The Strengthening The Strengthening Families ProgramFamilies 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 Curriculum contains three courses:courses:

Parent’s Skills TrainingParent’s Skills Training

Children’s Skills TrainingChildren’s Skills Training

Family Life Skills TrainingFamily 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 playPractice communication skillsPractice structured family

activitiesLearn to hold Family MeetingsPractice effective limit-settingPlan family activities

Benefits Extended byBenefits Extended by::

• Weekly telephone coaching contacts Weekly telephone coaching contacts with participant parents by program with participant parents by program facilitators.facilitators.

• Formal booster session on family skills Formal booster session on family skills

3-months after program completion.3-months after program completion.

• Support and camaraderie between Support and camaraderie between parent participants and positive social parent participants and positive social interactions between child participants.interactions between child participants.

DECREASED parental distressParental perception of child as a difficult childtotal parenting stress

DECREASED parental reports of children’s problem behavior.

Local OutcomesINCREASED parental reports of overall improvements in their child’s social skills.

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