Our Coalition
Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) helps families who care for someone with behavioral health needs. Using our personal experience, we connect, support and empower Maryland’s families. Our staff provide one-to-one support to people who care for someone with mental health, substance use or problem gambling challenges.
MCF empowers families by:
- Helping them access and navigate services and systems
- Providing them with tools to advocate for themselves and their loved one
- Connecting families to each other to build natural support systems
- Ensuring their voice and perspective is heard in all the places decisions about them are being made
- Raising public awareness and fighting stigma
Founded by a coalition of family support organizations, Maryland Coalition of Families was incorporated in 1999 as a nonprofit organization. Our name changed from "Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health" to "Maryland Coalition of Families" in 2016. MCF is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of at least 51% adult caregivers of a family member with a mental health, substance use or problem gambling challenge. All our family support staff have cared for a loved one with behavioral health needs and have been trained to help other families.
Our Mission
Using our personal experience caring for loved ones with behavioral health needs, we connect, support and empower Maryland’s families and advocate to improve systems that impact individuals with behavioral health challenges.
Our Vision
For children, youth and adults with behavioral health challenges we envision wellness and a stigma-free community that values the perspective of loved ones.
We Believe
- Children, youth and adults with behavioral health needs are valued and require individualized services to achieve their full potential.
- Parents and caregivers are equal partners in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating services.
- People with behavioral health needs do best when loved ones are active partners in their care.
- Effective services for individuals and families should build on their identified strengths and be responsive to their needs.
- Local and state systems of care must be culturally and linguistically competent and respectful of the person with behavioral health needs and their loved ones.
- Recovery is possible.
Our Values
- We respect the dignity and individual differences of each family.
- We honor the rights of parents and caregivers to play an active role when making decisions for their children.
- We work in partnership with providers, policymakers, administrators and other advocacy organizations to improve systems that touch individuals with behavioral health challenges.
- We are responsible for providing families with understandable, complete and accurate information.
- We are committed to self-empowerment of loved ones through support, training and education.
- We are accountable to families, the community and to funders for the performance and quality of services and supports provided by MCF.
- We respect and embrace the unique qualities, characteristics and identities of all those we serve and treat everyone compassionately and without judgement.