Building Stronger Families, Sherri Caldwell, Karen Dukes-Smith

1. Strengthening Families Program
(6-11)
A Community Overview for Implementation
September 17, 2015
Presented by:
Karen Dukes-Smith
Sherri Caldwell

2. FAMILY FUN ACTIVITY
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3. Strengthening Families Program
 1st research-based family program designed specifically
for substance abusing parents and their children
 Developed on NIDA grant, 1982-1988
 Developed for elementary school-aged youth, ages 6-11
 Adapted for 3-5 and 12-16 age groups
 Selective prevention for at-risk groups of youth but also
successful as universal
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4. SFP:
Four Age-Appropriate
Programs
Families with Children Birth– 3
Families with Children 3-5
Families with Children 6-11
Families with Children 12-16

5. SFP: Goals and Settings
 SFP is therapeutic, but not therapy;
personal disclosure is not required
 Strong families reduce risk for many adverse
behaviors in children & teens
 SFP makes family life less
 stressful and more rewarding
 for parents under stress.
 SFP is delivered by schools,
faiths, and community agencies
for voluntary, referred, required
and mandated families
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6. SFP: Important Points
 SFP is three skills courses:
Parenting, Children’s, & Family Skills.
 SFP skills are for all families; they are not special
skills for deficient families.
 SFP makes learning “Life Skills”
easier for high-stress families.
 SFP: a “family” is one or more adults with long-
term responsibility for one or more children; a
“parent” has that responsibility.
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7. SFP:
An Evidence-Based
Practice

8. Evidence-based Programs (EBP)
• EBPs or Empirically Supported Treatments
(ESTs) have positive research results.
• The best EBPs are replicated programs with
large effect sizes.
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author.

9. SFP:
How and Why
It Works

10. Skills Training
Curriculum
Overview

11. SFP:
Three Age-Appropriate
Programs
Families with Children 3-5
Families with Children 6-11
Families with Children 12-16
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12. SFP (3-5/6-11/12-16):
Core Curriculum Components
• Parent/youth Attachment and Bonding
(Weeks 1-4)
• Parent/youth Communication/Family
Organization (Weeks 5-10)
• Parental Supervision, Building Discipline
(Weeks 11-13)
• Graduation
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13. FAMILY
RITUAL
ACTIVITY
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14. Family Environment Risks
• Family conflict
• Lack of love, care, & support
• Lack of supervision or discipline
• Lack of family rituals
• Low expectations for school success
• Lack of communication
• Sexual or physical abuse
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15. •No
•Substance
•Use
•Family
•Supervision
•Family
•and Peer
•Norms
•Female: (n=5,488)
•Male: (n=3,023)
•Family
•Bonding
•Academic
•Self-Efficacy
•Self-Control
•Social and
•Community
•Prevention
•Environment
SFP Expected to Strengthen Major
Protective Factors for Drug Use
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16. Family Protective Processes
• Parent/child attachment
• Parental monitoring and discipline
• Consistent, predictable parenting
• Parents’ communication of values and
expectations not to use drugs
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17. SFP Teaches Resiliency Skills
• Social skills: speaking and listening
• Planning & organizing: family meetings
• Problem solving
• Peer resistance
• Restoring self-esteem
• Identifying feelings, taking criticism
• Emotional management, coping with anger
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18. SFP Enhances Resiliency
Factors
• Stresses importance of one caring adult
• Increases opportunities to help others
• Increases social skills for home & away
• Increases self-discipline Increases
communication of family expectations
about drugs & alcohol
• Stresses parents should help children with
critical life decisions
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19. SFP MAJOR OBJECTIVES
• Improve Family Relations
• Increase Parenting Skills
• Increase Children’s Skills
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20. SFP Component
Outcomes
• Parent Training: increases parenting skills and decreases
children’s conduct disorders and decreased family conflict
• Children’s Skills Training: Increased children’s social
skills
• Family Skills Training: Increased family cohesion and
organization; reduced parent & child alcohol/drug use
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21. SFP 5-Year Follow-up Results
 97% More quality spent time with child
 95% More appropriate consequences
 94% Increased enjoyment of the child
 84% Better problem solving with child
 75% Reduced family stress & conflict
 68% Holding family meetings monthly
 37% Holding a family meeting weekly
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22. SFP
Set-up and Staffing

23. SFP in Practice
• SFP: 3 Life Skills Courses:
Parents, Children’s & Family Skills
• All three are taught together,
typically over 14 weeks.
** Courses can be “unbundled,” but are most
effective when taught together.
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24. Family Eligibility
• Youth Between Ages 6-11
• Parent Willing to Participate in the
Program
• Primary Care Giver- Responsible Adult
• Able to participate in a group
• Can Add New Families up to Session 3,
then group is closed
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25. A Typical Weekly Session
• Dinner - families sit together, with other
families & Group Leaders
• 1st Class Hour: Parents’ Group and
Children’s Group
• 2nd Class Hour: families rejoin & divide into
Family Group(s)
• Baby-sitting: for children under 6;
(ideally, activities for children not
participating in child groups)
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26. SFP Typical Class Session
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FAMILY STYLE
MEAL
1 Hour Simultaneously
+
1 Hour
CHILD
GROUP
PARENT
GROUP
FAMILY
GROUP(S)

27. Sailboat Activity
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28. Staffing
• 2 Group Leaders in All Parent and Youth
groups
• Site Coordinator on Site to Coordinate- Does
Not Lead a Group
• Childcare for Younger Children
• Quality: Leader’s effectiveness
• Cultural Competence: Leader’s relationship
with group & Characteristics
• Able to work with individuals and groups
• Understands SFP & How it WorksAhearn Greene Associates, LP, Olney, Maryland, copywrite 2013, to be used only with express written permission of AGA. personnel. 27

29. Top Qualifications for Leaders
 Sincere desire to help families learn SFP
 Interpersonal skills: one-to-one & group
 Understanding why and how SFP works
 Balance teams to include men & women,
ethnicities
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30. Site: Safe, Welcoming, Accessible
• 3 rooms minimum:
– 1 large room for meals, baby-sitting
– 2 smaller rooms for Parent’s & Children’s groups
and then Family groups
• Agency site or community partner: church,
housing authority
• Size: Ideally for 6-12 families. But how big are
your rooms? Your families?
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31. “Extras” - that aren’t extras
• Meals: remove an obstacle and provide an
incentive to attend
• Transportation: know what you can do to get
families there
• Baby-sitting: for children under 6, activities for
children over 11 years
• Small rewards for attending, home practice,
progress
• A BIG graduation & party
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32. SFP SAMPLE BUDGET
(10 Families)
 Site Coordinator: (14 weeks x $20/hr x 10hrs/week) $2,800
 Group Leaders: (4 x 14 weeks x $15/hr x 5 hrs/week) 4,200
 Food: (14 sessions x 10 families x $10/family) 2,100
 Child Care: (14 wks x 2 staff x $10/hr x 3 hrs) 840
 Supplies: (paper products, toys) 500
 In-Session Incentives: ($75 x 10 families) 750
 Completion Incentives: ($75 x 10 families) 750
 Graduation Celebration: 600
 Handbook Duplication: (15 parents + 20 children x $8) 280
 Transportation: (variable) 700
 Manual Duplication: (4 trainers x $30/set – one time) 120
Total $13,540
**Costs vary by site and in-kind contributions
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33. Steps to Implementation
• Identify and Engage Community Partners, Stakeholders
and Intended Participant Population
• Purchase of Curriculum CD for intended SFP age group
• Group Leader Training
• Recruit Families
• Schedule Sessions in Keeping with Community Calendar
• Arrange Transportation and Childcare/ Remove Barriers
to Attendance
• Provide all SFP Fidelity Benchmarks
• Seek Technical Assistance Immediately if problems
emerge
• Evaluate Program for Fidelity and Outcomes, if budget
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34. Make the
Program
Fun!!!!!

35. What’s
Not Clear?
Questions
Concerns
Comments
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36. How to Contact Us
Karen Dukes-Smith, SFP Coach
Phone: 803.744.4045
Email: kdukessmith@scchildren.org
Sherri L. Caldwell, SFP Coach
Phone: 803.744.4024
Email: scaldwell@scchildren.org
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