Strengthening Families Program Facilitator Training

Program Description
The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a highly successful, science-based family skills training program for children ages 6-11 and their families.  It is designed to increase resilience and reduce risk factors for behavioral, emotional, academic, and social problems.  SFP builds on protective factors by improving family relationships, parenting skills, and improving the youth’s social and life skills.  SFP fully meets all federal agencies’ standards for science-based prevention programs.  SFP is culturally sensitive rather than culturally specific, but has also been successfully adapted for African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and American Indian families.  It is also available in Spanish.  For nearly 20 years, SFP has been implemented in schools, drug treatment centers, family and youth service agencies, community mental health centers, housing projects, homeless shelters, churches, and drug courts. 

Program Format
SFP consists of parenting, children’s life skills, and family skills training courses taught together in 14 sessions.  The program requires a part-time site coordinator and family recruiter and four trainers to deliver the program (two parent trainers and two children’s trainers).  The program costs per course (one group of up to 14 families) vary tremendously depending on whether existing staff delivers the program as part of their regular job. 

Training Requirements
To be successful, staff needs to have experience in leading and facilitating groups of parents and/or children.  Para-professional or professional staff that effectively engage with parents and have an understanding of the risk and protective factors that put the family at risk are most likely to be successful. 

Additional Information
The training fee includes some technical assistance in implementation.  Additional implementation assistance and evaluation services and assistance are available.  A follow-up on-site visit once implementation has begun is often helpful in assuring fidelity and program effectiveness.