Learning & Sharing Insights

Earlier in February, several representatives from Maryhurst had the chance to attend the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities’ Senior Leadership Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

Here’s how the Alliance describes its work:

With millions of children, adults, and families across the nation experiencing barriers to achieving their full potential, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities works with thousands of committed social sector leaders to help their organizations more positively impact their communities.

We love any chance we get to spend time with folks from the Alliance and its member agencies because doing so inspires us and helps us to be the very best advocates we can for children and families in Kentucky.

We met partners from all over the country who share our mission — who care about providing services for and lifting up survivors of abuse, those struggling with mental illnesses, and families living in poverty.

One key part of our work that might go overlooked is the way in which we must help shape, respond and adapt to child welfare policies at the federal level. A recent legislative act called Families First is changing the way providers like Maryhurst can secure funding through public partners.

Kentucky is one of the first states to implement Families First, and the logistical details of integrating the new regulations can be complicated and unpredictable. So, to share what we’ve done so far and what we’ve learned, our VP of Renewal Services Steve Ochs gave a presentation about Maryhurst’s role in the Kentucky rollout.

If you want to learn more about Families First, you can check out this site: https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/family-first-prevention-services-act-ffpsa.aspx