#TEXT4 Caregivers

With funding from the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Parent to Parent of NYS is pleased to introduce our latest initiative, Text4Caregivers. Text4Caregivers is a free text service that distributes timely and relevant self-care and stress-management support via text messaging. As a caregiver, you take care of others; this service exists to remind you to take care of you.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a program designed to address the significant needs of children ages 10 up to 21, who are at risk of entering, or returning home from high intensity services, such as inpatient settings or residential services, through the use of a multi-disciplinary team. Children with significant psychiatric needs, who are at risk of institutional level of care, require intensive interventions in order to adequately support the child and family’s complex needs, to avoid high end services or facilitate and support a successful transition back to community. Youth ACT serves as a critical component in the children’s continuum of care.

Become a Family Peer Advocate (FPA)

Family Peer Advocates are valuable professionals within the child serving system. They are uniquely qualified to work with families based on their first-hand experience as the parent/caregiver of a young person with a social, emotional, behavioral, health, or developmental disability. This experience, combined with additional Parent Empowerment (PEP) training, allows them to provide peer support to parents of children with similar challenges.

Become a Youth Peer Advocate (YPA)

Are you a young person who is between the ages of 18 and 30 years old with first-hand experience with mental health, special education, or foster care services? Are you curious about ways you could help a younger person who is facing some of the same challenges you faced?

If so, consider becoming a Youth Peer Advocate (YPA). Learn more about how you can use your own experience with recovery to make a positive impact in another young person’s life.

Caregiving: A Personal Story

Janice Fitzgerald tells her personal story of caregiving for her son, emphasizing the importance of caregiving, the importance of taking care of yourself, as well as the common emotions and struggles faced by families providing care for loved ones with disabilities.

Children and Family Treatment and Support Services

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) designed Children and Family Treatment Support (CFTSS) brochures, fact sheets, posters and FAQs in multiple languages. CFTSS provides mental health and/or substance abuse services in NYS Medicaid for children ages birth to 21. Services can be provided at home, in the community, or wherever children/youth and their families feel comfortable.

Children's Home and Community Based Services (CHCBS)

Children's Home and Community Based Services are for children and youth (under age 21) who:

1. Are enrolled or eligible to enroll in Medicaid - Some children/youth may be eligible for Medicaid if they are eligible for Children’s HCBS. If a child/youth does not have Medicaid and you think they may be eligible for HCBS, call C-YES at 1-833-333-2937
2. Need extra care at home or in the community to avoid the need for long-term inpatient care
3. Are in a higher level of care and would be able to stay at home with extra support

The NYS Office of Mental Health created multiple HSBC brochures and Q&A.

Clubhouses for Teens and Young Adults Battling Addiction

Clubhouses provide a restorative, non-clinical environment for young people whose lives have been disrupted by addiction to connect with others in recovery. Clubhouses are built on a core of peer-driven supports and services that help young people progress in their recovery, by encouraging a drug-free lifestyle.

Clubhouses for Youth cater to ages 12 to 17. Clubhouses for Young Adults cater to ages 18 to 21. 

Dual Diagnosis - A Guide for Caregivers

This guidebook gives caregivers the tools they need to understand how mental illness might look in a person with a developmental disability, and information on what to do and where to go for help. It was written in order to help caregivers to partner with health care providers. This guidebook was originally written in 2011 and was revised in 2015. It was created for the New York State Institute for Health Transition Training with grant support from the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

Emergency Resource Guide - DSS

This Emergency Resource Guide provides descriptions of the many services offered by the County Department of Social Services, as well as 24 Hour emergency resource information. Although this guide was developed by Albany County, it contains mostly statewide emergency resource information.