On January 31, Families as Allies had our first quarterly “Families as Allies Live,” which we streamed on YouTube and Facebook. The staff of Families as Allies met to discuss what’s been going on the past few months and what’s coming up for Families in Mississippi.
Executive Director Joy Hogge launched the call, recounting highlights of the Community Partnership Celebration award winners, whom we’ve written about in a separate post.
Next up was Nikki Flippins, who talked about the standing events that Families as Allies offers each month:
- Drop-in Family Support Time on the first Thursday,
- Supportive Coaching for Parents Supporting Other Parents on the second Wednesday,
- Bring Your IEP and Other School Questions on the third Thursday, and
- Leadership Coaching and Policy Discussion each fourth Wednesday.
Director of Family-Driven Practice Henry Moore is also the Hinds County MAP Team Coordinator. He spoke during Families as Allies Live to let parents and caregivers know that if they have a child who has to leave home and stay overnight (or longer) at any facility or institution, they can call Henry as that child is getting out of the facility to put together a plan for their reintroduction to the community.
He also spoke directly to mental healthcare providers who work with the families of children or youth to encourage those professionals to let parents and caregivers know that the MAP Team is available to help the child when they leave that institution.
Family Partner Coreaner Price encouraged viewers to get involved with MAP Teams and Families as Aliies, particularly parents supporting other parents. She noted that the Families as Allies team is also available to help you understand more about your rights to Medicaid and to re-qualify for Medicaid benefits if you’ve lost them recently.
Office Manager Jacquelynn Taylor joined the call to encourage viewers to apply to be parent-peer support specialists, pointing you to the Families as Allies Resources page for the application and detailing the one-week training required to be certified as a parent-peer support specialist.
Joy wrapped up the meeting with a summary of critical items that Families as Allies is watching and participating in at the policy level. That work ranges from informing you of important community and system-level meetings to ensuring those policymakers and governmental bodies welcome participation and input from the families involved and affected by policy decisions. With the Legislative session in full swing, Joy noted that essential issues of law and policy are under consideration right now and that we welcome you to learn more about those decisions and be a part of making sure they’re taking into account your family’s needs.
Families as Allies Live happens every time there’s a fifth Wednesday in a month. The next one is May 29, 2024. Watch our YouTube and Facebook channels for details. Thanks!
