Parent-and family-based interventions are designed to improve family relations. There is growing evidence that these interventions, especially those that start early and recognize all the factors that influence a family, can have substantial, long-term effects in reducing violent behavior by children. Parent-and family-based interventions combine training in parenting skills, education about child development and the factors that predispose children to violent behavior, and exercises to help parents develop skills for communicating with their children and for resolving conflict in nonviolent ways. This type of intervention is ideal for families with very young children and for at-risk parents with a child on the way.
Many parents whose children have already displayed antisocial behaviors or have committed delinquent acts live in a stressful and isolating environment. Such parents may be economically distressed and socially cut off, with little access to financial or psychological support. The common belief is that it’s extremely difficult to implement effective parent-training programs for disadvantaged parents, particularly low-income single mothers. However, this perception is misleading. Interventions that involve parents in planning, recruitment, group leadership, and priority setting have successfully enlisted and retained low-income participants, have positively influenced parenting behaviors, and have enhanced family and community support networks
We envision a world of “parenting communities” where everyone living in a community is invested in the safety and strength of its families; where support manifests itself through the local businesses, community service providers, resources, and neighborhoods within it. Your support is critical in creating the conversation in communities across the globe and supporting the leadership that will emerge when families take the lead. There is a lot of work to be done to spread the message across the globe and develop new resources that support families in strengthening themselves by getting real, living the protective factors, and waking up to their potential.
Our Parent Leaders will engage you in how you can support the violence prevention efforts of your community. They will create conversation and dialogues and assist you with creating and implementing solutions to the issues that affect you daily.
As Parent Leaders, they will be holding important dialogues about how we can “take back the village,” begin to recover from decades of violence, and save our youth from the negative influences on the streets, by surrounding them with caring adults. Parent Leaders will form teams of ten to design and implement service projects which will contribute to building protective factors in their community. Service projects will be designed with an eye toward making a positive contribution to the community well beyond 2020. If you know people who have been “through the fire” in dealing with their own issues and have recently navigated the tricky waters and challenges of raising an adolescent, The Parent Program training and membership may be an opportunity for you to refer family, friends and community residents!
FACE will identify and train, part-time Parent Leaders (serving evenings and weekends), in your neighborhood. The training and community service positions would be a great way to help parents struggling to raise children in these challenging environments and times. Contribute to a unique effort dedicated to making our community stronger and better connected to its resources through leaders like you.
The Office of Family And Community Engagement offers a full training program to develop Parent Leaders as an effective, “go-to” community resource for other parents in your neighborhood.
We provide leadership training, background on the project’s outreach messages, and training on violence prevention strategies and other protective factors. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the PIRC: Parent Program team, they are first required to attend an orientation session to learn more.
Families Safety Net
Disproportionality is the overrepresentation of a particular race or cultural group in a program or system. This phenomenon has been documented for decades, nationwide, in different programs, such as special education services, juvenile justice, and the criminal justice system. African Americans are represented in these systems at higher rates than their percentage of the general population, both statewide and in the DCFS Regions that serve Chicago’s communities. The research in Illinois shows that large disparities exist at the point of maltreatment reporting. Research in Illinois also shows that African American children are less likely to attain permanence and that this disparity is greatest in Cook County.
The Families Safety Net (FSN) is a group of individuals and community-based organizations dedicated to harnessing the resources of private and public sector organizations operating in the Chicago area.
Our members provide effective, hands-on social services to families residing within the City of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The Safety Net strives to keep children with their families in a safe environment.
Our coalition of community organizations and individuals pursues the goal of keeping families together during these difficult times. The Safety net seeks to connect individuals in distress with the appropriate neighborhood services for resolving the challenges they face on a sustainable basis.
FSN would like to offer you the opportunity to become a community partner with this prevention program and send a liaison who will represent your organization and support the FSN’s efforts. Our partners are also encouraged to host one of our monthly sessions and/or parent meetings at your facility. Contribute to a unique effort dedicated to making your community stronger and better connected to its resources through leaders like yourself.
Disproportionality is complex and negatively impacts a number of social systems. Therefore, FACE seeks to partner with other human service agencies and community institutions to help make a difference in Chicago’s communities. DCFS plays an important role because it addresses the entire family unit and it has the potential to reduce future deleterious outcomes for African Americans. DCFS believes that by working with local, regional and state agencies and institutions, barriers to equal access to community services can be reduced.
Creating supportive community partnerships is a major component of our program. We hope you would accept this opportunity to serve your community by partnering with us in this effort to support families in your community.
