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Resource Report - 28 Family Education Support Services · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
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share with you important information about local
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nonprofits and resource organizations that support
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the community we share, produced by Pathways
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to Agency. I am your host, Rainmaker. Today's
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guests are Executive Director Shelly Willis and
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Chief Financial Officer Karin Oceguera of FESS,
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Family Education Support Services. Here's Shelly
0:46
and Karin. I am here at Family Education and
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Support Services, FESS, with Executive Director
1:00
Shelly Willis and Karin Oceguera, the Deputy Director
1:05
and Chief Financial Officer. How are you today,
1:09
ladies? Very good, thank you. Doing great and
1:12
really happy to welcome you to FESS. Oh, thank
1:14
you. I would like y 'all to reintroduce yourselves,
1:18
your position, and how did you come to be here?
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My name is Shelly Willis, Executive Director
1:23
of Family Education and Support Services, also
1:26
known as FESS. And I helped found the agency
1:29
25 years ago. We now have three offices, one
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in Thurston, one in Lewis, and one in Mason County,
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all devoted to helping adults influence healthy
1:38
child development. And my name is Karen Osagara.
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I am the Deputy Director and Chief Financial
1:45
Officer for FESS. And I have been here for six
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years. And it feels like longer and shorter at
1:53
the same time. And I just came here because I
1:58
saw that FESS needed a CFO and things just grew
2:01
from there. Wonderful. So what is exactly Family
2:09
Education Support Services? What do y 'all do?
2:11
We're here to help the community with a focus
2:14
on influencing healthy child development. So
2:17
we know the people who have the biggest impact
2:19
on kids in their future health and well -being
2:21
are the adults who surround them. And we do our
2:24
best to make sure those adults have the training,
2:27
support, and resources necessary to ensure kids
2:30
thrive. So parenting classes, support groups,
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home visitation programs, and one of our newest
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programs is our Basic Needs case management
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program, which Karin oversees. Oh, wonderful.
2:44
Okay, so let's talk about those programs and
2:47
classes. Let's begin with Adulting 101. What
2:50
is that? Adulting 101 is a part of our Parent
2:53
and Family Support program, and it provides training
2:57
for young adults, 13 to 26, who will in the future
3:01
influence child health and well -being. And it's
3:04
a prevention action. So eight weeks, youth are
3:07
gathering to learn about financial literacy and
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conflict resolution and parenting, all kinds
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of tools you need to be a healthy adult. Clarifying
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more details about how that service works. I
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love to say our Adulting 101 is basically you
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get a group of youth together and you are saying,
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OK, let's work on how do you make choices and
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how do you how do you survive as an adult? And
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you think you got it all down now? Cool. Let's
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throw a kid in the mix. See how that works. And
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it really opens eyes to.. it's not just. one kid
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so it's just twice as hard, no it's one kid it
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is 10 times harder now to be an adult with also
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a kid in the mix so we just want to we want to
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be able to say yes there is adulting and yes
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you are learning to adult but let's also do this
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responsibly and well. So i just want to add that
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it's It is a skill building workshop, but it
4:14
also is a great way to connect people to resources
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they may need in the future. So not only are
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we talking about financial literacy, we're connecting
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them to the banking institutions that can help
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them develop a savings account. And what is a
4:28
credit card do? What are the consequences of
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interest rates? It really does a deep dive. It's
4:34
deep as they're ready to go. How do we navigate
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in this adult world space? And manage our budget
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and how do we like make sure we've got our rent?
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What are the different ways to do that and how
4:49
to navigate all of that? And relationships, conflict
4:52
resolution, taking out a bank loan and what that
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would really mean if you want to buy a car or
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plan for a trip ahead. It is really about thinking
5:03
into the future and preparing you to be a successful
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adult. We are intentional at keeping up with.
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What is next? What is happening? What are the
5:13
youth facing so that our Adulting 101 can also
5:18
adapt to that? Adulting is hard. I've been doing
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it for a while now. And we're not only sharing
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the skills, but the resources. So nobody's alone
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in this world. You can navigate our community
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and find resources in all areas. Awesome. That's
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all really good to know that this resource exists.
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Wonderful. All right. And then you have the Basic
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Needs Navigations. Well, Basic Needs Navigation
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is really for anybody who comes in or is referred
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to us for any kind of case management. And it's
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super general. It is. I need help with my rent.
6:00
Can you help me out? I need help finding a doctor.
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I need dental assistance. I need just anything.
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You could fill in that blank. Help me find the
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resources in the area. And that's what our case
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managers do for basic needs. We just make sure
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that those basic needs are met because when basic
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needs are unmet, The parent can't focus on anything
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else. So we in the Basic Needs Navigation strive
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to meet those needs, whether it's us who can
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do it at FESS or we know of resources in the
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community that can help the individual. And that
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is one of our only programs here at FESS where
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it's not a requirement to be a parent or a caregiver.
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This can be anybody who comes in, any adult who
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comes in and needs any kind of assistance, and
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we are here to serve. There's a lot of food that's
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out there available, but a lot of it has to be
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cooked. And when you don't have a place to cook
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food, that makes it difficult. Very true. And
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our navigators, our case managers, are actually
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really good at finding the different places for
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the different kinds of food. So if somebody says,
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I have a stove and a refrigerator. I can store
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these things. Then we're going to refer you over
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to maybe the food bank who can give you the box
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of food for that. We also know that there are
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other churches that can supply foods that can
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be hot meals. They can be already prepared or
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items that don't require any kind of stove or
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refrigeration. We also have, I mean, we refer
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to them as hangry bags. Basically, they are just
7:53
snacks, but it's something to tide you over until
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we can get you to that resource. So we do our
8:01
best to wrap around the person and what their
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specific needs are. Everybody's going to be different.
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Yeah. And what about gluten and dairy -free vegan
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options? You know, that's a really big issue.
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It is a really big issue, and those are difficult
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to find in the community. Our case managers don't
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stop, though. They don't just say, oh, sorry,
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nothing for you. They will call and call and
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call and call and call, and sometimes they will
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have the client right in front of them, and they'll
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say, okay, you take these numbers, I'm taking
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these numbers, let's just do it right now and
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see what we can get for you. That's awesome.
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That makes a big difference. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
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And they are all case managers who work with
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Choice Regional Health Network in their Pathways
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program. So the Pathways program is our case
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management program that we run here at FESS.
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But if somebody comes in and they say, I don't
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want to be part of this case management program.
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I just need this one thing. They'll still help
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them. They will still walk them through it. Well,
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that is really important for people to know because
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a lot of the time it's like if you don't do this
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program in all of it, you don't get to participate,
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you know, in many places. And so that lessens
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people's agency as well. Yeah. We want to make
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sure that we're not the ones putting up any barriers
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for people. If they come in, we want to be able
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to have them find yes here at FESS. Yeah. You
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know, you mentioned your Pathways program. The
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Family Support Center also has a Pathways program.
9:47
Yes. And so is there any similarity, any difference?
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Do y 'all actually work with the Family Supp..? So is
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this the same program y 'all are sharing? Explain,
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please. Yes. So the Pathways program is actually
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run through Choice Regional Health Network, and
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they contract with all sorts of different nonprofit
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agencies in the area. So it is the same program
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run by different agencies. So anybody can...
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go over to Family Support Center or they can
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come here to FESS and they can get enrolled in
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this Pathways program. And what we will do is
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we will also work with other agencies who have
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this program. So if somebody comes in here and
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they say, well, I'm already on Pathways, let's
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say over at Family Support Center, we say, okay,
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then you were sent here for a resource. What
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is it that you need? And we will serve them.
10:43
Thank you for that. I also need to clarify that
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Pathways to Agency is not part of that program.
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That just happens to be our name. I have great
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respect for Choice and their forward -thinking
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planning. This Pathways program ensures non -duplication
11:00
of effort. So while we may both be serving the
11:03
same families, we're intentional about not serving
11:05
them on the same issue. We may partner to come
11:08
up with a collaboration that meets rental needs,
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but if they're working on housing, then we're
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going to work on something else, employment or
11:18
financial literacy. person can choose the resource
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they want, but we're not duplicating effort.
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That's really good to know. We don't want to
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duplicate. We want to like have everyone coordinating
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together. That's like a vision of mine as well.
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Yes, we wrap around the client. Fabulous. Let's
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move to Consider the Children. What is that?
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Consider the Children is a four -hour class that
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helps adults whose children may be living separately
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from one or both parents. So navigating a parenting
11:50
plan related to a dissolution or divorce, if
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you're negotiating... future changes as the child
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ages and modifying a parenting plan or even kinship
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care. If kids are going to go live with a grandparent
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and may have the grief and loss associated with
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missing one or both of those parents, this four
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-hour class provides information on how adults
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can help kids through that transition. It is
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mandated in Washington state that if you're going
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through those transitions, you take this class
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before a divorce decree or guardianship would
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be offered. But we have a sliding fee scale that's
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very generous. And our whole goal is to help
12:26
adults, again, help kids through what can be
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a tough time. Oh, wow. That's really helpful.
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I just had an interview this last Monday with
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Laura Hight. of the Community Mediation Center
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in Centralia. And they do the same kind of thing.
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And y 'all are also in Lewis County, have a location
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there? We really serve across Washington State,
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physically present in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis
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County, and present around the world. We work
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with the Dispute Resolution Center here in Thurston,
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in Lewis and Mason County's version of that,
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and help navigate folks through.. through the
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dissolution or modification, whatever's going
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on. Oh, how do you work with them? Well, it's
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a mandated class. So a lot of people going to
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them for assistance in filing their dissolution
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work may just learn from the court or from them
13:20
that they have to take the class. So they'll
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make referrals to us. And if families are having
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a hard time with the parenting plan, which takes
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a lot of negotiation, we send them to the mediation
13:29
providers. We also invite any mediator or dispute
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resolution specialist to come attend our class
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and learn the resources that we provide. Oh,
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wow. That's pretty cool. Let's see. Dynamic Dads.
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Dynamic Dads is one of the many different parenting
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curriculums that we use to help support adults
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influencing kids. So Dynamic Dads is specific
14:00
to men and is provided at many different days
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and times. So it's a 12 to 14 week session. So
14:11
once a week for two hours for approximately 14
14:14
weeks. And it has a curriculum called Nurturing
14:17
Fathers, which we changed to be Dynamic Dads.
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And we get dads who are grandparents, stepdads,
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bio dads, going to be a dad, all kinds of dads
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coming to ask questions, explore their history
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in fathering and make plans for their future
14:34
in fathering. That's really great. You know,
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there's just so much that women have suffered.
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And so the focus is on, you know. The horrible
14:47
patriarchy that we have lived in and men internalize
14:51
that negativity, you know, and that really can
14:54
affect how they see their role in parenthood.
14:59
And then you also have a lot of LGBTQ, where
15:03
you have trans fathers, you know, and they're
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navigating similar issues in that same space.
15:11
but with a different nuance because they are
15:14
also carrying, dealing with stigma for LGBTQ.
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And I'm going to assume that y 'all are welcoming
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to LGBTQ father parents. Absolutely. Anybody
15:25
in that. paternal role. And we started the class
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because this is a population that is very underserved.
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The same level of parenting support and resources
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is not there for men as there is for women. And
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several men came to us and asked specifically
15:42
for a dad's men -only group because when you
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have a gender -specific group, some people feel
15:47
safer having conversations. And what I heard
15:50
from men is they feel discounted in their role,
15:53
that they aren't invited to take on a parenting
15:55
role. and it kind of shifts in our society. You
15:59
know, sometimes fathers are represented as Dagwood
16:02
Bumstead, and they just kind of trip into the
16:04
role of fathering, when really, in fact, men
16:06
have a very important role they play in parenting.
16:09
Or if you're co -parenting, there are things
16:12
we are really great at and things a partner picks
16:14
up at, and there's an ebb and flow. We want to
16:17
acknowledge the value of co -parenting and how
16:20
to make that work well for the kid. One of the
16:22
main things that fathers come out of this with
16:26
is knowing that they are important, that they
16:31
have an important role. And even if they've been
16:34
told, I can, you know, I can do this without
16:38
you or by the world that fathers are not needed
16:42
or wanted, they come out of this knowing that
16:45
they are needed and they are wanted and that
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their role is significant of a child's life.
16:54
And one story that kind of shows the value in
16:57
offering this class is a dad came to me and he
17:00
was saying, I just feel discounted in my role
17:03
as a parent. And he told me the story of going
17:06
to pick up his child at a daycare center. And
17:08
the child care provider said, hey, when you get
17:11
home, you want to make sure you talk with your
17:12
wife about getting your kids scheduled for a
17:15
doctor's appointment because I think they may
17:17
have an ear infection. And he said, well, I'm
17:19
a parent. I could register my kid at the doctor's
17:22
office, schedule an appointment. And he said,
17:24
that is just one example of me being discounted
17:28
in my ability to also parent my kid. And that
17:31
doesn't mean that single mom parenting is faltering.
17:34
Women can parent kids just as well as men can.
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They may do it differently, but both valuable.
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And it could be the same gender co -parenting.
17:45
It's all about how we work together to help those
17:47
kids. Definitely. I'm not sure we even have the
17:51
words for all the new relationships we have in
17:54
parenting kids, whether it's same gender, co
17:56
-gender. Sometimes step parents get a bad rap
17:59
because they're step, but all have equal influence
18:02
over the health and well -being of kids. For
18:04
sure. For sure. Guiding Good Choices. That sounds
18:17
a lot like Adulting 101. It is also.. we have
18:22
about 10 different parenting curriculums we use.
18:25
Guiding Good Choices is one that's very prevention
18:27
-focused, and it's for parents of youth. in those
18:31
tween teen years. And it's about how to help
18:34
this kid navigate through addiction and peer
18:37
pressure and all the challenges that may influence
18:41
them in a high school setting to become healthy
18:43
adults. So in some ways, it is similar to Adulting,
18:46
except this is provided to parents who are raising
18:49
youth rather than directly to the youth. Can
18:52
you give me some examples? Well, we provide this
18:54
class. all over the community, like at the Boys
18:58
and Girls Club. And we have youth there who are
19:00
navigating into puberty and social situations
19:04
that they may not know how to navigate out of.
19:06
And this is about giving tools to parents to
19:10
help them help their kids when someone invites
19:13
them to participate in illegal activity. Oh,
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good. Thank you. And then... We have Impact of
19:22
Domestic Violence on Children. Also a four -hour
19:26
class similar to Consider the Children, only
19:29
this class is focused on how to help children
19:32
who have been impacted by violence. So we have
19:35
a class separate for women and for men, and it's
19:38
offered in a variety of locations and virtually.
19:41
We go into the jail and offer it. We also offer
19:43
it online. And again, just helping adults help
19:47
youth. We as adults, we go through things and
19:50
sometimes we go through them thinking that we
19:52
alone are going through them. And this is just
19:56
a refocus to say, yes, you're going through this.
20:00
And yes, this is hard. However, your children
20:03
are also going through this. And let's divert
20:07
some attention here to their needs and how to
20:11
best meet those. It's very validating, and acknowledging
20:15
for the adult. And then it also helps them to
20:19
reframe the context of what they are going through,
20:23
through the lens of the child and how that is
20:26
impacting them on an emotional level, on a physical
20:30
level, you know, and all of that. Yes. Developmental
20:35
level. I think of it as a speed bump. It may
20:38
not be new knowledge, but it is a focused effort
20:40
in considering how you can best help that kid.
20:43
Definitely. Kinship Program. We have seen a huge
20:54
growth in relative placements over the last 20
20:58
years or so by law, by research...what research
21:03
tells us is kids do better when they can stay
21:05
with family as long as they're safe. You have
21:09
less grief and loss. You're not going with a
21:11
stranger. It's usually somebody that you know
21:13
who understands your family culture and history,
21:17
and they're already connected in some way. So
21:19
you get away from that trauma that can happen
21:22
when you are torn from your family and placed
21:24
with someone you don't know. But relative caregivers
21:27
are also not planning to care for a child. Sometimes
21:31
they may not have known that they were a grandparent,
21:33
and they were informed by a late -night call
21:36
saying a kid related to you is in trouble, and
21:39
they have to stop what they're doing and step
21:41
up for this kid. And they may not have planned
21:43
financially to now have a 14 -year -old or a
21:46
3 -year -old in their home in their retirement.
21:49
So we do our best to rally around them to find
21:52
out where the... the gaps or challenges are and
21:55
what we can do to kind of patch them in. And
21:58
sometimes that's training on how do I help a
22:01
kid who is impacted by trauma or it's connecting
22:04
them to register for a school in a new environment
22:08
or get school supplies or some special resources
22:12
they may need to overcome whatever the... The
22:15
issue was that people don't go live with their
22:18
relatives because things were going well. Usually
22:20
it's backed by some kind of trauma, so we help
22:23
address that and then stabilize the family. Our
22:26
kinship program offers weekly support groups
22:29
and emergency financial aid and all kinds of
22:33
training, all kinds of resources to help stabilize
22:35
the transition of kinship placement. It sounds
22:39
like you're working really hard to keep kids
22:42
out of foster homes. Well, we want kids to thrive
22:46
in whatever environment they can. Sometimes foster
22:51
parent placement is the best placement for kids.
22:54
But if we can place with a relative, it's less
22:57
traumatic on kids. So we certainly want to do
22:59
that. In Washington State, for every one kid
23:02
placed into foster care, there are almost 20.
23:05
placed informally with a relative. And what that
23:08
means is if you're in foster care, there are
23:10
more financial supports, training supports, concrete
23:13
resources for you through the state. But the
23:16
majority of relative care is outside of the state,
23:18
outside of the system, where a grandma gets a
23:21
call and just steps up and the kid's pulled into
23:23
their home, and they don't have the benefit of
23:25
a monthly stipend or child care or resources.
23:31
So that's why we're there to help connect them
23:33
to those resources. One example is we had a grandma
23:37
we became aware of because she received custody
23:41
of her to these two kids and they were going
23:44
to school, but in a different. county grandma
23:47
lived in a different county and she was driving
23:50
the kids to school every day and then sitting
23:52
in the parking lot until school let out because
23:54
she didn't have gas money to go back and forth
23:57
to her home so our kinship navigator was able
24:00
to connect her to McKinney Bento support within
24:03
the school and help them figure out transportation
24:06
that didn't require grandma to drive back and
24:09
forth. Also there are a lot of younger kinship
24:13
caregivers now, a lot more than there used to
24:16
be before. A lot of older brothers and sisters
24:19
taking on their younger brother and sisters.
24:22
And so you have this newly married couple and
24:27
maybe they have a baby of their own. And so they're
24:30
in this two bedroom apartment and the mom who's
24:36
just in her 20s herself. all of a sudden finds
24:39
out that her younger brothers and sisters need
24:43
a place. And so she brings in four more and they
24:47
can't stay in this apartment any longer. And
24:49
what are they going to do? And so it's not even
24:51
just about the housing in that situation. I mean,
24:54
they're newly married. How do they navigate that?
24:56
And they also have a baby of their own. How do
24:59
they become parents to siblings and parent their
25:06
own child as well? So there are a lot of nuances
25:09
to kinship caregiving. And a lot of people don't
25:13
really think about the actual, like you're saying,
25:15
the logistics of it. There are actual logistics
25:19
of, I can't even live here anymore. And this
25:24
is where I was going to be the rest of my life,
25:26
so now what? For sure. That's really helpful
25:31
that y 'all are helping people navigate all of
25:33
that. Yeah. Parent for Parents. I love this program.
25:38
It brings lived experience parents who have navigated
25:42
a dependency or CPS involvement and successfully
25:46
reunified with parents who are now entering into
25:49
a dependency. So they know what's required to
25:53
reunify with the family. They have walked that
25:55
path and they're now there case managing and
25:58
supporting parents who are entering that path.
26:00
So they will meet with them at family court or
26:03
at the child protective offices as soon as possible
26:06
and say, I know this is really hard for you.
26:08
I've been in your shoes. Let me help you successfully
26:11
navigate towards reunification. They hold a weekly
26:14
support group. They have some emergent resources.
26:18
And they're there to talk with parents about
26:20
who are the players involved in helping them.
26:23
What is an AG? What is a defense attorney? Who
26:26
is your social worker and what are they looking
26:28
at when they come visit you? What does a successful
26:31
visitation look like? All the things that help
26:34
them reunify. And that's exactly what they do.
26:37
And research says when we have an opportunity
26:40
to have a Parents -for -Parents person, 71 %
26:43
of those cases are reunified and much sooner
26:46
than they would typically be. And we have someone
26:49
in the courts in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties
26:52
just doing that, working with Child Protective
26:54
Services, the courts, and the community to help
26:57
reunification happen. Parents, when they go into
26:59
a dependency, are confused and angry. And our
27:08
P4P parent allies are really good at... saying
27:16
look not everybody here is against you we all
27:21
want what's best for you and these kids we all
27:25
do and it may not seem like that right now but
27:28
when they are able to calm a parent and have
27:34
them see the bigger picture that's when they
27:37
can move forward in the dependency and that's
27:40
what she's saying that that that reunification
27:43
rate is so much higher and faster. Can we clarify
27:48
that term dependency? What is the context around
27:51
that? When the state or child protective services
27:54
gets involved with the family and has to remove
27:57
a child, they call that a dependency because
28:00
now the child is dependent on the state care
28:02
until they can reunify with the family for family
28:06
care. Okay. So that also is like involved in
28:12
the foster program as well. The state becomes
28:15
a temporary custodian of the child. So they call
28:19
it the dependency. Okay. And so often we will
28:22
have someone in our fatherhood program, someone
28:24
in our mainstream home visitation program, the
28:27
mom perhaps, and our kinship program working
28:30
alongside our parents for parents. case managers
28:34
to help reunify the family and negotiate visits
28:37
and resources. And that sounds like it goes hand
28:41
in hand with your next program, Parenting in
28:45
Recovery. That is a parenting class that we offer
28:49
in inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment
28:52
programs along with the jail. And our whole goal
28:55
is to help adults who've navigated the trauma
28:57
of addiction find a path for parenting in recovery.
29:02
Okay. And so y 'all are working... Do y 'all collaborate
29:07
at all with some of the different drug rehab
29:12
kind of organizations we have around here? So
29:16
MAT, Medicated Assistance Treatment Services,
29:19
and also inpatient. In Thurston County, we're
29:22
very fortunate to have some. a program called
29:24
the Harvest Program that is inpatient for pregnant
29:27
women who can go detox and learn about sobriety.
29:31
And we go in once a week and do a parenting class
29:34
with them as well. They have child care on site
29:36
and the woman navigating treatment lives on site
29:40
there until they graduate to outpatient treatment.
29:44
Okay, that's very helpful to understand. Thank
29:46
you. Every program we offer has a piece of the
29:58
prevention component in it and the five tenets.
30:02
Increasing awareness of child development expectations.
30:07
Building strong, positive, social, connective
30:10
support networks. Access to concrete goods because
30:14
when you have your needs met, you can then think
30:17
about, as you talk about Maslow's hierarchy,
30:19
the next step. Social self -regulations and...
30:26
Maturity. So that's the Adulting 101. Resources
30:30
to fall on in times of stress. Yeah, there are
30:34
resources. I think maybe it was resources. Yeah.
30:37
So every program we have has components of that
30:40
because we know those strategies will help. You
30:45
mentioned the Maslow's Triangle, and that made
30:48
me think of the difference between neurotypical
30:52
people and neurodivergent people. Do you ever
30:57
observe differences in how people who may be
31:04
considered a little different, so they're on
31:06
the spectrum, they have really severe ADHD, you
31:11
know, might be navigating all of these different
31:14
programs in all of these spaces? Do you see a
31:16
difference there? Absolutely. We have a tenet
31:21
that is unconditional positive regard, and we
31:23
train our staff around trauma -informed strategies.
31:26
We try to set up an environment that's very welcoming
31:29
to all populations, and we try to also inform
31:32
our community about those. So we work with Sensory
31:35
Toolhouse and some other Parents for Parents,
31:38
Parents to Parents, and other resources in community,
31:41
and just recently had a community conversation
31:43
topic. These are events we hold throughout the
31:46
year to inform the community about issues like...
31:49
a huge growth in our community on autism, autism
31:53
awareness, understanding the spectrum of autism.
31:56
And we also had one on youth mental aid, and
31:59
we talked about anxiety and the increase we're
32:03
seeing in our kids kind of navigating some of
32:05
those social anxieties. NeuroSpicy Sisters Autism
32:08
Coaching, I did an interview for them, and they
32:12
have their own Autistic Maslow's triangle that's
32:17
upside down, and so it's a different structure.
32:19
We know Allyx. We've been partnering with them
32:21
for about a year. Oh, it's so good to hear that!
32:24
Yeah, presentations. But yeah, they're a great
32:27
program, and we try to provide that information
32:29
and forum for them to provide that information.
32:32
Awesome. They were on one of our podcasts. Oh,
32:35
really? I'll have to check that out. It's exciting.
32:39
Parenting and Family Values. It's another curriculum
32:42
of parenting classes that we offer. It can be
32:44
co -ed or gender specific. And again, offered
32:48
at varying times and locations. So a 14 -week
32:51
parenting class that people can go to and talk
32:53
with peers and learn new skills and strategies.
32:57
Cool. Parent Child Assistance Program. PCAP,
33:02
their goal is to provide support to women who
33:05
are pregnant or postpartum and have also acknowledged
33:08
a substance abuse issue. And so they stick with
33:12
the family, the mom, for three years and help
33:14
them navigate into a healthy lifestyle. So whether
33:17
it's housing or mental health or physical health
33:21
support services or just emergent resources like
33:24
diapers and wipes, they're there for three years,
33:27
no matter what, to help them shore up. Cool.
33:38
QPR Suicide Prevention's Virtual Training. What
33:44
is QPR? So QPR is question, persuade, refer.
33:50
It is basically the equivalent of, let's say,
33:54
CPR, right? Directly related to suicide prevention.
33:59
So in this class, you will learn phrases that
34:04
you need to be aware of, just triggers that you
34:09
can also learn. ways to identify if someone is
34:13
experiencing a suicidal crisis. And it's also
34:18
a place to say, it's okay to talk about suicide.
34:23
Because it used to be, if I say, are you feeling
34:28
suicidal? Or are you experiencing suicidal tendencies?
34:30
If I mention suicide in any way, then they're
34:33
going to want to do it. That's not the case.
34:36
This is, this is... opening people's eyes to
34:39
the real fact that suicide is out there. And
34:43
if somebody is experiencing issues, then talk
34:48
to them. And that's okay. You're not going to
34:51
make them commit suicide by talking to them.
34:54
So you're going to question. And then you are
34:57
going to persuade. Persuade is, I'm going to
35:00
stay with you. You stay with me, okay? We're
35:03
going to stay here together, until we can go
35:06
to the R which is the refer I'm going to get
35:08
you to somebody who can help with this situation
35:11
we are going to sit in this together and so it
35:15
gives you the tools necessary to be able to address
35:20
the situation at hand to be able to talk about
35:23
it and it gives you the right questions to ask
35:28
someone and it also tells you it's okay It's
35:33
okay that we are going to talk about this. It's
35:35
okay that we are going to sit together. And I'm
35:38
going to make the space and the time for you
35:40
so that we can get you the help that you need.
35:42
There's a lot of fear and stigma around answering
35:45
that question. If you're in situations where
35:49
you're looking to receive services and a person
35:52
maybe asks that, there can be a fear of saying,
35:56
yes, I am, because then... They might have the
36:00
fear of the support system is going to look at
36:03
me this way. They're going to put me in this
36:05
institution and I'm going to lose a lot of my
36:08
own agency. And there's a lot of fear around
36:10
that. Or I'm going to lose my kids or something
36:13
like that. And so it sounds like this program
36:15
also helps to mitigate those fears and offer
36:19
more information about what does that really
36:23
mean to answer that question, honestly. And when
36:26
somebody does answer that question, honestly,
36:29
it gives you the tools so that you are not making
36:33
them feel stigmatized. You're not making them
36:36
afraid at this point. You are going to be able
36:41
to talk to them, ask them questions, get them
36:45
to stay with you, and then help them get the
36:48
help that they need. And so QPR gives everyone
36:55
tools to be able to deal with a situation at
36:59
hand. And if it's important for you to know CPR
37:02
to save a life, it's extremely important for
37:05
you to know QPR because that also saves a life.
37:09
Yeah. I interviewed Holly Wetzel with the Crisis
37:13
Clinic, and they also have a similar thing with
37:17
training around that. Is that a similar thing?
37:21
Do you all work with the Crisis Clinic? Do you
37:23
all send people back and forth? What's going
37:25
on there? What we do well as a partner, we absolutely,
37:28
I love the Crisis Clinic data resource base.
37:31
We can go in there and find what's happening
37:33
right now. Where can I get food on a Wednesday
37:35
at 2 o 'clock? Or where can I find resources?
37:38
Or just talk to somebody. They have a really
37:40
good youth phone line. So, yeah, we have great
37:44
respect for the Crisis Clinic. Happy to partner
37:46
with them. Wonderful. As I was looking through
37:59
your website, I noticed the Parental Compass
38:02
podcast. And you had a list of categories and
38:06
topics there? Yes. The categories and topics
38:09
were actually created because it got so big.
38:14
We have so many podcasts out there that if somebody
38:18
wants to hear about something specific, they
38:20
can go there and look through the topics. In
38:23
addition to that, we have... foster credits that
38:27
we offer with the parental compass. So it's not
38:31
necessarily that we give those credits, but if
38:33
you are a foster parent and you need credits,
38:38
and if you need training hours, the parental
38:41
compass will count for that. So yeah, not every
38:46
single episode does, but what we do is we say,
38:49
okay, if you need foster parent training hours,
38:54
Come on over here. You fill out this form. Tell
38:56
us which episodes you watch, and you're going
38:58
to get a certificate for that number of hours
39:01
that you watched The Parental Compass. Oh, okay.
39:06
Yeah, because there are foster parent trainings
39:11
in there, podcasts in there. There are podcasts
39:16
from experts about foster care, but also... foster
39:20
care from the perspective of a foster child who
39:24
was in it, um, so it's from every perspective and
39:28
we have a host on there his name is Bobby Williams
39:31
and he does our Parental Compass podcast but
39:35
it is on a ridiculous range of topics uh the
39:42
topics there's financial i mean Yes. See, like
39:47
Barbara Coloroso, she talks about Bullying. So
39:51
there's about schools. There's how do we navigate..
39:55
I mean, the NeuroSpicy sisters are on there.
39:58
How do we navigate autism? Schools. Internet
40:02
safety. Internet safety is a big one on there.
40:06
Drug use. Anything parenting related is on the
40:13
Parental Compass. And that is. worldwide where
40:17
people are downloading those episodes. Mastering
40:20
Boundaries. Oh my gosh. And that commercial
40:23
here. April 2nd, Barbara Colorosa will be in
40:27
our community talking about parenting and sharing
40:31
tools and one of her recent books that she does.
40:34
Oh, cool. And it's a free community presentation.
40:36
So you'll see those flyers pop up soon. Yeah,
40:39
that's in April. April 2nd. Okay, cool. Yeah.
40:44
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. And in
40:46
that month, we are intentional about getting
40:49
the word out about strategies to promote child
40:52
health and well -being. One of the things we
40:54
do is work with our community partners to plant
40:56
around 1 ,000 pinwheels up at the state capital
41:00
to just bring awareness to child health and well
41:03
-being. Oh, cool. And when you're talking about
41:06
the categories, you have on Parental Compass, early
41:09
intervention, prevention. educators birth to
41:14
three years four to nine years tweens 10 to 12
41:18
years teens and mental health in general and
41:23
so you could click on any of those links for
41:26
those categories And that will take you to the
41:31
list of podcast episodes specifically related
41:34
to that? Yes. That is amazing digital organizing
41:37
you have there! Yes. Jacob works really hard
41:41
to keep this web page. Completely organized.
41:44
And also on our website is the only place to
41:47
find those foster parent training hours. It's
41:50
actually Jacob who handles that as well. He's
41:52
really good. Oh, wow. Cool. What I love about
41:55
Parental Compass, it's a variety of speakers
41:58
that you can access at any time at your convenience.
42:02
Right on. That's great. What a great resource
42:05
that is. We are in the community in a variety
42:07
of ways. Family Resource Centers in Thurston,
42:12
Mason, Lewis. But we also work through our many
42:15
partners where we're at a tribal community facility
42:17
or we're at the Boys and Girls Club. In Mason
42:20
County, we're located in a YMCA. Our partners
42:23
here in Tumwater are the Community Service Office,
42:27
Welfare Office, and Child Protective Services
42:29
refer to us quite a bit. We are intentionally
42:32
accessible all over the place. So they can call
42:35
us, email us, visit our website, or walk through
42:38
the front door. And because we're in Washington,
42:40
spring through summer, we are outside at resource
42:43
fairs as well. Not as much in the winter because
42:48
it rains a lot, but we are also out in the community
42:52
at resource fairs everywhere. Fabulous. Are you
42:57
all familiar with the Thurston County Resource
42:58
Hub? Of course. Yeah. Do you work with them?
43:02
Have a presence in their space? Yep. And the
43:05
resource guide on the wiki? Yep. Yep. Cool. We
43:10
are a resource within the Hub. One thing we do
43:15
not have are the set office hours there at the
43:18
Hub. We don't have that currently. I think the
43:21
hub is a good central hub to send folks where
43:24
they need to go. But one thing at FESS and we've
43:27
been intentional about with the Hub is we don't
43:29
just say call this number. We have a warm referral.
43:32
We'll walk them over there. We'll drive them
43:34
over there. Do a phone introduction. It's not
43:38
just passing the buck. It's guiding people in
43:41
and through the resource. I love that so much.
43:44
That was one of the issues that I saw going through
43:49
a lot of different support services myself. And
43:52
that's what basically its case managers do. They
43:55
will walk right with you. And they keep up to
43:59
date with who has the rental assistance right
44:02
now. Who can help with utilities? Who can do all
44:04
this? We talked about all these great services,
44:13
these classes and programs. What does the process
44:17
look like to get into all of that? It really
44:21
depends on their needs. So first thing first,
44:25
we will listen. We will find out what is your
44:28
need. If their need is, let's say the only thing
44:32
they came in here for was rental assistance.
44:36
Here's an application. We're going to need your
44:40
lease and a ledger. We need something to show
44:42
how much you owe and that you live there. And
44:46
then once we get that, we take it back for a
44:50
referral. So it's not long. The application is
44:53
just two pages., its in big font so um but it really
44:59
depends on which program that it is so if you're
45:01
going to be with the Parent Child Assistance
45:03
program, they have an intake that is longer but
45:07
that's a whole program that you're coming in
45:09
here for for three years so their intake is is
45:12
going to be um... lengthier they have a lot more
45:16
questions for you um if you're going to be in
45:20
our Parent for Parent program you're here, I'm
45:23
here, let's get you connected. So it really depends
45:27
on what people are coming in here for. And so
45:29
that's why it's always the very first thing we
45:31
do, listen. And we're going to be here, we're
45:34
going to be listening and finding just from what
45:38
you say and in the conversation, what your highest
45:41
priorities and highest needs are so that we can
45:44
serve you best. It could be as simple as introducing,
45:47
and as complex as signing up for a program. But
45:50
I also want to say we recognize that paperwork,
45:54
the documentation piece, can be a barrier to
45:56
some folks, and we will do everything we can
45:59
to not put them in harm's way. And so you're
46:02
able to help someone figure out how to obtain
46:06
paperwork that's needed, you know, or meet someone
46:10
where they are, if they can't come into the office,
46:13
you can maybe even... Ask them the intake questions
46:16
over the phone and fill it out for them as they're
46:20
answering. You know, there's so many different
46:24
ways and methods these days of doing that. And
46:28
we have bilingual staff. Okay, that's really
46:30
good to know. And access to more than just Spanish?
46:35
Right on. Yeah, and well, like many other organizations,
46:39
we can't afford to have someone on site in all
46:42
languages, but we do have resources to call in
46:44
when we need. Cool. And so how can people get
46:49
involved? Like donating, they have an Amazon
46:52
Wish List listed on your website, Memorial Funds,
46:55
Circle of Hope, volunteering options, any job
46:58
opportunities? Getting involved, we... love volunteers.
47:04
We love our volunteers because they come in here
47:06
and they really get the job done because they
47:09
are passionate about what we do here. And so
47:12
we have volunteers at our events or at Christmas
47:16
time or even just throughout the year. You mentioned
47:21
donating. Yes, donating to FESS is always a big
47:25
help. We are a nonprofit and we rely on the community.
47:29
And you also mentioned Memorial Funds. Memorial
47:31
Funds. are really good because they help us directly
47:37
serve the community in small needs in small needs
47:40
that most places wouldn't be able to help so
47:44
like if somebody comes in and says I need my
47:48
insurance paid next month I can't do it, you know, and that's
47:52
where these small amounts with memorial funds
47:55
can really help. And that's 100 percent of the donation
47:59
for that will go directly to the community for
48:01
those small needs that other agencies or the
48:04
state just can't help with. And those can be
48:08
used for really anything that the client needs
48:11
right now. What are Memorial Funds? So memorial
48:14
funds were set up originally because the founding...
48:20
people for FESS were Shelly Willis here, Howard
48:24
Winkler, who was a facilitator, and Carrell Simmons.
48:29
And Carol Simmons had just been here forever.
48:33
And yeah, she loved her place at the front desk.
48:36
She said, I can be your steady. I can be your
48:39
stable. I can be your rock. And I will be that
48:41
person answering that phone. And she always had
48:43
a smile on her face and she loved what she did.
48:46
Well, One of the things that she used to do is
48:50
when people come in and they say, I don't know
48:53
what to do. I just, I need to be able to pay
48:56
this. And it was something small. She would look
48:58
both ways. She'd reach down in her purse and
49:00
pull out $20 and hand it to them and go, okay,
49:04
here you go. It's for you. And she passed away.
49:10
And when she passed away a few years ago, she
49:13
left a gaping hole in our community, and in FESS,
49:17
in our agency and can we replace the person to
49:22
answer the phone? Sure, can we still smile when
49:26
when people come in? Sure, but the.. you know Carrell
49:30
was missing, and so this Memorial Fund was set
49:34
up in honor of Carrell Simmons and since then more
49:41
people who have been hugely impactful to our
49:44
clients have passed and so if you go to our website
49:48
familyess .org on the banner there you will see
49:51
multiple names of people who have passed away
49:54
who have been huge parts of FESS and so the Memorial
49:59
Funds are set up in honor of those people and
50:03
specifically for any of those odds and ends needs
50:08
that are just out there. Not every need is going
50:14
to fit into a tidy box of, I need rent. That's
50:19
not every need. And you can get help with those
50:24
things. And you just come in, and really, the
50:27
people at the front desk, in honor of Carrell,
50:31
right there, they will listen to what you need.
50:36
And they will hand you an application, basically
50:38
just say, this is my name and this is what I
50:42
need. And then they give it back to me and the
50:46
Basic Needs team. And we review it and we try
50:50
and meet as many needs as we can with that. Those
50:52
are usually smaller, $100 or less. But we can
50:58
make big Carrell impacts with the Memorial Funds.
51:03
So what's the difference then between, I'm looking
51:06
at the Memorial Fund page, and there's like a
51:08
little story for each individual for the memorials,
51:12
but then you have like just the regular donate
51:15
button. Donate.. if you just hit the donate button,
51:20
it just goes to our page that says donate to
51:24
FESS, and that will help with anything that FESS
51:27
does here. Tuition for a parenting class. Help us put on our
51:35
annual auction which is coming up on February 7th.
51:38
We have some costs like facilities and but sometimes people want
51:41
to give very specifically and that's why we have
51:43
the Amazon Wish List because we know we're going
51:46
to be getting close to school starting in September
51:49
and we are the umbrella organization for the
51:51
Little Red Schoolhouse and they have great need
51:54
to capture all of the school supplies so we can
51:57
distribute it out to those who need it in the
51:59
community. So sometimes through the year, it'll
52:01
be specifically driven. We're out of diapers.
52:04
We're out of wipes. And sometimes it will be
52:06
intentional because we know we're getting close
52:08
to school time or holiday distribution and people
52:12
want to give specifically. Oh, it's good to clarify.
52:15
Thank you. So the Donate Now will go to really
52:18
anything that we need here at FESS. Memorial Funds
52:23
are going to be very specific. That's helping
52:27
people that have specific needs. Yes. Okay. You
52:38
mentioned the Little Red Schoolhouse. It's one
52:41
of a couple of organizations where we are their
52:43
umbrella, their fiscal umbrella. And that's really
52:46
Karin who helps them manage their budget and
52:50
they're not big enough to become their own non
52:52
-profit but they still want to do really important
52:55
things in our community so Little Red Schoolhouse
52:57
is one, Mason Prevention Coalition is another
53:01
and Thurston Early Learning, uh, Childhood Coalition
53:04
is another. We are the umbrella agency for all
53:08
three of those, and yeah, so as Shelly said, it's
53:12
they are doing good in the community. They are
53:15
not their own 501c3. So we will be their 501c3
53:21
for them, allowing them to do their work, but
53:24
then all of their transactions, basically, and
53:29
their grants and all that come through us.
53:32
Y'all are the sponsoring organization for that
53:35
organization. Okay. It is incubation. Yeah. And
53:38
when we first started as an organization, we
53:41
were still figuring out how to do that, and another
53:44
organization incubated us and helped us launch.
53:54
So what is your upcoming event that you have?
53:57
So Saturday, February 7th, it is our Seeds of
54:00
Hope Gala and Fundraiser. Every year we do some
54:05
iteration of Seeds of Hope. Our whole foundation
54:10
is hope here at FESS. So when we do our Seeds
54:14
of Hope, it is an event. to spotlight what it
54:18
is that we do and ask the community to come and
54:21
support us. We have focused on kinship and fatherhood
54:25
and parenting and recovery. And I believe entrepreneurial
54:29
support. This year we'll be talking about how we've
54:32
helped people find employment and build their
54:35
own business. Entrepreneurial spirit. Is there
54:48
anything else you would like to share? I would
54:51
just say thank you. Thank you to you and what
54:53
you're doing. Thank you for partnering. We couldn't
54:55
do it alone. It would be hard for any of us to
54:57
do it alone. So it's the partnerships, I think,
55:00
that help us ensure that web of support for folks
55:03
and that they don't fall through the cracks.
55:05
And I appreciate you including us. Oh, thank
55:08
you so much. Is there anything else you would
55:11
like to share? Just here, nobody is forgotten.
55:16
Yeah. We don't forget the forgotten. We don't
55:21
leave people by the wayside. We make sure that
55:26
we are always listening, but we are also, we're
55:30
there. We're there for people. We are a people
55:34
-serving organization, and it's not about, it's
55:40
not about the money. It's not about our
55:43
numbers. It's not about, at the end of the day,
55:45
that's not what it's about. Did we help one person?
55:48
Yes? We did it. Awesome. Well, thank you ladies
55:53
so much. If you would like to reach out to Family
56:04
Education Support Services, you can find them
56:07
online at familyess .org or call 360 -754 -7629.
56:17
Find them in person at 6840 Capitol Boulevard
56:21
Southeast in Tumwater, just next to DSHS. That's
56:27
it for today's Resource Report produced by Pathways
56:30
to Agency. At Pathways to Agency, we are driven
56:33
by the belief that everyone should have the tools
56:36
and support to achieve their goals and thrive
56:39
in their communities. Our mission is to bridge
56:42
the gaps in understanding, accessibility, and
56:45
trust by connecting individuals to resources
56:48
and sharing information and processes that can
56:52
lead to personal and community growth. Resource
56:56
Report offers information about existing and
56:59
emerging nonprofits and resource organizations.
57:02
Find out more at pathwaystoagency .org. From
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57:10
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57:24
Report. Till next time, and thanks for listening.