Community Action Guide

Supporting Babies and Families Impacted by Caregiver Mental Health Problems, Substance Abuse, and Trauma: A Community Action Guide

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a publication that serves as a guide for service providers, advocates, and practitioners to use in their communities when dealing with children whose caregivers have been negatively impacted by mental illness, substance abuse or trauma.

The publication provides organizational resources, hotline contact information and screening tools and tips on how to evaluate your efforts.

This FREE, downloadable, resource is available online. To download, Click Here.

Parent Cafe- Cayuga County

ABC Cayuga, a community group in Cayuga County has put together an event to promote awareness of early childhood development issues. The event is FREE and open to all parents and primary caregivers of young children in Cayuga County.

RSVP ASAP: November 15th is the deadline. Please contact (315) 255-2746 to reserve your spot.

EVENT INFO: Sunday, November 18th, 4-6 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, 99 South St., Auburn, NY.

For more details please read the official press release below.

PRESS RELEASE:

First Parent Café Focus on Issues Parents and Kids Face in Cayuga County

Please Join us for food, fun and conversation about raising children in Cayuga County

AUBURN, NY – The first ever Parent Café in Cayuga County will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at the United Methodist Church, 99 South St., Auburn.

All Cayuga County parents and primary caregivers of young children are invited. The purpose of the Cafés is to make connections between parents and to explore issues parents face in raising healthy, happy kids in Cayuga County.

The event is made possible by a grant from New York State Parenting Education Partnership, and the New York State Office of Children and Families Services, Children and Family Trust Fund as well as support from the E John Gavras Center, Allyn Foundation, ABC Cayuga, and, most importantly, from a group of dedicated local parents who have come together voluntarily to form the Auburn Parent Café Planning Committee.

Dinner and child care will be provided, so it crucial for participants to RSVP so we can make sure we have enough food and staff on hand. Please RSVP to the E John Gavras Center at 255-2746 by Nov. 15. Other than the RSVP, the event is completely free and open to all.

The Planning Committee has devised a varied and fun agenda to facilitate conversation and new connections among parents. Four more Cafés will be planned, and this first one will be key as we identify topics for the subsequent sessions.

Webinar: The Fiscal Showdown and Children - What's At Stake?

WEBINAR
November 14, 2012 at 4:00 PM EST

CO-SPONSORED BY

• Children's Leadership Council
• Coalition on Human Needs 
• Voices for America's Children

The election is over. Now the Administration and Congress will start coming to grips with impending service cuts, Pentagon cuts, and tax increases.

If Congress does not act by the end of December, millions of long-term jobless people will lose unemployment benefits  If Congress fails to act for months to come, services children need will be cut deeply - from education to WIC to Head Start to child care to the EITC and the Child Tax Credit.

If Congress tries to spare pending Pentagon cuts, will it cut children's priorities more? Will it move towards cuts in Medicaid and SNAP/food stamps? Will another fight about the debt ceiling threaten vital services for children and families even more? Who will be protected - upper-income households or families struggling to make ends meet?

All of this matters a lot. If you care about children and families - you need to know what to expect and what you can do.

Top experts will speak plainly to help make sense of all this:

• Ellen Nissenbaum, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs
• Alan Houseman, Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy and Chair, Children’s Leadership Council
• Joe Theissen, Senior Vice President, Programs, Voices for America’s Children, Moderator

Click here to register today! All registrants will receive links to useful information.  Please share this invitation widely.

WEBINAR: Addressing Domestic Violence In Home Visitation Settings

Addressing Domestic Violence in Home Visitation Settings: Screening, Assessment, & Safety Planning

Monday, November 19th

2:00 - 3:30 PM EST

Who should attend? HRSA and MCHB Program officers and grantees, home visitation leadership and staff, Domestic Violence advocates, State Health Departments, and others interested in better addressing assessment, visitation benchmarks, and what they might mean for their work as well as the new resources available through the Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Overview: The new federal benchmarks for home visitation require that programs document screening and track referrals. Many home visitation programs are continuing to prioritize domestic violence screening, referral, and building partnerships with local domestic violence programs.

Home visitors have a unique opportunity to improve positive outcomes for their families by building partnerships and learning more about tools and assessment strategies for integrating screening for domestic violence. This webinar will assist home visitors in understanding how to screen, refer, and document these activities as part of routine programming.

Co-Hosted By: 

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Office of Women's Health
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF) - Family Violence Prevention & Services Program
• Futures Without Violence

Register Online:   http://bwjp.ilinc.com/register/zshwhmp

Primary Dial-In:     (888) 447-7153

Alternate Dial-In:   (719) 387-1138

Passcode:             469456

Questions? Vedalyn DeGuzman email: vdegusman@futureswithoutviolence.org

Hurricane Sandy: Supporting Children In Disasters

The following letter is from Chris Deyss, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse New York.

On behalf of the Prevent Child Abuse New York family, I send our heartfelt thoughts and well wishes to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and the recovery from this terrible storm will be swift. 

The aftermath of natural disasters can leave us all feeling scared, insecure, confused and stressed. This is especially true for children. It's important to talk to children after a disaster occurs and remember a child does not have to personally experience the trauma to be affected. They may have heard other adults discussing the event or watched something on TV.

FEMA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put together a guide for talking to children after a disaster. Children’s coping with disasters or emergencies is often tied to the way parents cope. They can detect adult’s fear and sadness. Parents can help children by taking steps to manage their own feelings and plans for coping. Remember, parents are almost always the best source of support for children in disasters. 

SUGGESTED TIPS:

• Don’t be afraid to admit that you can’t answer all questions.
• Be honest with kids and share age-appropriate information with them.
• Encourage your children to talk about their feelings. Reassure them the world is a good place, but sometimes bad things happen.
• Personal contact is reassuring. Hug and cuddle your children.
• Spend extra time with your children. An extended bedtime routine may be especially reassuring.
• Re-establish your daily routine for work, school, play, meals and rest. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine.
• Use this as an opportunity to establish a family emergency plan. Knowing what to do in an emergency can be very comforting to both children and adults.
• Monitor and limit exposure to the media; watch reports of the disaster with the children. Encourage communication and provide explanation at this time.
• Help children identify good things, such as heroic actions, grateful families, and the assistance offered by people throughout the country and the world.

Parents and professionals should be informed and ready to help if children show signs of stress. Stressed kids may demonstrate fears, sadness, or behavioral problems. Listed below are common signs a child is experiencing trauma.

Preschool Age (ages 1-5)
At this stage it’s hard for children to adjust to change. They have yet to develop their own coping skills. Some behaviors you might encounter are:

• Thumb sucking, bedwetting, and sleep problems.
• Fear of strangers, animals, darkness or “monsters”.
• Separation anxiety from places where they feel safe, their parents or teachers.
• Changes in appetite, unexplainable aches and pains.
• In some cases, disobedience, hyperactivity, and speech difficulties.

Early Childhood (ages 5-11)
Kids in early childhood may have the same reactions as younger children. They might find it hard to concentrate and may be intensely preoccupied with the traumatic event. Other signs include:

• Withdrawal from play groups and friends; clinging or neediness.
• Fear of going to school, aggressive behavior, and loss of interest in school.
• Fear of the disaster happening again, and anger that it wasn’t prevented. 

Adolescence (12-18)
As children grow older, they develop a more sophisticated understanding of the disaster event. Their responses may be more similar to adults.

• Risk-taking behaviors or withdrawal.
• Rebellious and/or disruptive behavior at home or school.
• Alcohol or drug use to cope with emotions.
• Feeling overwhelmed and unable to discuss their feelings with others. 

Hopefully these tips and resources can assist you in your time of need. You can always contact our Parent Helpline at 1-800-CHILDREN for additional information and resources. It is heartbreaking for us all to see the images of the tremendous losses experienced by our friends and neighbors up and down the East Coast. Our mission is to provide parents with the tools and support they may need in difficult times. We will continue to keep you and your loved ones in our thoughts.


Cordially,

Christine Deyss

Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse New York

Faith, Family and Fatherhood on BlogTalkRadio

Fathers Incorporated Announces

A BlogTalkRadio Event

"Faith, Family and Fatherhood" 

With Bestselling Author Rick Johnson

Hosted By Kenneth Braswell 

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

8:00 PM

How does Faith, Family, and Fatherhood inter-relate with both men and women? This session will discuss the impact of father absence and fatherlessness in the family structure.

Rick Johnson has authored several books including: 

• The Marriage of Your Dreams - A Woman’s Guide to Understanding Her Man [New!]
• Better Dads Stronger Sons
• That’s My Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character
• That’s My Girl: How a Father’s Love Protects and Empowers His Daughter
• That’s My Teenage Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Good Men
• The Power of a Man: Using Your Influence as a Man of Character

Rich Johnson founded Better Dads in 2001 to address an urgent need for empowering men to lead and serve their families and communities. Rick's life-changing insights for men and women on parenting, marriage, and personal growth have been transforming the lives of families for over a decade. 

To access Faith, Family and Fatherhood and for dial-in information to speak with host Kenneth Braswell, please visit www.blogtalkradio.com/theblackbar