Connect (Events)

Are you a mental health provider in North Sound, Pierce, or King County region? HCA wants to hear your perspectives on working with children birth – 5 years and their caregivers. Register today to join us in two weeks on the IECMH Statewide tour. Registration is now required in advance to receive lunch during the listening session. To receive lunch during the North Sound, Pierce, and King County listening sessions, participants must register one week (5 business days) in advance. Participants who register after this date may still attend the listening session but will be responsible for their own lunch.July 10th - North Sound region (Mount Vernon) | July 11th - Pierce County region (Tacoma) | July 12th - King County region (Tukwila). Register at the IECMH Statewide tour webpage

Building Bridges to Protection: Innovative Solutions for Unaccompanied Children on the Move. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and Abt Associates are proud to co-host this webinar exploring innovative solutions to protect unaccompanied children on the move. A record number of unaccompanied children are fleeing to the United States to seek safety and escape dangers posed by war, gang violence, political upheaval, human trafficking, natural disasters, and other threats. Far too many minors are forced to navigate our nation’s complex immigration system alone. Without an attorney by their side and access to social service safety nets, these children are more susceptible to risks such as exploitation and far less likely to have the opportunity to fairly make their case for protection.  July 11, 10-10:45 p.m. | Register here

Partnering with Fathers from Brazelton Touchpoints: Fathers bring unique ways of parenting that offer important benefits for children’s development, learning, and well-being. Whether living together or romantically involved, or not, when two caregivers are raising a child and are able to partner to complement the gifts that each of them can bring, everyone benefits. In this 2-part workshop series, you will learn strategies to engage fathers in early childhood programs and family-focused services and to support parents as co-partners. This 2-session, 3-hour series meets on Wednesdays, July 19 & 26, 12–1:30 p.m. / 9–10:30 a.m.. Learn more

Important Healthcare Coverage Updates for DV Survivors and Families from HCA and WSCADV: Survivors rely on essential resources like Medicaid (AppleHealth) for the health and well-being of themselves and their children. Upcoming changes in Medicaid mean that survivor households may lose their coverage if they don’t take action now. And, we’ve got important health care updates about accessing free contraception (and more) and pregnancy medical services -- including undocumented people. Andrea Estes and Heather Weiher from the WA Health Care Authority will give you the information you need to support survivors and their families. Thursday, July 20, 10 - 11:30 am | Register here

First Steps Maternity Support Services (MSS) and Infant Case Management (ICM) Quarterly Webinar: This webinar presents new clinical guidelines and reviews evidence on substance use and lactation. The webinar will cover impacts of different substances on the infant, the dyad, and lactation, including potential risks and benefits of infant feeding methods. After this webinar, health care providers will have an improved understanding of the current evidence on risks of exposure to substances via milk for infants and the benefits of nursing specific to this population and be better prepared to counsel patients on infant feeding, substance use, and harm reduction strategies. Tuesday, July 25, 10 - 11:30 a.m. | Register here to attend or receive materials.

Dad Allies July 2023 Provider Learning Series: Expectant Fathers, Infant Co-Regulation, and the Importance of Relationship in a Father’s Prenatal Class. This workshop will present an outline of an existing class for fathers during the prenatal period that takes a relationship-based approach to infant care. Concepts are strategically chosen to engage fathers in ways that pique interest, sustain attention, facilitate learning, and aid retention of material. Co-regulation is highlighted as it’s a component of reflective functioning, mentalizing, and fostering empathy with and for the infant and can be infused within basic infant care, thereby nurturing the integration of relationship and caregiving.  Thursday, July 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Register here.

Learn (Educational Resources)

From Mental Health America: The 2023 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit to commemorate Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is filled with tons of FREE, practical resources to support you in taking action for BIPOC mental health. From factsheets and shareable images to posters and worksheets, and plenty more– the BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit has all the right tools to help you spread the word and support BIPOC communities in a meaningful way.

Innovate (News and New Insights)

State agencies announce changes in policy and best practices for infants and parents affected by substance use at birth: The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), in conjunction with the Department of Health (DOH), the Health Care Authority, and the Washington State Hospital Association, have updated state requirements and best practices that aim to improve the health of infants and parents affected by substance use at birth. If there are no safety concerns, state policy now allows substance-exposed infants to receive voluntary wrap-around services without being reported to Child Protective Services. All hospitals should update policies to align with state policy and train staff no later than Jan. 1, 2025, to comply with federal requirements. Read the full news release here.

Grow (Funding and Resources)

Passageways to Recovery, Employment, and Education grant information session: HCA’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery would like to establish an Employment and Education grant program designed for persons with substance use disorders (SUD). Priority will be given to agencies that have an established history of providing employment and education services to black, indigenous, persons of color, and other historically underserved communities. Wednesday, July 19 and Thursday, July 20

11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The information sessions are identical, and you only need to attend one. Learn more here | Email Kaitlynn Moss to attend

$302.9 million available in two new funding opportunities to develop affordable housing projects across Washington:  Commerce will consider applications for multifamily rental housing projects seeking capital financing from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund (HTF), HOME, and National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) programs from two separate Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA). Applications are due to Commerce by noon on Sept. 18, 2023.  Please download and carefully review the NOFAs for specific information regarding funding requirements and priorities, the application process and dates of significance. Each NOFA is linked below, and application materials are also available on our Applying to the Housing Trust Fund webpage and the main webpage listing all open grants, loans and RFPs available through the Department of Commerce.

The Washington State Department of Commerce will release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on July 6th for the Child Care Partnership Grant (CCPG) Program. Please share this message with your network of contacts. To be added to our CCPG NOFO notification email distribution, please click here to enter your email address. NOFO will be distributed via email and WEBS. We want to fund collaborative coalition-like partnerships to conduct assessment and planning activities locally to ultimately increase the total number of child care slots. We are specifically interested in supporting collaborative community efforts in “child care deserts” or areas with limited or no child care to meet the need according to the Child Care and Early Learning Need and Supply Data | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, or as assessed locally.

Tribal Focused Organizations RFA: The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families is excited to announce a funding opportunity for Federally Recognized Tribes, Recognized American Indian Organizations (RAIOs), and other Native Serving Organizations. Through this funding opportunity, DCYF will contract with Tribal Governments, RAIOs, and Native Serving Organizations to pilot culturally responsive and specific prevention services to reduce entries into out-of-home care among Native children. This pilot will help DCYF and its pilot partners learn what it takes to achieve that goal in advance of an anticipated expansion in these kinds of services in the coming years.

The application will be live from May 10, 2023 and due by July 7, 2023, by 5 p.m. The agency anticipates awarding 3-6 contracts, valued at approximately $100,000-$200,000 for one year, with a possibility of further extension dependent on available funding and pilot success. The initial contract will run from October 2023, through September 2024.

All Washington Federally Recognized Tribes, Recognized American Indian Organizations (RAIOs) and other Native Serving Organizations are encouraged to apply for this opportunity. Information about this opportunity including the Request for Applications (RFA) form, is available at Washington’s Electronic Business Solution, WEBS Website: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/webs/

Please contact Rachel Denny at  Rachel.Denney@dcyf.wa.gov for any questions.

If you have suggestions for what to include in this newsletter, email Joy Lile.