Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group (MCAS)
Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group (MCAS) is a program created by Health Services for Children With Special Needs, Inc (HSCSN) Department of Family and Community Development in order to provide outreach, training opportunities and empowerment to male caregivers of children, youth, and young adults with special needs. MCAS is a community-based peer-to-peer program that provides peer support and mentoring to male caregivers. The core mission of MCAS is empowering male caregivers to serve as advocates for their children to ensure that the children have access to quality services such as healthcare and education.
Male caregivers of Children with Special Needs are frequently an overlooked group. MCAS offers a safe place for men to give and receive the emotional support that is traditionally more easily shared among women. This program provides an oasis of relief in a stigma-free environment which encourages the male caregivers to open up, express their opinions, show their feelings, and above all, to be heard. This support group has resulted in a local trend where more men are taking on a leadership role in the caregiving experience.
MCAS creates opportunities for different trainings and workshops that ultimately help the members to empower themselves. Further, the program works in partnership with Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development and Georgetown University School of Medicine in order to reduce barriers to heath care access and to increase health awareness.
MCAS members have participated in radio interviews; have been featured participants at the Afro America Family Conference, the School Readiness Conference, on WPGC (a Washington metropolitan area radio station), and DCTV (a local cable TV station). In addition, members of the MCAS participate in community events in which they advocate on behalf of the growing health care needs of their children, families and their community by applying the different trainings they received. MCAS members are active in conducting outreach for the group via distribution of brochures, and networking in their neighborhood and communities.
The MCAS Program is listed as a best practice model in the District of Columbia’s 2007 Medicaid Annual Report and recently received the 2011 National Fatherhood Initiative Grant for capacity building.
Your Voices are Important!
Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group meeting
Time: Every Wednesday 6:00-9:00p.m
Location: Family and Community Development Center
2124 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20020
For additional Information contact Cecil Doggette, Director Department of Family and Community Development, at 202-835 2771 or cdoggette@hscsn.org or call the Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group at 202-721-7172
Para informacion en Espanol favor de llamar a Jackie Velez al 202-580-6487
Please download and complete the MCAS Registration Form and bring it with you to your first meeting.
Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group-English PDF
Male Caregivers Advocacy Support Group- Spanish PDF
Fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, cousins and other male caregivers are invited to attend.