Family Advocacy Outreach Network

It was so great representing NCMEC at NOVA's 50th Annual Conference last week! There were over 2200+ attendants this year, and so many came by NCMEC's booth to learn more about the work NCMEC does, the amazing resources NCMEC has, and what they can do to help in their homes and community. Thank you for having us NOVA!

The Family Advocacy Outreach Network is expanding! FAON has 360+ members and we are working hard to grow so that more people have access to the therapeutic and counseling services they deserve. Please share this image to spread the word about FAON and encourage your colleagues to learn more. If you know someone that's interested in joining, have them scan the QR code to fill out an application today!

Did you know...? July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! As a valued member of FAON, you understand the importance of mental health regardless of where you come from. It's important to take a moment to appreciate one's access to mental health services, but also to recognize there is a lot of work to be done in mental health recognition and access, especially for underserved and underrepresented communities of color. FAON is ready and proud to serve those in need of mental health intervention and we are here to support you every step of the way! If you'd like to learn more about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, please check out the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) article by clicking on the link below: https://lnkd.in/ehMfmphK Additionally, in May and June, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), along with other federal, state, and local agencies, conducted their second nationwide search called, Operation We Will Find You 2 (OWWFY2). This amazing and collaborative effort resulted in the recovery of 200 missing children across the country. Learn more about this incredible feat by clicking the link below: https://lnkd.in/eZKPN9Z5 Finally, if you haven't done so already, please check out our newest course on your NCMEC Connect account called, Mitigating Trauma During Recovery & Reunification After Family Abduction. It has amazing and important insights for what FAON members can do when assisting with the recovery and reunification of family members after an abduction has occurred. You can find it in your NCMEC Connect account in the FAON Content Catalog. As always, thank you for all the incredible work you do every day and happy National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month!

Join NCMEC's Family Advocacy Outreach Network!

If you're an FAON Member, you might have heard about some exciting updates and resources NCMEC recently released! FAON now has TWO infomercials that highlight why others should join FAON and what FAON is all about! You may even recognize a few familiar faces from the FAON Training back in September! Please check them out and feel free to share with any of your colleagues who may be interested in joining FAON too. You can find them on our new FAON webpage! You read that right, FAON has its own webpage! This webpage includes all the information someone would need if they wanted to join FAON, but also includes resources specific to FAON, as well as the two FAON infomercials, testimonials from fellow FAON members, and so much more! You can find this exciting new webpage here: https://lnkd.in/eV2nX2CN . We recently created a new E-Learning course called, Mitigating Trauma During Recovery & Reunification After Family Abduction, now available on NCMEC Connect. The course should only take 15 minutes to complete, so check it out if you have the time, there’s lots of insightful stuff in there! Go to your NCMEC Connect account and check it out: https://lnkd.in/eSS-vNgY . There will also be another course coming out during the summer focusing on Child Sex Trafficking titled, Mitigating Trauma During Recovery & Reunification of Missing Youth Exploited by Sex Trafficking, so keep an eye out for that as well! As always, thank you all for the wonderful, life-changing work that you do and thanks for being a part of FAON! If you're interested in joining FAON or want to learn more, please reach out to [email protected] !!!

There's more to celebrate today than flowers and chocolate; today also marks the 20th Anniversary of FAON! NCMEC received the first FAON application twenty years ago, today, after our department's Vice-President saw the need for additional mental health support in our field. And now, two decades later, FAON has expanded to over 340 individuals and organizations across the country. We thank you for your hard work and dedication to those we serve and look forward to what the next 20 years will bring! 

"Thank you so much for connecting us all from the training and for all your hard work putting the conference together. I am so impressed with all of the work NCMEC and FAON are doing. I cannot stop sharing all I learned with colleagues and my family!" - FAON Member One month ago today, therapists and counselors from across the country gathered together at NCMEC's Headquarters to hear from experts and survivors on how to better serve those who we are here for. The training took place over the span of 4 days and was very heavy for those in attendance. However, through the heaviness, there was a depth of knowledge, insight, and perspective that better equipped our FAON Members to take on some especially challenging and complex situations. This knowledge will only spread to others that our members are connected to, which will increase our reach and ability to help others and gain more insight. We thank each and every one of you that took the time to attend this training and we are honored to have you be an invaluable member of this network, and by extension, someone's healing journey. We are here to support you all and to make good on our belief that every child deserves a safe childhood.

"I want to thank each of you involved with the entire planning process and implementation of this amazing training!! There is so much that went into this opportunity down to the delicious catering and comfortable place to learn. I am already planning to implement skills I took away from the week/weekend TODAY. You all are so awesome and passionate about the work you do and I am so honored to be a part of FAON. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for the wonderful hospitality and learning opportunities!!" - FAON Member There was a lot of planning and preparation that went into our FAON Training, but it was worth every second! These trainings are such a unique opportunity for our FAON members to really dig into complex and nuanced situations; which newcomers and experienced professionals can all take something away from. We were honored to host everyone who could attend and we look forward to doing so again in the future!

"Thank you for a wonderful conference. I learned so much and refreshed some previous information as well. I really took away so much from each session. Thank you to you and your team for the hard work and dedication that went into the planning and execution of the conference. I stand ready to serve." - FAON Member Another great testimony from an FAON Member who attended our 4-day training a couple weeks ago. Whether this was a member's first time attending, or they have gone through it before, we know there is always something new to learn and integrate into our work every day. To everyone who attended this year's FAON Training, thank you. To those who are considering attending our next one, we hope to see you then!

"The training was amazing, and seriously, thank you and the whole team for working it for us. I know how draining those evenings/weekends can be but please know, this training and trip was the highlight of my year." - FAON Member It was just last week that we had over 40 FAON Members, speakers, and survivors convene at NCMEC's Headquarters in Alexandria, VA for our 8th Building Bridges FAON Training. It was a heavy 4 days, but the knowledge and insight that our attendees got was invaluable for themselves and for those they serve. Thank you again to everyone who attended this year's FAON Training, and we hope you'll join us when we do it again!