Senator Coons addressed more than 200 Delawareans about the importance of a community-wide response to mental health challenges at “Creating a Common Vision for Children’s Mental Health,” a conference hosted by Delaware Family Voices.
The conference, sponsored by Rockford Center and MeadowWood Behavioral Health System, brought together key stakeholders, including families, mental health care providers, and state service agencies to provide opportunities for families to learn about available services and become leaders and effective advocates for their children’s health and well-being.
“As parents, we are our children’s best advocates,” said Chris. “This conference is so important because it shows parents of children with mental and behavioral health challenges that they are not alone. There is a community of people here to help you and your family overcome the obstacles and access the services and support your child needs to succeed.”
Chris remarked that we have come a long way from the days of June and Beaver Cleaver of Leave it to Beaver with regard to what a family looks like. In a time when our national conversation has shifted from the Brady Bunch to Modern Family, we can and should encourage families to talk openly about their struggles, victories, fears and hopes for themselves and their children.
Delaware Family Voices (DeFV) is a non-profit, family-staffed Family to Family Health Information Center that assists families of children and youth with special health care needs and is federally funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Statewide Family Network Grant. The Delaware Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services also provides funding to DeFV to assist families in their advocacy.
More information about Delaware Family Voices can be found at www.delawarefamilytofamily.org.