The Strengthening Families Program is a research-based family skills program for parents and children ages 6-11 designed to reduce risk factors for substance abuse and behavioral issues. It consists of parent, child, and family skills sessions over 14 weeks to improve family relationships, parenting skills, and children's skills. Evaluations show the program increases positive parenting and family interactions while decreasing substance use and behavioral problems.

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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