| What does the local Federation of Families do and how can it help my family and community? |
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Nationally and locally, the Federation promotes programs and activities for parents and youth that provide support, advocacy and education. These supports are specific to the needs of families and are as individual as the communities of the US.
The activities primarily are support groups that offer emotional support and information to families, opportunities to break through isolation barriers that families may experience, assisting with transition issues that children with mental health needs often experience. They may serve as a catalyst for advocacy work to navigate local school systems, e.g. mentoring families at IEPs (Individual Education Plans) for special education, and other related meetings, and they may be recreational types groups.
The Federation constitutes many parts of evaluating data of the Systems of Care grantee communities. The Federation also trains on new and developing best practices for Family Involvement, philosophies and methodologies in mental health systems. Since the awarding of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Grants (SAMHSA) through the Child and Adolescents branch, many chapters even offer employment! The local Federation chapter in Hillsborough County, FL does many of these things.
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