Hello National Federation Members,

This is the first on what will be regular updates from the Executive Director of the National Federation. I just can’t believe its August already. I am busy preparing to take my youngest daughter off to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tar Heels!). She was just a few months old when I started this work.   

We are preparing for the 23^rd National Federation Annual Conference, November 14-18, 1012 in Washington DC. The conference theme is Sustaining and Expanding Excellence in Children’s Mental Health Services and Supports and Services. I am excited about our list of Keynote speakers this year.  We will open the conference with two great presentations. The opening speaker will be Elizabeth Smart. The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002 and her captors had controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003 after being held prisoner for 9 months. Through this traumatic experience Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and national legislation.

By November 15, the 2012 presidential election will be over. We will know who our Commander in Chief will be for the next four years. Pamela Hyde, Administrator of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will also speak on the first day and cover SAMHSA’s direction after the election and her commitment to serving and supporting children, youth and families.

The National office and Board of Directors are working on year one of our three-year strategic plan. We are focusing on four major areas:

Policy and Advocacy - The goal of the National Federation is to implement a well- defined national policy agenda in the areas of behavioral and mental health inclusion and reflective of the National Federation’s state and local chapters’ interest and concerns.

• Action 1: Develop a policy agenda that addresses the current political atmosphere including, but not limited to Health Care Reform, SAMHSA Funding, children’s mental health funding  and any legislation that impacts children’s mental health
• Action 2: Produce public information that is of high quality to be used by policy makers, our chapters and other decisions makers

Organizational Development - To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Federation through improved processes, systems and structures

• Action 1: Enhance the National Federation’s Branding. This action has multiple steps that will improve the visibility and viability of the national office and all of our chapters
• Action 2: Enhance the National Federation Board Development.
  • This task is accomplished. We have expanded the Board committees to include Executive Directors for Federation Chapters and so far have five (5) Executive Directors from across the country actively involved on Board committees
  • We have developed a Board member recruitment process to add more members to our Board.  We currently have four openings on the board.  We invite you to send any nominations to our Board vice-president by June 29^th. We are especially looking for Board members with fundraising experience. 
• Action 3: Create additional national partnerships
  • Identify like-minded mission driven organizations
  • Create a networking plan
  • Increase corporate and partner membership by 10%  each year
• Action 4: Enhance our website. This is well underway. Please check out our progress
  • Get feedback on web site (Thanks for the feedback so far)
  • Create a “members only” portal to support chapters and members

Sustainability - To affirm and expand the scope of the national family movement and identify and capitalize on the diverse opportunities to more fully realize the National Federation’s vision and support it’s long term mission 

• Action 1: Develop a strategic business plan and development plan, including infrastructure, finance and personnel goals
• Action 2: Increase corporate and donor support to support the national organization as well as our chapters

State Organizations and Chapter Development - To develop and sustain a structure for active communication and technical assistance among the National Federation and it state organizations and local chapters

• Action 1: Develop standards for state wide organizations and local chapters by improving the application process, creating an annual report to include the work of chapters and creating a stronger partnership agreement
• Action 2: Enhance chapter outreach and communication to get information on the needs of chapters and provide technical assistance and support

Lastly, The National Parent Support Provider Certification testing process is now up and running. The pilot test is complete and the passing score has been set. Anyone one who has experience parenting a child with emotional, behavioral (including substance abuse) or mental health challenges and who has had training in helping other parents understand children’s mental health is encouraged to apply.  There are many benefits to becoming a Nationally Certified Parent Support Partner. These positions will:

• Build credibility of a Parent Support Provider
• Create mobility of certification across states
• Define uniform standards and titles
• Promote ethical practice
• Prove employment opportunity

Sign up now. Visit the certification section of the web site. [1]

Well that’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sandra Spencer