Transcript The Strengthening Families Program

The Strengthening
Families Program
The Charlottesville/Albemarle Prevention
Coalition
Region Ten Community Services Board
Program Structure:
• The Strengthening
Families Program is a
14-week family skills
training program
• It Is Different than
parent education, or
children’s social skills
training in that
children and parents
are intensively
trained together.
Curriculum contains three courses:
Parent’s Skills Training
Children’s Skills Training
Family Life Skills Training
Program Night:
 Starts with half an hour of
dinner and socializing.
 Each session is 2 hours in
length.
 1st Hour: Children and
Parents participate in
separate classes, led by 1-2
trained bachelors or
masters level facilitators.
 2nd Hour: Children and
parents participate in
Family Skills Training
Session TOGETHER, led by 2-3
facilitators.
Strengthening Family
Program Incentives:
 Program is Free of Charge
 Dinner provided
 Transportation provided if necessary
 Drawings for gift-certificates for parents
each session
 Regular social rewards for children; earned
rewards at set session intervals
 Incentives for attendance.
 Graduation celebration to celebrate with
other family and friends.
Engage in therapeutic child play
Practice communication skills
Practice structured family activities
Learn to hold Family Meetings
Practice effective limit-setting
Plan family activities
Benefits Extended by:
• Weekly telephone coaching contacts with
participant parents by program facilitators.
• Formal booster session on family skills 3months after program completion.
• Support and camaraderie between parent
participants and positive social
interactions between child participants.
Local Outcomes
INCREASED parental reports of overall
improvements in their child’s social skills.
DECREASED parental reports of children’s
problem behavior.
DECREASED
parental distress
Parental perception of child as a difficult
child
total parenting stress
Strengthening Families Program
Recognitions
Model Program:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
Programs That Work:
National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
Promising Program:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S.
Department of Justice
Exemplary Program: U.S. Department of Education