Joint Family Support Assistance Program (JFSAP)

Alicia RussoNYS Military OneSourceJFSAP Consultant

Jolene Kent-Stanley

Child & Youth Behavioral MFLC

The Challenge

Increased stressors on Reserve component due to current ops tempo

Geographically dispersed families may be unaware of resources and supports

Communities unaware of military needs and culture

Perceived lack of support can result in significant disruption during periods of deployment

A Solution

FY07 National Defense Authorization Act, Sect 675:The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a joint family support assistance program for the purpose of providing assistance to families of the members of the Armed Forces including:

Financial and material assistance Mobile support services Sponsorship of volunteers and family support Coordination of family assistance programs Facilitation of discussion on military family assistance

programs between and among military & civilian stakeholders

Authority

OSD Office of Military Community & Family Policy (MCFP) Technical assistance, training and guidance Evaluates outcome measures and develops

Congressional reports Support of team’s co-location at Joint Force HQ Support of Total Force, Joint and Inter-Service

capabilities

Authority

Joint Family Support Resource Center (JFRC)

Gather and disseminate information and resources Implement JFSAP trainings Partner with national organizations Resolve state-specific issues Scheduling of JFSAP members for events and

briefings Identify issues and trends

JFRC

Toll Free: 888-256-9920 Email: jfsap@jfsap.org Web: http://jfsap.mhf.dod.mil 30 Day lead time

Goals

Create a web-enabled community that will allow families to connect with each other and supportive resources 24/7

Increase the availability of resources for families Increase awareness of members and families of

resources available to them Inform command and support staff about

resources and how they can be accessed Integrate services and information into a a

cohesive delivery system that can be accessed at any stage of deployment

JFSAP Supports

Emergency Financial

Assistance Referral

Emergency Financial

Assistance Referral

Inter-service Coordination

Inter-service Coordination

Youth/Parent Education Programs

Youth/Parent Education Programs National, State

& Community Referrals

National, State & Community

Referrals

Accessing Resources &

Services

Accessing Resources &

Services

Resource Awareness Education

Resource Awareness Education

AdvocacyAdvocacy

Life Skills Education

Life Skills Education

Intervention &

Counseling

Intervention &

Counseling

What Does This Mean?

JFSAP team located in each state

Travel throughout the state to work with all service

branches

Outreach and assistance to members, families &

Command

Information, advocacy, resources and referrals

Support of other service providers

Community Capacity Building

Community Capacity Building

Partner with State, local and civilian non-profit programs Develop and maintain relationships with CPOCs Assess family needs and help ameliorate gaps in

support programs Educate the civilian sector about the culture, strengths

and needs of military in their community Support the building of stronger ties between the

military and other support programs Connect members, families and Command with

resources And…

Support of Military Stakeholders

Develop and maintain relationships with identified MPOCs Partner with DoD approved support programs Assess and differentiate strengths and needs of varying

branches and units Support mobilization, deployment and reintegration cycle Provide information resources to military support personnel Educate the military about available civilian resources to

decrease redundancy in program development

“What’s out there and how can you use it?”

Team Members

Military OneSource Consultant (MOSC)

Child & Youth Behavioral MFLC (CYB)

Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC)

And the choice of another position from above or a Personal Financial Consultant (PFC)

Military OneSource Consultant

Subject matter expert regarding Military OneSource resources and programs

Regional expert on community resources Connect families with mental health and financial

counseling programs Develop partnerships to coordinate military and

community resources Disseminate information and resources between

all involved parties

Child & Youth Behavioral MFLC

Child development subject matter expert Outreach to families with children to assess strengths

and needs Provide parenting and child development information Short-term supportive counseling and support referrals Develop child and youth resources within the

community Increase parent’s understanding of the affects of the

deployment cycle on children and youth Partner with educators to increase understanding of

military culture Assist OSD with dissemination of new initiatives

Military & Family Life Consultant

Provide short-term, non-medical counseling to individuals, couples and groups

Life skills and military lifestyle psycho-educational groups

Increase mental health resources within communities

Personal Financial Consultant

Provide financial education, counseling, information and referrals to members and families

Partner with Federal, State and local financial programs

Consult and train units and Command to increase financial readiness

Assist OSD with dissemination of financial initiative information

Resources

Military OneSource Active Duty, Guard and Reserve Military members, spouses, families, service

providers Private and no-cost Information, programs and resources Educational Materials Podcasts, libraries, toolkits

www.militaryonesource.com800-342-9647

Resources

MilitaryHOMEFRONT MC&FP program and policy information For families, leaders and service providers HOMEFRONT Connections MC&FP eMagazine National Resource Directory Plan My Move Casualty Assistance JFSAP Information

www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

Resources

American Red Cross Emergency Communications Services Access to Armed Forces Emergency Services Casualty Travel Assistance Program (CTAP) Volunteer opportunities for members and families Training support of military families; Babysitting, Pet

First Aid and swimming courses Deployment support

www.redcross.org 1-202-303-5000

Resources

Operation Military Kids Speak Out For Military Kids Ready! Set! Go! Hero Packs Yellow Ribbon Summer camps

www.operationmilitarykids.org

Resources

Zero To Three Coming Together Around Military Families

(CTAMF) Parent Flyers Supporting Young Children brochures Honoring Our Babies and Toddlers CTAMF E-newsletter

www.zerotothree.org

Resources

Our Military Kids Children of deployed National Guard & Reserve Children Active Duty, Guard & Reserve severely

injured service members Grants for sports, fine arts, and tutoring Other eligible programs i.e. Camp

www.ourmilitarykids.org703-734-6654

Resources

Sittercity DoD partnership = no-cost military memberships Self-service tool for matching parents with

services Spouses can post resumes and find jobs Babysitters: afterschool, extended work, PCS Nannies, pet sitting, eldercare, tutoring Background checks, approved installation access,

and references

www.sittercity.com/dod

Resources

National Military Family Association Military family oriented information Programs to sustain the military family Military spouse scholarship program Operation Purple program

www.militaryfamilies.org

Resources

Military K-12 Partners Students at the Center Tutor.com For military, educators, and parents Parent and educator information Legislation, grants & funding Military school liaison directories and contacts

www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu

JFSAP Summary

Mobile social support team for members and families

Total force and Joint Focus on geographically dispersed members Development of relationships with military, Federal,

state and local agencies Assessment of available resources Identification and amelioration of resource gaps Support partnerships between military and civilian

sectors Dissemination of resource availability to command,

staff, service and family members