Dear Families, Friends, Youth Partnership Members, Colleagues, Community Acquaintances:
The Staff and Board want to reach out to everyone and wish them well. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and at home if you are able to be. For those working outside the home, we thank you for keeping our community up and running.
Our staff has been working remotely for the past 2 ½ weeks. We are currently providing peer support to hundreds of caregivers who are at home managing their families’ successes and stresses. We are honored to be trusted partners to all of these families.
The entire staff has also been in touch with numerous colleagues in the community including Care Managers, mental health care providers, Monmouth County officials, and professionals with whom we work and enjoy friendships.
We’d like to take this opportunity to also remind you all that our three main Family-centric programs: individual support to families engaging Monmouth Cares for care management, support groups for any parents/caregivers of children experiencing challenges and Youth Partnership, our teen self-advocacy group, are active and meeting virtually. The teens in particular are working on creating alternative programs that are engaging, entertaining and safe. Contact us for more information.
Our “warm line,” that is, community support to parents with concerns about their children, is ongoing. Out of necessity we are limited in the scope of concerns we are helping caregivers address. If you know a parent/caregiver who is concerned about their child’s school IEP/504 we are happy to help them evaluate the IEP itself and converse with the caregiver about the specifics. Schools are convening IEP meetings virtually, and plans for return to school is something parents should keep in mind. If a parent is anxious and concerned about their child’s mental /behavioral health and is considering a call to Perform Care, we can assist with this as well. We are in remote contact to the office phones, 732-542-4502 (between 10am-4pm) but we can also be reached by email at: info@fbsanj.org .
In the meantime there are two very good on-line sources for local information about COVID19- the FBSANJ Facebook Page and the Monmouth ResourceNet.org website. Our Facebook page is filled with local resources, information and tips. Local resource information includes accessing food pantries, emergency phone numbers, county offices, health information and adult SELF CARE TIPS. We are also posting activities that engage children.
We look forward to meeting and greeting all of you in person in the near future. Our continued good wishes for everyone’s health and safety – and don’t forget to follow social distancing advice!
Julia Barugel , Board Chair,
Ann Goldman, Executive Director
and the Staff of Family Based Services Association of NJ