Family Partnerships

Role of Parents

Parents play a vital role in the program planning and evaluation, quantitatively and qualitatively.  Parents are involved in preliminary planning and implementation of each program.  There are parent representatives on the MCH Advisory Council and parents champion the Sickle Celle Associations in the Territory with whom we partner.  In line with our commitment towards parent involvement and engagement, the program is working was successful in hiring our first paid family representative in 2018.  The following narrative speaks to some of the family partnership activities held over the last year, as told by our Family Representative:

Family Involvement is happening everyday with mothers in our clinics, newborn and regular hearing screening clinics, home visiting, and with your new program Project Launch. Parents are encouraged and invited to attended trainings, workshops, and to join the different special needs councils. 

The Department is also involved with Family Voice VI, CDC Ambassador of the Virgin Islands and VI Act Early and VI Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.  As a grandma, I am in two parents’ group by phone one with the VI Blind and Deaf out the University of Florida and the other one with Hands of Voices.  The support of speaking and hearing each other experiences as been great for my family.  So, I am encouraging my parents to join.  At the department of health, we have a program by the name Healthy Families Virgin Islands Home Visiting Program, and they have been helpful with your newborn mothers and babies. 

Additionally, I have owned and operated a daycare for the past 20 years and I have seen so many challenges that parents and their children have experienced. I made a point to learn and attend child development conferences and other educational efforts so I can assist them as well.  

The program provides services for children with special health care needs and works through established formal and informal relationships with other public agencies, academic institutions, and health care facilities.  The program also offers national guidance through conferences and workshops which brings to light the challenges and obstacles that are experienced, but at the same time enlightens on the benefits and the rights that are afforded.  

Some of those programs we have done are through the EDIH, Family Café, collaboration with community agencies that deals with children with special needs, outreach efforts on the impact of ZIKA on families, work closely with the deaf and blind and other efforts to assist this special population.

At this point, the MCH Program is currently exploring ways to support the implementation of the national Family Voices Organization in the USVI.  We have participate in several meetings thus far. This is an area that I am very excited about and look forward to working more jointly with children and parents through the department’s mission of providing care and support.