Vision
Families statewide are educated and empowered, and have access to what they need within their own communities.
Mission
Uniting Washington State family leaders in behavioral health care to strengthen children, youth, families, and community partnerships.
Values
- Family-Driven Decision Making
- Collaboration and Equal Partnerships
- Inclusive Practices
- Clear, Open, and Honest Communication
- Investing in Our Statewide Community
- Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Community Need
Often youth and families of children with complex behavioral healthcare needs are isolated and unable to access care in their own communities due to a lack of accessible information about behavioral health and related resources, challenging relationships between systems and families, stigma, and limited availability of specialized care or service.
WSCC is dedicated to fostering an ongoing respectful, inclusive,and transparent statewide community, led by families, and to promoting access to education and training, proactive community outreach for workforce development, and technical assistance with all our partners, with the goal of developing a responsive organizational culture of inquiry, reflection, and action.
Conceived in 1988 as “the Community Connectors,” WSCC began as a loose-knit gathering of families raising children with complex emotional needs who sought each other out for help and support as they navigated the often-challenging child-serving systems. In 2015, we incorporated as a 501c(3) nonprofit, expanding our capacity to provide support for families across Washington state. Almost all of our board and staff members are parents or caregivers who themselves have raised children with complex emotional needs, allowing us to bring our own personal lived experience to every meeting and connection.
We seek to continue to represent and strengthen our family-led membership by providing opportunities to support and encourage collaboration within the statewide network and with community and system partners. Through responsive support and technical assistance in the family-led community, as well as creating mechanisms for families to participate in state and local service planning and policy development, we can increase family voice and choice across the state.
