Strengthening Families Programs

Overview:

The Strengthening Families Program is a unique family change program designed to specifically address identified risk factors. This prevention program involves the whole family by combining three components:

• A parent skills training program
• A children's skills training program
• A family skills training program

The parent component aims to increase parenting skills by:

• Increasing positive attention and praise
• Increasing parent's empathy for the child
• Increasing parental supervision of children
• Decreasing parent's drug use and increase positive modelling
• Supporting the child's developmental stage

The children's component aims to increase children's resilience and life skills by:

• Increasing social competencies: communication, problem solving, peer resistance skills
• Improving emotional management; recognition of feelings and managing anger
• Increasing skills to resist anti-social behaviours and use of alcohol and other drugs

The family component aims to improve family relations by:

• Improving family communication
• Increasing parent/child time together
• Improving family organization and planning

Program Model:

The core program model provides a 14-week program for parents and children. The model has a specified delivery structure: each session begins with dinner, followed by separate one-hour sessions for parents and children followed by a 50-minute family session. The parent, child and family components are complementary, focusing on a similar skill.

History:

The Strengthening Families program was originally developed in the mid-1980's by Dr. Karol Kumpfer of the University of Utah, in response to a request from a methadone maintenance clinic for a program to help prevent substance abuse among children of parents in the program. The program model was developed for children aged 7 to 11 years old and their parents. Cultural adaptations for African American, Hispanic and Pacific Rim families followed. The Iowa State University then developed a program for youth, aged 10 to 14 and their parents in response to the challenges faced by economically distressed families in the rural regions of the state.

From 1997 to 2001, PAD played a critical role in a project let by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to adapt the SFP materials for use within Ontario. The adapted version, Strengthening Families for the Future, has maintained the original skill-building and behavioural orientation of the original but added more activities and new handouts. As well, the program has been made more inclusive for the multicultural and diverse populations. PAD was responsible for implementing three pilot tests of the modified program. In response to identified community needs, PAD has successfully adapted the program to an 8-week delivery and added a module on bullying.

Evaluations:

American research on the Strengthening Families Program has shown reduced family conflict, improved family communication and discipline, improved youth positive pro-social skills and reduced youth expectations to use alcohol and other drugs. The Strengthening Families program is included in Health Canada's "Preventing Substance Use Problems Among Young People: A Compendium of Best Practices. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is currently working with the University of Buffalo to evaluate Strengthening Families for the Future.

Program Applications and Specific Adaptations

While the Strengthening Families Program was originally developed as a prevention program for children who were at risk of developing alcohol and other drug problems due in part to their parent's substance abuse, the program is applicable to families within communities with other environmental risk factors. Families living with high levels of stress due to external factors such as poverty, unemployment, cultural isolation, settlement issues, racism and discrimination often have coinciding family risk factors such as poor family management skills, difficulty monitoring children's activities, and inconsistent discipline practices. Children in these circumstances are vulnerable to substance abuse and mental health problems as well as other social problems. The SFP specifically addresses these risk factors.

PAD Leadership Experience with SFP

PAD has had extensive involvement with the SFP model including:

• Training with Dr. Karol Kumpfer
• Adaptation of the materials from 1997 to present, with design and development of new activities
• Pilot testing of program with three sites:
  • Crèche Family and Child Centre / Family Reconnect
  • Addiction Services of York Region
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Facilitator training for Muskoka-Parry Sound, Regent Park Focus Coalition, University of Buffalo and three facilitation teams for the CAMH research project
• Implementation of the Strengthening Families for the Future in community settings with Central Neighbourhood House
• Implementation of the Strengthening Families for Youth 10-14 with East Metro Youth Services and O'Connor Focus Community Coalition
• Implementation of Strengthening Families in Cultural Communities with Griffin Centre, FSA and TDSB over 1998 - 2003, an adaptation of the model for Iranian families new to the country delivered in their language.
• Pilot testing and implementation of 8 module program including module on bullying with O'Connor Focus Community Coalition

		Joanne Brown, Program Director
		Parent Action on Drugs
		Phone: 416 395-4970          Fax: 416 395-4972
		E-Mail: pad@parentactionondrugs.org