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Family Voices is a national nonprofit led by families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and disabilities. We connect a network of family-led organizations across the United States that provide support to families of CYSHCN.
We promote partnership with youth and families at all levels of health care, from individual care to policy and decision-making, to improve policies and systems of care for children.
Do you have a child or teen who has special health care needs or disabilities? Find support in your local community.
¿Tiene un niño o adolescente que tiene necesidades especiales de salud o discapacidades? Haga clic aquí para buscar ayuda.
Find help in your community
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Family Voices Affiliate Organizations (FVAOs)
What are Family Voices Affiliate Organizations?
A Family Voices Affiliate Organization (FVAO) is a statewide/territory-wide/tribal, parent/family-led non-profit organization, with a Board composed of a majority of family members of CYSHCN, that meets the requirements of an FVAO and works to advance the mission, vision, and principles of Family Voices. FVAOs are a critical part of our collective effort to keep families at the center of children’s health care.
There is an FVAO in most states, and only one FVAO is approved per state. In many cases, the FVAO is the same organization that serves as the Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F) in that state, though not in all cases.
FVAOs stay connected through a listserv, national meetings, monthly national calls, and quarterly regional calls. The affiliate network works with the Family Voices policy team to inform our policy work and take collective action.
If your organization is interested in becoming a Family Voices affiliate, please contact Ian Whitney for more information and an application.
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Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2Fs)
What are F2Fs?
Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2Fs) are family-led organizations that support families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Family Voices provides technical assistance to the F2Fs through the Family Engagement and Leadership in Systems of Care grant, funded through 2028 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal Child Health Bureau.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funds F2Fs in every state, the District of Columbia, five US territories, and three F2Fs serving American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Each F2F is staffed by highly skilled, knowledgeable families with first-hand experience of the challenges faced by CYSHCN and their families. These uniquely qualified staff provide critical support to families caring for CYSHCN, particularly families of children with complex needs and those from communities that experience worse outcomes.
F2Fs also help healthcare providers, state and federal agencies, and legislators understand and respond to the needs of CYSHCN and their families.
Find a Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F) or Family Voices Affiliate Organization (FVAO)
F2Fs and FVAOs in U.S. Territories:
F2Fs and FVAOs serving Tribal Communities:
Family Voices News
Washington Update, June 21, 2019
The House has passed an appropriations bill that would provide a $34 million increase in funding for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant in FY 2020. Key Senators have introduced a bill to address health care costs. The Kaiser Family Foundation has come...
Washington Update, June 13, 2019
Congress has been busy with hearings on a variety of health issues, including a June 4 hearing on the Family-to-Family Reauthorization Act and other health bills. South Carolina joins other states in proposing to modify its Medicaid program to establish “community...
Washington Update Special Edition: June 4 House Hearing on F2Fs
As reported in the May 29 Update, bipartisan bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to extend F2F funding for five more years at the current level of $6 million per year. Without such legislation, funding for the program will expire at the end of the...
Washington Update May 29, 2019
Congress is currently taking its Memorial Day recess to visit with constituents at home. Before they left town, however, there was lots of activity in the Capitol. Bipartisan bills were introduced in both the House and Senate to extend funding for Family-to-Family...
Bipartisan House and Senate Bills Introduced to Extend F2F Funding
Representatives Mikie (Michelle) Sherrill (D-NJ) and Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced the Family-to-Family Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2822), which will extend funding for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2Fs) for an additional five years, through...