Mental Health Awareness Month & More

 

Wyoming Family
Resource Centers

They're more than just buildings – Family Resource Centers are hope and support for Wyomingites experiencing life’s challenges. Our goal is to establish and strengthen FRCs in every community across the state.

 
 
 

New for May

 

May is Metal Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes MHAM to increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being and provide resources and information to support individuals and communities who may need mental health support.

Access their MHAM webpage for their toolkit, which includes Key Messages and Weekly Themes, Social Media Shareables, Hashtags and Best Practices, Digital Stickers, Email Signatures, and Virtual Meeting Backgrounds.  

 
 

National Prevention Week: May 12-18

National Prevention Week is a public education platform showcasing the work of communities and organizations across the country that are preventing substance use and promoting positive mental health.

Learn more about how you can get involved throughout the week and register for the events taking place. Participants help amplify the power of prevention leading up to National Prevention Week and beyond by sharing their #MyPreventionStory on social media, downloading the planning toolkit, and spreading the word about National Prevention Week.

 
 

Wyoming Business Council Opens Applications for Community Facility Rehabilitation Grant Program

he Wyoming Business Council (WBC) has opened applications for the Community Facility Rehabilitation (CFR) Grant Program, a subcomponent of the Community Facilities Program (CFP) which was appropriated by the Wyoming Legislature during the 2024 General Session. 

This program has an allocation of $2,800,000 to be expended as a grant(s) for cities and towns to complete the preservation of former school facilities as community centers, provided that the expenditure is for facilities that are included on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places or as a National Historic Landmark in a community with a population of less than 1,500.

Furthermore, applicants must be a city or town that has received funding or technical assistance from the WBC for the preservation of a former school facility as a community center before March 22, 2024. Applicants must also be prepared to give a presentation to WBC staff as part of the application process. 

Cities and towns can apply now at wbc.pub/CFR-Application. Applications will be accepted through June 15, 2024.

Learn More About CFR Here
 
 
 

Events & Training Opportunities

 
 
 

April 30, 2024

May 15, 2024

12:00-1:00pm

 

Mandatory Supporter (Reporting Child Abuse)

Presented by Wyoming Children's Trust Fund

Zoom Meeting ID: 827 7070 4837

Passcode: FRCC

 
 
 

May 22, 2024

12:00-1:00pm

 

Plans of Safe Care: Legal and Practice Update 

Presented by the Department of Family Services

Zoom Meeting ID: 827 7070 4837

Passcode: FRCC

 
 
 
 

Good to Know

Resources

Child Care Services

Child Care Assistance

The Department of Family Services’ Child Care Subsidy Program uses a combination of state and federal funds to assist eligible families in paying for the cost of child care while the parent(s) is in an approved activity. Assistance rates vary and can be found here.

Contact your local DFS office, or you can find the application here. 

Child Care Licensing

Licensers around the state are here to help licensed facilities in providing quality care and maintaining safe environments for the children in attendance. They also assist and facilitate the opening of new child care locations for those who are interested in starting that process.

To find out who is your local licenser, please refer to this licensing map or contact the Licensing Support person at 307-777-3450.

New Resource for Caregivers Who Have Been Incarcerated

This new fact sheet from the HOPE National Resource Center offers practical strategies on how to access the Four Building Blocks of HOPE and positive childhood experiences for families impacted by incarceration.

Additional Links:

Natrona County Court Navigator Pilot Launches 

Adverse Childhood Experiences Capacity Assessment Tool Roadmap

Prioritizing Well-Being in the Public Health Workforce

State Policy Solutions to Reduce Child Maltreatment: A Summary of the Evidence

Leadership Video: The Power of Positive Leadership

 

Reports

Chapin Hall's New Policy Brief Calls for Expansion of Economic & Concrete Support Services for Families

Economic insecurity and material hardship are big drivers of child welfare system involvement, so it is important that we address families' economic and concrete needs early—before challenges become a crisis. Chapin Hall's new policy brief on flexible funds for concrete supports to families is the latest resource to support the movement toward a holistic child and family well-being system.

Additional Reports:

HUD Releases First-of-its-Kind Report to Congress on the Housing Needs of Survivors of Human Trafficking

Culturally Effective Organizations Framework & March Learning Call

New Studies Illuminate Why We Should Invest in New Parents

 

Events

Science and Innovation Speaker Series: Leveraging Neuroplasticity to Redirect Youth from Carceral Involvement 

Thursday, May 9, 2:30 - 1:30 PM PDT

ACEs Aware will be featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein, who will present on “Capitalizing on Neuroplasticity Across Development to Redirect Pathways from Juvenile Justice Involvement”. Dr. Fishbein will discuss insights on how to disrupt an adverse developmental pathway in young people that may lead to incarceration.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and other continuing education credit. Register here.

May 15, 1:00 PM ET: Frameworks Institute Webinar featuring Dr. Julie Sweetland: Reframing Childhood Adversity

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Julie Sweetland a sociolinguist and Senior Advisor at the FrameWorks Institute. Dr. Sweetland will be talking with us about strategies to reframe childhood adversity and modify communication around adverse childhood experiences, trauma, substance use disorder, and prevention. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.

May 29, 1:00 PM ET Webinar featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein: Prevention Science and Addiction

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives. This webinar will focus on the linkage between trauma and addiction, and prevention science strategies to address this linkage. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.

June 20, 1:00 PM ET Webinar featuring Dr. Christina Bethell: Leveraging existing state programs and strengths to jump start sustainable trauma informed prevention strategies with the whole child, family and community in mind

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Christina Bethell of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Bethell is a national leader in the development of policy, practice, and research applications of population health and systems performance measurement. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Get in Touch!

For questions or to receive more information,
please contact Sara Serelson.

sara.serelson@wyo.gov
o: 307-777-5452 
c: 307-630-7752 

 
 
WebsiteYouTube
 
 

The Wyoming Family Resource Centers Collective is a collaborative statewide network that has been formed to help establish Family Resource Centers or strengthen existing Centers across the state. The Collective is connecting organizations with grant funding and providing grantees with technical assistance and best practices for establishing a Family Resource Center in their community.

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