May 2020

Welcome! It has undoubtedly been an engaging month. On behalf of the NFPA, I continue to participate in frequent interviews for news and other informative articles on the topic of foster care and COVID-19. I have been able to share information with reporters from New York City, Honolulu, HI, and North Carolina, to name a few. Additionally, I assisted in writing two letters for the CHAMPS Campaign, of which the NFPA is a collaborator – one was published in Iowa. At the same time, the other was sent to the U. S. Congress as an open letter on the needs that caregiver families have during this pandemic.

This past month the NFPA has launched a new Facebook program called Coffee with Caregivers. To learn more about this Facebook presentation, continue reading The Insider, and watch our episode with Rhonda Sciortino at the end of this letter.

Now, to the most exciting news!

The NFPA debuted the NFPA Training Institute on May 1, 2020, found at NFPAti.org. This new website is home to educational webinars with the availability of completion training certificates, 10 Minute Rescue videos, and an abundance of other information. Who are this website and its offerings designed to help? You, and all other parents and caregivers. The even better news? The training and informational options are free and available 24/7! It can’t get much better than that, so spread the word to all parents who may desire some support as they raise children in their families. I would be remiss without thanking the Centene Corporation for their financial support for this new website and for their assistance in producing a portion of the webinars. Thank you, Centene!

I want you to know that even though we had to cancel our 2020 Education Conference, the NFPA conference steering committee is in the process of identifying 15-20 workshops that had already been selected and requesting that the presenters produce these workshops as webinars. These webinars will be recorded and added to the NFPAti website for your viewing. Our appreciation to the Child Welfare Information Gateway for agreeing to produce many of these webinars and to Centene for their support in adding these to their production schedule for the NFPA.

In closing, please remember to take care of yourself. As the old saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” so refresh yourself and experience well-being so you can pass well-being on to your family and others at this trying time.