Strengthening Families is a nationally and internationally recognized parenting and family strengthening program for both high-risk and general population families. SFP is an evidence-based family skills training program found to:
• Significantly improve parenting skills and family relationships
• Reduce problem behaviors, delinquency, and substance abuse in children
• Improve social competencies and school performance
• Decrease child maltreatment through strengthened bonds between parent and child, and more effective parenting skills
• Trainers are provided with a DVD containing ten 30-minute SFP lessons and printable handouts.
See the Frequently-Asked Questions (below) for more details on SFP and how your church can get started.
Applications due: TBD
Application details: see below
Basics:
Three volunteers will participate in a two-day training to learn how to deliver the program to parents and caregivers. This training is made available at no cost to participants (see above). Upon completion, the trained volunteers (at least two per session) will facilitate 11 or 12 sessions targeting caregivers of children 7-17 years of age in the community. Each session generally lasts an hour and a half, although there is some flexibility.
Necessary components to participate:
1. A Healthy Congregations team. Not already participating? You can become eligible by signing up as a UM Healthy Congregation church.
For more information about Healthy Congregations and becoming part of this program, see the Healthy Congregations page.
2. Three volunteers to complete training and deliver the program
A team of three volunteers from your church and community to participate in the training – with at least two able to be present for each session. No specific background is required, but a significant time commitment is required so having someone who can tie this initiative into their work can be especially beneficial.
If your community is large enough, consider training two teams of three; likewise if your church and community are quite small, consider partnering with a nearby community to form a team.
