Advocacy for Children & Families

Advocacy in Our Community and Beyond

Our advocacy services ensure that families have access to the information and tools they need to provide meaningful input into the decisions about their children’s care, including:

• treatment,
• services,
• medication,
• out-of-home placements.

The collective voices of families with lived experience can positively influence the services and policies that impact them. Since a united voice is more powerful than an individual one, voices raised together at Family Ties, in partnership with other advocacy organizations, impact:

• how policies and programs related to families are designed,
• how local, county and state-wide decisions are made,
• where funding is distributed.

Family members also use their skills and collective voices to:

• be a spokesperson for their own family
• be resources to others in their community,
• help reduce the stigma surrounding individuals with behavioral health challenges.

As Westchester County’s only peer-run family organization, we stand ready to advocate with families for as long as they need us, and empower caregivers and young adults to positively transform their families, communities and the systems that impact them.