The Coalition's Family Day in Annapolis was a smashing success. Families came from North, South, East and West to visit their delegates and senators. At the end of the morning, families felt they were able to directly communicate with their legislators about their children's needs. Perhaps more importantly, the legislators got to hear firsthand from families caring for a child with mental health needs.
The Coalition received lots of positive feedback from legislators and other advocacy organizations about the effectiveness of families going to visit their legislators and also seeing so many green Children's Mental Health Matters! ribbons.
If you came to Family Day in Annapolis this year, thank you! Your presence was felt and your message was heard. If you were not able to join us this year, plan to attend next year. It will be a day you remember!
- Jane A. Walker
Executive Director
New From MSDE
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Special Education/Early Intervention just released a new document titled, A Parent's Guide to Frequently Asked Questions about Special Education State Complaints. A State Complaint is a written, signed letter to the MSDE, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services, which alleges that a public agency responsible for the education of a student with disabilities violated a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and accompanying state and federal regulations. Any organization or individual, including those outside Maryland, may file a complaint.
Under federal requirements, each written complaint to MSDE must include the following:
- A statement that a public agency has violated a requirement of state or federal special education law or regulation;
- The facts on which the statement is based (copies of documentation supporting the allegation is encouraged);
- The signature and contact information of the person filing the complaint; and
- If alleging a violation with respect to a specific student, the complaint must include:
- The name and address of the residence of the student;
- The name of the school the student is attending;
- In the case of a homeless student, available contact information for the student and name of the school the student is attending;
- A description of the nature of the problem of the student, including facts relating to the problem; and
- A proposed resolution of the problem to the extent known and available to the party at the time of the complaint filing.
The complaint should be sent to the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention, 200 W. Baltimore St. , Baltimore MD 21201 . A copy also must be sent to the public agency against which the complaint is made. It is recommended that the copy be sent to the attention of the director of special education for the public agency. To read the full Parent's Guide , go to the MSDE website at http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/earlyinterv (under Branches headings, choose Complaint Investigation and Due Process Branch). Other documents available on this website include:
- Facilitated IEP Meetings in Maryland , An Introduction and Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Public Agency/School Personnel
- A Parent's Guide to Frequently Asked Questions About Special Education Mediation
- A Parent's Guide to Frequently Asked Questions about Special Education Due Process Complaints
Children's Mental Health Matters! Facts and Figures
The Maryland Coalition recently released its updated fact sheet, with a focus on children in foster care with mental health needs. In Maryland , there are approximately 10,200 children in foster care; in 2007, the public mental health system served more than 40 percent of these children. Recent research indicates between 50 percent and 75 percent of children in foster care have mental health needs. In real numbers, 24,961 children up to age 12 received public mental health system services, while 17,235 adolescents ages 13–17 received services and 5,186 youth ages 18–21 received services.
In other areas:
- Nationally and in Maryland, suicide is the third-leading cause of death among youth ages 10–24, accounting for 12 percent to 13 percent of all deaths annually. In 2006, 82 youth ages 10–24 killed themselves in Maryland.
- Children with emotional disturbance have the highest dropout rate of any group of children with disabilities. In 2006, 8,984 students in Maryland were identified as having emotional disturbance; the percentage of students thus identified who fail to graduate has been increasing since 2003. In the 2005–2006 school year, nearly 50 percent of such students dropped out of school.
- Maryland is building a system of care for children with three wraparound pilot sites currently functioning across the state. The community-based approach to care can reduce the use of hospital beds and residential treatment centers. Last year, 4,346 youth were admitted as psychiatric inpatients, and 840 were admitted to residential treatment centers.
- Copies of the 2006 –2007 Children's Mental Health Matters! fact sheet are available from the Maryland Coalition, 410.730.8267.
Training and Program Opportunities
It's shaping up to be an informative and busy spring, with many groups around the state–governmental and private—providing opportunities for training and networking. The more we learn about our children and the programs available to them, the better we can advocate for and help them to lead healthy, productive lives.
Here are just a couple of opportunities we're spotlighting in this issue. Please check the Upcoming Events section below for additional programs.
- The Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services, the Parents' Place of Maryland, the Abilities Network and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council are teaming to offer a Parents Supporting Parents Forum on Cultural Diversity and Effective Outreach Strategies on March 13 at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Campus Main Building Multipurpose Room and Auditorium, 8169 Old Montgomery Road , Columbia. The free forum will run from 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. The goal of the forum is to engender a greater understanding of cultural diversity and outreach that would connect a variety of families across cultural lines to provide more effective support. To register, contact Bambi Montanez at bmontane@msde.state.md.us by March 6.
- Free workshops by telephone on the transition from school to adult life are being offered by Parents' Place of Maryland. A series of 90-minute teleconferences is planned this spring. Materials and dial-in information will be provided upon registration. Contact Rochelle Howell at 410.768.9100 x104 or Rochelle@ppmd.org to register:
- What Parents and Secondary Educators Need to Know for Transition Planning, Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Sherril Moon, Ph.D., professor, University of Maryland , College Park
- Life After High School, March 4, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
- Job Development 101: A Crash Course for Families, March 10, 11:30 a.m. –1 p.m., George Tilson, Ed.D., senior vice president, TransCen Inc., Rockville, MD
- DDA New Directions Waiver, April 7, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Catriona Johnson, assistant director for state and federal relations, Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration
- Sibshops, a program for brothers and sisters of children with special needs, are a celebration of the many contributions siblings make. Children ages 7 to 13 who have a brother or sister with special mental health or emotional challenges find the program to be “a safe place to be” where they can talk about “the good and not-so-good parts of having a brother or sister who has special needs.”
A Sibshops program will be offered at the Maryland Coalition's Baltimore office at 2701 N. Charles St. , 4th Floor, on May 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration deadline is May 2; the cost is $10, but a limited number of scholarships are available. For more information or to register, call 410.578.5169.
Navigators—Updated
We've heard from many people how helpful they found this list, which we first included in our January newsletter. Below is an updated version of the list—please refer to this version to help you help your child.
| Allegany County |
MD Coalition—The Family Network |
301.777.2005 |
| Anne Arundel County |
The Family Tree |
410.266.5105 |
| Baltimore City |
Families First |
410.662.5500 x286 |
| Baltimore County |
Villa Maria Continuum |
410.252.4700 x265 |
| Calvert County |
ARC of Southern Maryland |
410.535.4461 x112 |
| Caroline County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.479.1146 |
| Carroll County |
Get Connected Family Resource Center |
410.871.0008 |
| Cecil County |
MD Coalition—The Family Link |
410.620.3221 |
| Charles County |
Family Connection Center |
301.885.1334 |
| Dorchester County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.901.1007 |
| Frederick County |
Mental Health Association |
301.663.0011 |
| Garrett County |
Partners SysCare |
301.334.1189 |
| Harford County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.420.9880 |
| Howard County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.730.8267 |
| Kent County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.810.2673 |
| Montgomery County |
Federation of Families |
301.681.8929 |
| Prince George's County |
The Family Tree |
301.909.2318 |
| Queen Anne's County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.479.1146 |
| Somerset County |
Somerset Family Link |
410.623.2906 |
| St. Mary's County |
The Family ACCESS Center |
301.863.6664 |
| Talbot County |
MD Coalition of Families |
410.901.1007 |
| Washington County |
MD Coalition—The Family Network |
240.313.2086 |
| Wicomico County |
Wicomico Partnership for Families |
410.546.5400 |
| Worcester County |
Family Connections |
410.352.5616 |
Interagency Strategic Plan Survey
Various agencies across the state have come together to develop a Child and Family Services Interagency Strategic Plan. As part of its efforts, the group is asking interested stakeholders to fill out a survey regarding Maryland's greatest successes and challenges for addressing at-risk youth as well as to offer realistic, specific recommendations.
Workgroups are focusing their attention on prevention and opportunities, access and continuum of care and communication and collaboration, and comments on these areas are of particular interest.
To access the survey, which will be available through Feb. 29, please click on the link below. Please feel free also to forward this link to others so the widest variety of interested people will have the opportunity to have their voices heard.
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8SkRBfcn0Cw_2bpRC_2fn1lcAQ_3d_3d
Contact the Innovations Institute with any questions at 410.706.3522 or egoldman@psych.umaryland.edu. The survey also may be printed out and faxed to 410.706.6220 or mailed to Emily Goldman, Innovations Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 737 W. Lombard St., 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201. Copies must be received by March 3, 2008, for inclusion.
Upcoming Events
Department of Juvenile Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Feb. 20, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Department of Family Services, Harriet Hunter Building, 6420 Allentown Road, Camp Springs. A light dinner will be available at 6 p.m. Registration required; call Mike Tager at 410-706-0961.
Department of Juvenile Services Family/Youth Discussion Group, Feb. 23, 11 a.m. — 2 p.m. , Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, 500 Glen Ave., Salisbury. For more information, call Mike Tager at 410-706-0961.
Department of Juvenile Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Feb. 25, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Otterbein United Methodist Church, 108 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown. A light dinner will be available at 6 p.m. Registration required. Visit http://www.abcsignup.com/reg/event_page.asp?s1=46&s2=8693&aid=UOFM to register or call Mike Tager at 410-706-0961.
Wednesday Lecture Series, The Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt, Feb. 27, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., 6501 N. Charles St., Baltimore . "Challenges and Controversies with Pregnancy and Depression," Stephanie Durruthy, MD, psychiatrist in private practice.
Department of Juvenile Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Feb. 27, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Broadneck High School, 1265 Green Holly Drive, Annapolis. A light dinner will be available at 6 p.m. Registration required. Visit http://www.abcsignup.com/reg/event_page.asp?s1=46&s2=8692&aid=UOFM to register, or call Mike Tager at 410-706-0961.
Department of Juvenile Services Spanish-Speaking Family/Youth Discussion Group, March 8. Location to be determined. For more information, call Mike Tager at 410-706-0961.
Expo for Transitioning Youth of Harford County, March 8, 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m., New Life Center of the Mountain Christian Church, 1824 Mountain Road, Joppa. Visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/services/disabilities/expo.html to register.
Ivymount School Lecture Series, March 18, 7–9 p.m. , 11614 Seven Locks Road , Rockville . Light refreshments available at 6:30 p.m. "Practical Approaches to Building Independence in Young People with AS," Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., president, Organization for Autism Research. Visit www.ivymount.org/aspcalendar.html for more information; to register, contact Lenore Gladstone at 301.469.0223 x143.
Maryland State Department of Education Forum on Students with Emotional Disturbance, April 28, Sheppard Pratt Conference Center, Towson.
Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, May 4–10
Maryland Youth Leadership Forum, July 28–Aug. 1, Bowie State University . Rising high school juniors and seniors with disabilities are eligible to apply for this weekend of activities and events to teach self-advocacy skills. Application deadline is March 15. For more information, contact DaRue Doakes at 240-898-2185 and visit www.md-ylf.org to access the application form.
