Birth Parent National Network (BPNN)
ON THIS PAGE: WE NEED YOU | RESOURCES | EVENTS – RELATED PAGES: ANPPC | BFPP | TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE | PARENT VOICE
The Birth Parent National Network (BPNN) promotes birth parents as leaders and strategic partners in prevention and child welfare systems reform.
BPNN Webinars
We had a great discussion about the power and impact of parent voice at our May 27 webinar. If you missed the BPNN webinar, don’t worry, you can listen to the recording and download materials in the EVENTS section.
Mark your calendar and save the following Thursdays for upcoming BPNN webinars. You’ll learn about developments affecting children and families. The webinars are so informative and popular, that we’ve moved to a 90-minute format to have more time for your questions.
- August 26, 2021
- October 28, 2021
The 90-minute webinars will begin at 10 am PT, 11am MT, 12 pm CT and 1 pm ET.
The BPNN’s 7th annual virtual convening is set for the first week of December.
- Download the 2021 BPNN Membership Recruitment Flyer and Calendar for more information about how you can make a difference by joining the BPNN.
- Download the BPNN Membership Recruitment Meme to distribute through your social media.
New What Parents Say About… Issue Brief
What Parents Say About…Supporting Families to Provide a Strong Start for Their Young Children is written by Tecoria Jones and Edwin Daye, two members of the BPNN. They provide a parent perspective on access to prevention strategies, community support for parents, special considerations for COVID-19 and how policymakers and leaders can help. Tecoria and Edwin point out that all families need and benefit from support and that we all can help ensure a better tomorrow for our children.
This new publication joins five other popular What Parents Say About… issues briefs which can be found in Resources HERE. Or click on the button below where you can choose to download any or all of the six issue briefs:
Become part of the
BIRTH PARENT NATIONAL NETWORK (BPNN)
We are a national network of hundreds of birth parents and organizations working together to strengthen families, communities and systems by engaging the voices of parents.
Promote Parent Voices
The Alliance’s BPNN recruits parents, individual stakeholders and organizations that work with parents to join together to promote and support the voices of parents to inform policies and practices that effect children and families. The dynamic BPNN membership consists of:
Parents who:
- Are committed to a strength-based, preventative approach for systems that interact with families
- Have high interest in engaging in policy work and drawing on their life experiences to inform and educate policymakers and other stakeholders
- Have experienced challenges and have been at risk of child welfare involvement
- Have been previously involved with the child welfare system
Organizations that are:
- Committed to identifying and supporting parents as strategic partners in policy work and system reform
- Interested in sharing materials and resources with their peers and colleagues nationally
BPNN Members meet four times a year by webinar for policy updates and information sharing. Also, the BPNN holds an annual virtual convening in December.
Join Now
Select the application form best suited to your role: Parent, Individual Stakeholder or Organization. You will be contacted once your application has been received. All forms will appear in a pop-up window.
Recruitment Materials to Share
Responding to Family Needs During COVID-19
Help Us Make the Case for Continued Support
At a time when there is such critical need at every turn, we need to make the case for additional support for children and families dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. Collecting and sharing the stories of families during the pandemic is one way to put a face on these real and everyday challenges to help systems leaders and policymakers prioritize the needs of families.
We have created a short questionnaire to give families a way to share your stories with the media. The questionnaire is simple and submission will be followed up by a contact from the Alliance. Stories are powerful – so if you have a story to share or know of a family that you work with that might be willing to share their story, please complete the questionnaire HERE or share this link with others: https://tinyurl.com/y6cel9g2
CARING CONVERSATIONS
Mondays
10 AM PT • 11 AM MT • 12 PM CT • 1 PM ET
Children’s Trust Fund Alliance is building a better normal by bringing together the powerful strengths within the Birth Parent National Network (BPNN). The Alliance is holding Caring Conversations every Monday to support us all and to facilitate our collective wisdom. Social connections are a powerful protective factor in our lives. However, because of the necessary social distancing to avoid the Coronavirus, it is easy to feel isolated. Through these virtual meetings, we can come together and share our experiences, successes and concerns.
Register HERE to participate in the next Caring Conversation.
Resources
What Parents Say About…
The Children’s Trust Fund Alliance joined with a group of parents from the BPNN to produce these issue briefs. They include the perspectives of parents with life experiences in using services to strengthen their families and focus on timely and important topics.
- What Parents Say About…Supporting Families to Provide a Strong Start for Their Young Children
- What Parents Say About…Building a 21st Century Community-Based Approach to Strengthening Families
- What Parents Say About…Keeping Families Together and Strong Through Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies
- What Parents Say About…Prevention Strategies that Work to Keep Families Together, Resilient and Strong
- What Parents Say About…Using the Protective Factors to Understand Substance Abuse and Recovery
- What Parents Say About…What Works in Substance Abuse Recovery to Strengthen Protective Factors in Families and Ensure Children’s Safety and Well-Being
To download one or all six of the popular What Parents Say About… issue briefs, click on the button below:
New Issue Brief
What Parents Say About…Supporting Families to Provide a Strong Start for Their Young Children is written by Tecoria Jones and Edwin Daye, two members of the BPNN. They provide a parent perspective on access to prevention strategies, community support for parents, special considerations for COVID-19 and how policymakers and leaders can help. Tecoria and Edwin point out that all families need and benefit from support and that we all can help ensure a better tomorrow for our children.
Parent Partner Compendium
The Alliance created the document, Parent Partnership Compendium of Organizations, in partnership with parents. The compendium provides an overview of organizations nationwide that partner with parents to support, strengthen and sustain healthy families and communities. It includes a range of resources such as parent partner programs, support groups, parenting initiatives, networks and national organizations that provide technical assistance, training and systems improvements. This is an evolving list and will be updated as new information is received. To submit new information, contact info@ctfalliance.org.
Parents Impact Policy
Family First Prevention Services Act
The Family First Prevention Services Act was passed by Congress in February 2018. This groundbreaking legislation changes the way child welfare systems can support families and provides new resources for prevention of foster care. The Alliance and our parent partners are working hard to educate policymakers charged with implementing this new legislation.
See additional information about FFPSA, including both a short and detailed summary of the legislation, an implementation timeline and the law language. Check out the resources below:
- Family First Prevention Services Act Overview – BPNN April 5, 2018 Webinar
- Deep Dive into the Family First Prevention Services Act – BPNN April 23, 2018 Webinar
- Family First Prevention Services Act Short Summary – Developed by Casey Family Programs
- From Parents, For Parents: Key Opportunities for Families – Developed by Children’s Trust Fund Alliance
Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis is a serious problem for many families and our nation. The Alliance and our partners are speaking out about strong supports for families facing this challenge. Casey Family Programs’ CEO William C. Bell testified at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the impact of the opioid crisis on children and families.
Events
2021 BPNN Webinars
Mark your calendar and save the following Thursdays for upcoming BPNN webinars:
- August 26, 2021
- October 28, 2021
The 90-minute webinars begin at 10 am PT, 11am MT, 12 pm CT and 1 pm ET. The BPNN’s 7th annual virtual convening is set for the first week of December. Download the 2021 BPNN Membership Recruitment Flyer and Calendar for more information about how you can make a difference by joining the BPNN.
February 25, 2021 – Celebrating National Leadership Month and Black History Month
Webinar Materials:
May 27, 2021 – The Power and Impact of Parent Voice
Webinar Materials:
BPNN Webinars Archive
2020 Webinars
May 26, 2020 – Parent Advisory Councils and Authentic Partnerships
- Video Recording
- PowerPoint
- Arizona Department of Child Safety PAC Handouts
- Arkansas Division of Family and Child Services PAC Handouts
- Georgia Division of Family and Child Services PAC Handouts
- Children’s Trust Fund Alliance Training and Technical Assistance Flyer
July 14, 2020 – Policy Discussions and Developments Affecting Children and Families
July 29, 2020 – Elevating the Impact of COVID on Parents Involved in Child Welfare
July 30, 2020 – Parent Advisory Councils and Authentic Partnerships Part 2
- Video Recording
- PowerPoint
- Arizona Department of Child Safety PAC Handouts
- Arkansas Division of Family and Child Services PAC Handouts
- Georgia Division of Family and Child Services PAC Handouts
- Children’s Trust Fund Alliance Training and Technical Assistance Flyer
October 22, 2020 – Race Talk: Facilitating Effective Conversations for Addressing Racial Justice and System Inequities
2019 Webinars
February 2019 – Celebrate National Parent Leadership Month with the BPNN and ANPPC
May 2019 – Parent Partnerships
August 2019 – Practice Changes in Sonoma County
- Video
- Meeting Agenda
- PPT Handouts
- How Birth and Foster Parent Partnerships Can Help Families Reunify
- ACYF Memoranda Subject “Engaging, empowering, and utilizing family and youth voice in all aspects of child welfare to drive case planning and system improvement.”
- Attachment A: Levels of Engagement Defined
- Attachment B: Family and Youth Involvement in the Child and Family Services Review Process (CFSR)
- Attachment C: Regional Program Managers – Children’s Bureau
October 2019 – Update on Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)
2018 Webinars
BPNN Virtual Convenings
2020 Virtual Convening
Creating Thriving Families and Communities in a 21st Century Child Well-Being System
December 3, 2020
Part 1 – Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework: Bringing the Protective Factors to Life in Your Work
- Part 1 Recording
- Convening Slides Part 1 (PDF)
- Clipboard – Protective Factors Definitions (English)
- Clipboard – Protective Factors Definitions (Spanish)
- Training of Trainers Ripple Effect
- Bringing the Protective Factors to Life in Your Work Training Flyer
Part 2 – Communities of Hope
2019 Virtual Convening
Prevention Across the Continuum
December 3, 2019
- BPNN 2019 Virtual Convening Agenda
- BPNN 2019 Virtual Convening Presenters’ Bios
- BPNN 2019 Virtual Convening PowerPoint Slides Handout
- BPNN 2019 Virtual Convening Recording
- BPNN 2020 Recruitment Flyer
- Authentic Community Engagement to Advance Equity – Office of Health Equity, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
- What Is a Family Resource Center – National Family Support Network
- 2019 State Network Snapshots – National Family Support Network
- Family First Prevention Services Act – Healthy Families America
- Evidence of Effectiveness – Healthy Families America
- Healthy Families America Prevents Child Abuse and Neglect
- What is the Healthy Families Advantage?
- Family Voices United Recruitment Flyer
2018 Virtual Convening
Putting Families First
November 27, 2018 – Session 1
- BPNN 2018 Virtual Convening Session 1 PowerPoint Handout
- BPNN 2018 Virtual Convening Recording
- BPNN – From Parents to Parents: Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)
- Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) – Short Summary
- Birth and Foster Parent Partnership Position Statement
December 4, 2018 – Session 2
