great Site!
The National Dissemination Center For Children & Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) is a national information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and related issues for families, educators and professionals. Their special focus is on children from birth to age 22. NICHCY is one of four clearinghouses established by Congress to provide information on disabilities. Their services and materials are provided free of charge. Visit the above website or call 1.800.695.0285 (Voz/TTY) or 1.202.884.8200 (Voz/TTY).
The National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. (NORD) has a complete range of services available on their website. This includes a complete keyword-searchable version of the Rare Disease Database that contains abstracts of all disease reports and may be obtained free of charge.
The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is part of the Knowledge Exchange Network and provides information on CMHS programs and funding, consumer/survivor information, a searchable database, a catalog, and a list of all their publications. They also have important links to information on school violence prevention, the Surgeon General’s Report on mental health and the anti-stigma initiative.
Legal Advocacy Resources
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is a national organization of protection and advocacy and client assistance programs for children and adults with disabilities. These programs provide legally based advocacy services for people with disabilities, including mental illnesses, in the United States.
American Bar Association (ABA) Center on Children and The Law publishes information on legal issues relating to children. They offer full-service technical assistance, training, and research programs addressing a broad spectrum of law and court-related topics affecting children.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the nation’s leading legal advocacy organization representing low-income adults and children with disabilities. They work to ensure "their full integration into the community by protecting their rights to choice and dignity and expanding their access to health and mental health care, housing, employment and income-support." The center publishes materials that interpret major federal laws and regulations. Bazelon staff attorneys provide technical assistance to lawyers, protection and advocacy agencies, and other advocates for low-income families and individuals. Visit their site or Email: HN1660@handsnet.org.
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) was founded by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. It is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities. They accomplish this through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and the education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities. They also offer referrals by phone at 1.800.466.4232
The Office of Civil Rights enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, sex, disability, and on the basis of age. These laws extend to all state education agencies, schools and school systems, colleges and universities, rehabilitation agencies, libraries, and museums that receive U.S. Department of Education funds. OCR also has responsibilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (prohibiting disability discrimination by public entities, whether or not they receive federal financial assistance). Visit the website or call 1-800-421-3481.
Anti-Stigmatization Resources
The Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma(ADS Center) is a program of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It serves as a centralized resource in collecting and providing information for addressing discrimination and stigma associated with mental illness.
Breaking the Silence offers lesson plans, games, and posters for presenting anti-stigma lessons in schools.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, the professional body for all psychiatrists working in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, has public education as one if its main objectives. The organization ran a five year campaign from 1998 to 2003 to "increase public and professional understanding of mental health problems and to reduce stigma and discrimination." The Changing Minds website offers a ToolKit of resources for continuing efforts to change people's minds about mental illness. The resources include publications, videos, survey data, and Internet links to additional information.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has created a resource for communities interested in launching their own anti-stigmatization campaigns. “Developing a Stigma Reduction Initiative” suggests strategies for reducing stigmatization through media campaigns, outreach to schools and businesses, marketing, partnership development, and other forms of grassroots organizing.
SAMHSA, in partnership with the Ad Council, is launching a national public service advertising campaign designed to decrease stigmatization of people with mental illness. The campaign highlights the critical role that friendship plays in recovery—especially among young people.
Press release: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/25953/
View the ads: http://www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov
Evidence-Based Practice Listings
Additional Resources
Child Welfare League of America CWLA is an association of more than 1,100 public and not-for-profit agencies devoted to improving life for more than 3.5 million at-risk children and youths and their families. Member agencies are involved with prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, and they provide various services in addition to child protection -- kinship care, family foster care, adoption, positive youth development programs, residential group care, child care, family-centered practice, and programs for pregnant and parenting teenagers. Other concerns of member agencies include managed care, mental health, chemical dependency, housing and homelessness, and HIV/AIDS. For all these areas, CWLA has program experts who consult, train and otherwise assist agencies to advance their practice.
Children’s Defense Fund
The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. They pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
The Gateway is a national resource for information on all aspects of adoption for professionals, policy makers, and the general public. Services include technical assistance to professionals and policy makers, a library collection, publications, databases on adoption resources, and information on Federal and State legislation. Services are generally provided free of charge; however some directory publications have a nominal charge to cover printing and shipping/handling charges.
Mental Health America is dedicated to promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders and achieving victory over mental illnesses through advocacy, education, research and service.
The National Center for Children in Poverty has a mission to identify and promote strategies that reduce the number of young children living in poverty in the United States, and that improve the life chances of the millions of children under age six who are growing up poor. The focus is on: 1) Defining the nature, scope, and impact of young child poverty; 2) Identifying and evaluating strategies to improve the lives of young children in poverty and to reduce the young child poverty rate; and 3) Communicating facts about young child poverty and promoting strategies to reduce the young child poverty rate and help children overcome the risks associated with poverty.
Duke University Services Effectiveness Research Program website describes ongoing projects in the area of mental health services research.The multidisciplinary program is concerned with etiology, course, prognosis, treatment and outcomes of psychiatric disorders and utilizes public-health approaches to examine the prevalence of mental illness and its treatment in communities. |
