If you’ve been to the Families as Allies office in Jackson, you know that our core values are one of the first things you see when you walk through the door. We’ve emblazoned them on our walls. There’s a reason for that: Our core values define us.
Our first core value is: “We value every child and family. We will not judge you or blame you, and we will stand with you if you feel judged or blamed by others.”
If you have reached out to us for support, you know two of our first questions are “What do you want for your child right now?” and “What do you want for your child in the long run?”
Our mission is to make sure that families are partners in their children’s care. By that, we mean that Mississippi’s system of care for children must be family-driven. Family-driven means that “families have the primary role in decisions regarding their children as well as the policies and procedures governing the well-being of all children in their community, state, tribe, territory and nation.” The first principle of family-driven practice is “families and youth share and have access to accurate, understandable, and complete information necessary to set goals and to make informed decisions.”
Taken together, these things mean we will stand with you and help you advocate to get what you want for your child, both now and in the future. We trust you as the primary decision-makers in your child’s life, and we strongly believe that families should have the primary decision-making role in policies about our children. Families must have complete and accurate information to make those decisions.
This past week, several families have shared their reactions to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy’s remarks about the Centers for Disease Control’s recently released report, “Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States, 2022.”
As you think through if and how Secretary Kennedy’s remarks relate to your family, we share these thoughts with you:
- We will stand by you and advocate with you for the things that you most want for your child now and in the future.
- We respect you as the primary decision-maker in your child’s care.
- We believe families and people with autism must be the guiding force for any policies about autism. Please reach out to the Secretary with your feedback.
- Find out as much as you can about any issue, including this one. Evaluate sources for how accurate and objective they seem to be. Let us know if we can support you in your research.
- Every family’s experience is different. We can learn from all of them.
