The Arizona Institute for Family Involvement (AIFI) is a division of the Family Involvement Center.  AIFI operates locally and nationally to assist communities and public child-serving systems in the development and sustainability of youth-guided, family-driven systems of care.  AIFI can host a variety of experiential and technical activities, as well as provide assistance to other states or communities around the country.  Areas of expertise include:

• System Transformation 
  Thoughout the country, states and communities are striving to transform children's behavioral health, infusing System of Care principles and methods.  In Arizona, the Family Involvement Center laid the foundation for system and organizational alignment of family voice.  AIFI offers other states, counties, communities and managed care organizations deep technical insight into successful approaches and methods for orchestrating systemic change, with a strong emphasis on family/professional and youth/professional partnership.  Elements of focus include operationalizing philosophy, financing, quantifying strategic objectives, policy development, program development, and family roles in quality management practices. 
  

• Behavioral Health Workforce Development
  Aligned with the strategies sited in Annapolis Coalition Report, a national research project on the behavioral health workforce (Executive Summary), the Family Involvement Center has a proven track record developing infrastructure and operational practices for recruiting, hiring, training, supervising and retaining a family/professional partnership workforce.  The AIFI draws upon “lessons learned,” working with both family-run organizations, System of Care sites and provider agencies, offering customized guidance to engage talent, manage, and reward human resources. 
  

• Establishing, Operating and Sustaining a Family-Run Organization
  Beginning in 2001, personnel at the Family Involvement Center began working with behavioral health state Medicaid officials and managed care organizations to create an innovative platform for supporting and sustaining a family-run organization.  Utilizing seasoned leaders, AIFI personnel and professional affiliates deliver executable strategies on all facets of creating and sustaining a family-run organization including financing, budgeting, contracting methods, policy and procedure development and human resources management.
  

• Establishing, Operating and Sustaining a Peer-to-Peer Service Agency
  Applying business economics to determine strategies and methods, AIFI can offer customized guidance and support to other organizations to create, sustain and enhance as a peer-to-peer provider agency.  Methodology for optimizing performance includes design, organizational structuring, program development and management, role definitions, marketing, contracting, pay source deliverables, clinical guidance and coordination with team members, clinical record keeping, and staff skill acquisition.

References

Pat Miles, Consultant

Sandy Bumpus, Wraparound Oregon/Oregon Family Support Network

John VanDenBerg Ph.D., Vroon VanDenBerg LLP

Gayle Wiler, United Advocates for Children of California

Joan Grey, Gila River Indian Community, Arizona

Technical Assistance Partnership for Children's Mental Health

National TA Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University

Portland State University Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health

University of South Florida Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health

For more information please contact Jane Kallal at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or 602.412.4070.