Family Alliance for Community Support

Family Alliance for Community Support (FACS) is a non-profit family centered advocacy and support organization incorporated in the District of Columbia on November 28, 2000. The organization was founded July 7, 2000 with the mission to enhance and promote the mental health and academic performance of children, youth, and families in the District of Columbia through facilitation, advocacy and support. The organization believes that families play an important role in the treatment process and overall services of their children. Family involvement is a key element of FACS vision and mission. Evidence based practices and research demonstrate the critical importance of family involvement in every aspect of a child’s diagnosis, treatment, care, as vital on administrative level where policies, planning, and evaluation of services are conducted. FACS family members are experts and 24 hour a day caretakers of their children. Their viewpoint adds a dimension of care that can affect positive outcomes. FACS organizational goals include the following; (1) to ensure that the direct voices of the family members of children with serious emotional disorders are integral to service delivery and system change, and (2) to help create a mental health treatment culture that embraces resiliency, family member empowerment, best practices, accountability, responsibility, and choice. Evelyn "Abby" Robinson is the current President of FACS. Ms Abby is a Family Advocate whose main interest is Children and educational issues.