These webpages identify external resources on specific topics of interest to foster, kinship and adoptive families.
From NAMI, updated information about the 988 mental health suicide and crisisline, as of July 2023, the one year anniversary of the 988 line.
Updated Frequently Asked Questions on 988
Fast Statistics on 988 from NAMI Northern Virginia
This Virginia Department of Education page links to official technical assistance and policy guidance documents related to special education in the state.
These resources were developed to provide professional development and technical assistance to parents, school personnel, and other consumers. All resources are intended to provide guidance for addressing the regulatory requirements and instructional elements needed for a student’s free appropriate public education (FAPE).
VDOE technical assistance and guidance documents
From the Virginia Department of Social Services, this guide overviews options for relatives and close family friends of children in foster care. Legal and financial implications of each option are reviewed. Includes links to other kinship care resources.
Kinship Care Guide
From nonprofit Creating A Family, this tip sheet offers 7 strategies for parenting children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Parenting Tips fact sheet
In March of 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates for students and school staff, featuring specific recommendations for evidence-based practices that allow students to learn, grow, and be successful. To enhance state and local implementation of these guiding principles, a collaborative of technical assistance centers serving the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools developed a series of four fact sheets. The series describes best practices and approaches to help support and respond to students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs, including practices designed to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline in schools.
Each fact sheet is tailored to a specific audience at the school or district level:
The fact sheets also feature resources to help support stakeholders in this important work.
Fact sheets are available in English and Spanish.
Links to 4 Fact Sheets for different audiences, in English and Spanish
From the US Administration for Community Living, Health and Human Services, this 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers was created to support family caregivers of all ages, from youth to grandparents, and regardless of where they live or what caregiving looks like for them and their loved ones.
The strategy was developed jointly by the advisory councils created by the RAISE Family Caregiving Act and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, with extensive input from the public, including family caregivers and the people they support. It will be updated in response to public comments and will evolve with the caregiving landscape.
Link to Caregiver Strategy and related documents
Clarifications from the US Office of Special Education Programs and the Virginia Department of Education in spring 2023 that clarifies responsibilities of schools to allow a parent or caregiver to request an initial evaluation of child suspected of having a disability. Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multitiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) cannot be used to delay or deny an initial evaluation.
3/14/23 Federal clarifications including links to two earlier memoranda
4/21/23 Virginia Superintendents' Memo
Originally broadcast live on May 9, 2023, this webinar from FFF’s Renee Myers offered an overview of typical parenting stressors, self-care techniques and approaches for making a self-care plan for the upcoming summer break.
Recording of webinar
Copy of presentation slides
Proof Alliance NC strives to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies by providing training, education and resources to professionals who serve individuals of reproductive age, deliver prevention messaging and resources to individuals who can become pregnant, as well as resources for professionals who provide supports to families and individuals impacted by FASD.
This series of three webcasts from VCU Autism Center for Education, presented by Dr. Ruth Brown, were made available in February, March and April 2023.
Webcast Part 1: The Essential Messages of Trauma Responsive Practices
Webcast Part 2: Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses
Part 3: Trauma Responsive Strategies for the Classroom
On March 8, 2023, FFF hosted a live webinar featuring the new Critical Crossroads videos and other resources. Provided here is a re-recording, that does not include time for the pre-and post-tests or Q & A that were included in the live webinar.
Recording of Critical Crossroads resources webinar March 2023
Presented live on February 22, 2023, this virtual panel session was hosted by Northern Virginia Family Network (nvfn.org) and facilitated by Formed Families Forward and NAMI Northern Virginia.
Panelists included:
Victor Martin, Ruthy Marcado, Alexandria City Public Schools
Jenny Sexton, Arlington Public Schools
Stefan Mascoll, Fairfax County Public Schools
Rebecca Sharp, Falls Church Public Schools
Blaise Carland, Megan Marshall, Loudoun County Public Schools
Mallory McKnight, Julie Crawford, Prince William County Schools
A recording of the session and a resource sheet with links mentioned during the session are available.
A recording with Spanish captions will be available soon.
Resources shared in Session and related links of interest
Recording of Panel session
Delivered live on January 27, 2022, this webinar overviewed major educational provisions for serving students with FASD in schools. Presented by Dr. Kelly Henderson of FFF, the session also covered ways for building home/school collaborations and offered a variety of resources for educators and families.
Webinar recording
presentation slides
Changing our Approach blog from Barb Clark
Improving the Behavior of Children with FASD 2021 article by Hutton
Originally broadcast live on January 24, 2023, this webinar features Dr. Elizabeth Cleveland of the Central Arkansas University. Dr. Cleveland overviews FASD and in particular, the diagnosis of FAS and ND-PAE. She offers recommendations for meeting the needs of children, youth and young adults in home and school settings.
Webinar recording
Dr. Cleveland's presentation slides
This January 2023 resource from Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center at Generations United covers some areas of educational access for kinship families.
Fact sheet
From the National Child Welfare Information Gateway at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, this fact sheet is designed to help kin caregivers—including grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and other relatives as well as family friends caring for children— work effectively with the child welfare system.
It also includes resources, such as links to more detailed information or places to find support, to help you learn about and navigate the child welfare system.
May 2022
Fact sheet
From the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center, this fact sheet address a number of key issues kinship caregivers face when support their kin in school.
Education is high on the to-do lists of kin and grandfamily caregivers. Accessing educational services for children in their care can be difficult. Frequently, kin/grandfamily caregivers lack legal custody of the children and/or are unfamiliar with the local education system. This resource is designed to help direct-service professionals assist caregivers in ensuring the children they raise have the educational experiences needed to thrive.
January 2023
Fact sheet
Originally broadcast live on January 17, 2023, this Formed Families Forward-hosted webinar featured panelists:
Nate Sheets, Behavior Consultant and Parent Coach at Oregon Behavior Consultation, https://cognitivesupports.com/
Carson Kautz-Turnbull, 5th year graduate student at the University of Rochester, working with Dr. Christie Petrenko. ckautz@ur.rochester.edu Ms. Kautz-Turnbull shared this resource for families and educators: Families Moving Forward Connect project and related app: https://fmfconnect.com/
Kelly Henderson, PhD, Executive Director, Formed Families Forward
Additional scholarly resources suggested by Ms. Kautz-Turnbull are also provided here.
Recording of Panel webinar
Self care in Caregivers of Children with FASD
A Mobile Health Intervention for FASD Families Moving Forward Connect
Initial Feasbility of the Families Moving Forward Connect App
A meta analytic review of adaptive functioning in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and the effect of IQ, executive functioning, and age
Strengths and Positive Influences of Children with FASD
Originally broadcast on January 10, 2023. this webinar was presented by Annie Tulkin, MS, Accessible College LLC.
Webinar presentation slides
Webinar recording
Accessible College Resources from presenter Annie Tulkin
This infographic from Formed Families Forward’s Critical Crossroads resources overviews the issues around trauma impact on children and youth with disabilities.
Critical Crossroads Infographic