Family Voices Indiana

Family Voices Indiana shares this opportunity to positively impact future social workers: We are seeking 11 families of children with all kinds of disabilities of any age who are willing to be interviewed by graduate social work students to share about their experiences raising a child with special health care needs or disabilities. Interviews will take place during the Spring Semester of 2019 (in February or March) at a mutually agreed upon location and time. The interview should take 60 to 90 minutes. We encourage the interview to be held in the family’s home if possible so the student can fully appreciate the family experience. Families will receive a $25.00 stipend for their participation.  Please RSVP your interest by January 16, 2019. Interested families should send the following to  sviehweg@iu.edu . Adult Name Child Name Child Age Child Diagnosis Phone number to reach adult Email to reach adult Address Best days and times to reach adult

November 30, 2018   Elisabeth Wright Burak ,  Maggie Clark Early childhood mental health is not as widely understood and does not look the same as mental health challenges for older children or adults. But there’s good news: effective, evidence-informed, and promising interventions that support infant and toddlers’ mental health are available.  That’s where Medicaid can help. Our latest paper,  Using Medicaid to Ensure the Healthy Social and Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers ,  underscores the critical role for Medicaid—which insures nearly half of all infants and young children—in preventing, diagnosing and treating infant and early childhood mental health disorders. It suggests ways states can ensure the youngest children and their families receive the support they need to ensure strong mental health. It builds on  our earlier report  on opportunities for young children in Medicaid, and looks more specifically at social-emotional development. Young children’s

Legislative action last year required the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to conduct a needs assessment of student support services and report the findings to the Indiana General Assembly. The report, which examines school system utilization of School Counselors, Social Workers, Nurses and Psychologists, has now been released by IDOE. While it suggests most schools have direct or indirect health and mental health services available to students, student access and the efficiency of services are highly variable. This report serves as a first step in an effort to improve the delivery of student support services across the state. You can find the report here:  https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/news/student-services-needs-assessment-report-dec-21.pdf

Parents’ guide to the transition of their adult child to college, career, and community  An online module from the HEATH Resource Center, now part of the National Youth Transitions Center.  http://heath.gwu.edu/parents-guide-transition Getting ready for when your teen reaches the age of majority: A parent’s guide   Age of majority  is the age when children legally become adults. In most states the age of majority is age 18. This tip sheet for parents discusses what’s important to consider in preparing and is part of a series of briefs that includes stand-alone tip sheets on getting ready for healthcare, for managing financial matters, and for independent living. There is also a   companion webinar .  /age-of-majority-parentguide/ Wondering what path your child will take after high school?  This brochure was created to help families understand the basics of transition planning, including its purpose, who is involved, and the process as a whole. You can edit it to fit your needs.

PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH Who? Parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (e.g., developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, specific learning disorder) What? Complete questionnaires about your perceptions and supports related to raising a child with a developmental disability. Why? We hope that this information will be used by providers to help support families with children with developmental disabilities. When? Before February 1, 2019. Participation will take about 10 minutes to complete. Where? Follow this link to a secure survey platform: https://is.gd/developmentfamilysurvey If you have any questions, please contact Jessica James, PhD, at jamesjs@iu.edu Dr. Jessica James is a psychology fellow participating in Riley Child Development Center’s Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program. This project will be used as part of this fellowship to provide information to Riley C

from National Family Voices: The New Congress The 116 th   Congress of the United States convened on January 3, 2019, and will exist for two years-divided into the first and second "sessions." It is the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in history, and the most female. Among the new members are Native American women, Muslim women, and bisexual women, and a number of first-from-their-state women, people of color, or LGBTQ members. See   Meet the New Freshmen in Congress   (New York Times, 1/3/19). The House freshmen also include several health care professionals (physicians, a dentist and a nurse).   The most significant change from the last Congress is the fact that Democrats now hold the majority in the House of Representatives, meaning that all committee chairs are Democrats. (The Senate majority continues to be Republican.) Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been elected to serve as the Speaker of the House (her second stint), giving her control over which m

from National Family Voices: THE "SHUT-DOWN" Health Programs No doubt you have heard about the partial government "shut-down" caused by a stand-off between congressional Democrats and President Trump over whether to fund a "wall" that the president wants to erect on the nation's southwest border to prevent illegal immigration through Mexico. As a result of this disagreement, seven appropriations bills to fund a number of departments and agencies for the current (2019) fiscal year have not yet been enacted. Without funding, all but "essential" employees at these departments and agencies are prohibited from working, and even those who  are  working will not get paid until their departments'/agencies' appropriations bills have been enacted. Fortunately, the bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education was enacted before the stalemate occurred, so  most  health programs are not affected by the

from the Administration for Community Living: Amidst the holiday glitter and shine, the Self-Advocacy community lost one of its brightest stars. Betty Williams passed away on December 4, 2018. Betty was a true self-advocate and leader. During 2011-2012, AIDD held self-advocacy summits to gather information regarding self-advocacy activities and policies in each of the 56 U.S. states and territories. The purpose of these summits was to strengthen and enhance self-advocacy efforts in the states and nationally by learning what each state was doing around self-advocacy, helping each state develop and present a state plan to strengthen their activities around this area, and develop national policy recommendations for AIDD and its partnering organizations. She not only participated in the summits, but was also on the advisory committee. Betty's self-determination, strength and power had a real impact on the self-advocacy movement. Her leadership provided a strong example fo