News...

 Worker Safety Training Grant Renewed for a 4th Year!

     This week, Family Continuity received word from the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents that its proposal for funding to provide worker safety training was approved for the fourth straight year!  Over its first three years, the funding has allowed us to train nearly 2,000 human service professionals, interns, and volunteers from more than 70 Massachusetts agencies.

     In the coming year, the training agenda will expand, providing 6, six-hour "Basic Course" sessions open to other agencies. As in years past, Family Continuity will provide a "Training of Trainers" (TOT) program for individuals nominated by their agencies to take over as trainers within their own organizations. This year, the number of TOT's will increase to 2, six-hour sessions. With the passage of the state's Worker Safety law, Family Continuity will refocus to provide 10 more sessions to work with the leadership of organizations to help agencies develop the policies, procedures and leadership, as well as training, that will support a heightened "Culture of Safety" throughout the field. 

 Any organization interested in participating should contact Skip Stuck at 508-815-5100 for information and to register for one of the upcoming sessions 

 Family Continuity's 3rd Annual "High Five 5K" Run/Walk ...

is coming up on Saturday, October 11th!

 It will, once again, be held at the

Horizon's Beach Club on Town Neck in Sandwich, MA  

     This is a great time for a run, and a beautiful route along the beachfront, Cape Cod Canal, and a quiet (and safe) residential area. This has proven to be a popular family oriented event that encourages families of all kinds to enjoy a day together walking, running, or just cheering others on.    

     We deeply appreciate the involvement of Eric Soderstrom and the folks from the "Mullet Marathon" who will be our race organizers, and who certainly know how to have a good time, as well as the sponsorship of the Horizon's Restaurant.

We expect our largest registration ever...So, log on to www.highfive5k.com

 for registration information

Reminder... 

With the recent headlines involving professional athletes assaulting wives, girlfriends and children, it is a good time to remember that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it is a good time to remind everyone that domestic violence is not just someone else's problem. Chances are that you have either been personally affected by domestic violence or are close to someone who has been. The victims can be anyone... men, women, elders or children. They can live with the pain or injury of the assault, or simply grow up in a home where they witness the assault of others and never know what will happen to them. They can learn to behave like the abuser, or to perpetuate a victim's life throughout their own. Domestic Violence is simply bad stuff. To learn more, to help yourself or others, look at some of the articles and resources at the following websites:

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

The National Network to End Domestic Violence  

or contact:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline for 24/7 Confidential Support at

  www.thehotline.org 

1-800-799-7233

TTY: 1-800-787-3224 

We believe in our mission of "supporting family success in every community" and hope you do too.

Please consider helping us advance our mission by making a charitable contribution to Family Continuity today.

View our donation options here.  

Family Corner 

In about a month, Massachusetts, like most states will hold state-wide elections, while local cities and towns vote on propositions, hold elections for mayors, selectmen, and school committees every year. What will you be doing on Election Day?

Well, if you are a parent with school aged children, research shows that more than half of you will NOT make it to the polls. That means that nearly 60% of parents will not speak up about many issues critical to their families, like school budgets, taxes, and public safety. It means that officials running for office will listen to those who they know WILL vote like seniors, (who vote at about 83%), and other interests who provide most of the financial support to their campaigns. With so much at stake, why do so few of us exercise our right to vote? Do we get too busy; do we forget; do we think our votes will not matter? Whatever our excuses, we need to do our part at the polls.

For a little motivation, here are some reasons we parents should vote:

• Our children are important. The outcome of this November's vote will affect every part of our children's lives from education to health and human services. Those opportunities could one day make a difference between your child's success and failure.
• Every vote counts. Even in national elections, we've seen that a handful of votes can make a difference. This is even more important in state and local elections where only a few hundred or a few thousand people might turn out for a school vote, and one or two votes can decide the outcome of a budget or school board election. Imagine the disappointment if your uncast votes would have made the difference!
• Propositions matter. It is not just the election of officials. Parents have a stake in questions like the future of casinos and where the tax money will go, as well as the support of children's programs and family services.
• We vote on our taxes. Regardless of our views on the current state of our state or economy, voters will decide where our tax money is spent.  Ask yourself what services are important to you and your family. Then ask yourself if special interest groups will support funding these issues. The answer is too often, "No". Your taxes need to support families, just like you work so hard to do.
• It is our turn to pass it on. When we were children, someone cared enough to vote, to assure that we were safe and had an education, that our economy produced the jobs to feed and clothe us. The responsibility now rests with us to make sure our children have the tools they need to be successful in college and the workplace. It is our turn to vote.
• It is our civic duty. This may sound corny, but our nation was founded on certain principles, one of the most important being the right to vote. When we vote, we stand as individuals to express our beliefs. To willingly surrender that right is to reject our personal freedom.
• We are our children's role models. Our children may not listen to everything we say, but they watch everything we do. In fact, children follow the examples we set, both good and bad. When they see us vote, they learn two important lessons-we consider their future important and we believe in the power of democracy. Our children will in turn continue the legacy of voting.

So, let's ask again, "Where will you be on Election Day?"

For specific voting and election information, follow this link  Massachusetts Voting Information.

Program Highlight 

Family Continuity's Community Partnership programs continue to Grow!

Just about every month, Family Continuity has made an announcement of a new partnership or initiative in the area of "service integration".  Although the agency continues to provide mental health and family support services out of its six "hub" sites in Hyannis, Lawrence, Peabody, Plymouth, Whitinsville and Worcester, we have also reported out-posting clinicians, mentors, outreach workers and others at many community sites including schools, health clinics, medical practices, child care centers, refugee organizations, and homeless shelters. In fact, Family Continuity now provides services in collaboration with over 25 other organizations, all in an effort to provide better access to services and assure that people do not get lost in the complicated and confusing service system.     

This month, the agency is happy to announce that it will begin providing trauma informed services in integrated care by including triage, counseling, and referrals for specialized services to children, adolescents, and their families through an agreement with the Merrimack Valley YMCA in Lawrence.

On site clinical intervention and consultative behavioral health services will be provided by a Master Level clinician. Also, Family Continuity will provide training and other supportive activities to the Y. Like the other Family Continuity partnership programs, we expect this one to grow quickly as the community becomes more acquainted with it.

Also, like our school-based work already up and running in the Northbridge, Uxbridge, Douglas and Mendon/Upton school districts, we are pleased to announce an agreement just reached to provide clinical behavioral services on-site in the Bellingham School District.

Other discussions are nearing conclusion and  soon to result in similar agreements with health centers in Lawrence and Milford, as well as several other public school districts and pediatric practices. We hope to report on those in upcoming newsletters.

If you have questions or want to learn more about Family Continuity's Partnership programs,  

please contact Craig Maxim at cmaxim@familycontinuity.org,
or by phone at 508-488-5062  

Family Continuity is a great place to work. We might just be the perfect fit for you.  

Check out our employment opportunities

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