Strengthening Families Services

The Delta Prevention Team has been implementing Strengthening Families programming for over 20 years. Our team is expert in program implementation and support to make it as seamless and successful as possible to implement Strengthening Families. Each agency that we work with chooses from a menu that we provide. Our services include;

Grant writing support, program planning and staffing, recruitment and family engagement, delivery of the 14-week program, staff training in the evidence-based model, fidelity and quality assurance, cultural congruency, adaptation, and program evaluation support.

We designed our menu of services to ensure effectiveness as established in the evidence-based model.

Implementation of the Strengthening Families program is an exciting prospect. The relationships formed and families changed. We want to make that a seamless process for you. Please call or email with questions or to discuss the possibilities. angeladare@deltaprevention.org or 916-531-0592. References happily provided.

Sample Implementation Scope of Work:

CONTRACTING AGENCY SFP TRAINING, IMPLEMENTATION & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

SFP(B-3) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION: Delta will support the implementation of “# CYCLES” SFP (B-5) cycle(s) at CONTRACTING AGENCY.  Cycle to start on or before DATE and to be completed on or before DATE.  Support to include compensation for SFP Fully Implemented SFP as detailed in SFP Sample Fidelity Budget for up to 12 families to include, food, supplies, incentives, graduation expenses, materials duplication, reasonable transportation costs, site coordination and assurance of recommended staffing levels for skills groups and childcare. CONTRACTING AGENCY to recruit and enroll 6-12 families of CONTRACTING AGENCY inmates with children age Birth to five years.  CONTRACTING AGENCY to provide facility for program.  CONTRACTING AGENCY be responsible for the overall implementation of the program and assurance of fidelity to the SFP model and compliance with all CONTRACTING AGENCY Facility and funding Rules and Regulations.  Delta will serve as consultant and assure quality and fidelity by providing consultation, technical assistance and fiscal responsibility for items and services noted in above description.  (SFP implementation support at rate of $xxx/cycle X # cycles)

SFP GROUP LEADER TRAINING: Provide virtual two-day SFP Group Leader Certification Training for up to 20 participants. Fee does not include SFP Curriculum CD.  Logistics and training materials to be provided by CONTRACTING AGENCY.

ONGOING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & FIDELITY ASSURANCE: To include quarterly or bi-monthly program development, fidelity technical assistance and quality assurance conference calls to support program implementation and coaching model. Additional  calls with CONTRACTING AGENCY as needed.  CONTRACTING AGENCY will convene calls as needed. Delta consultants to participate in call and offer real-time feedback and technical assistance.   Additionally, includes telephone and on-line technical assistance and fidelity assurance and consultation through email and ongoing contact with CONTRACTING AGENCY. 

SFP ADVANCED TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Provide one-day regional cross-site Advanced SFP Site Coordinator and Agency Managers.  Training for up to 30 participants.  Final agenda and activities to be collaboratively determined by CONTRACTING AGENCY and DELTA based on emergent fidelity and implementation issues.  Logistics and training materials to be provided by CONTRACTING AGENCY.

SFP Implementation & Curriculum Review and Adaptations: Review of curriculum and fidelity instruments with adaptations based on program experience, with particular attention to the child welfare and cultural congruence for identified population and participants of the project. Includes identified adaptions to SFP(B-5)curriculum submitted at end of funding year with Year-End Evaluation Report.

CONTRACTING AGENCY SFP EVALUATION PROGRAM EVALUATION

EVALUATION & DATA MANAGEMENT:  Includes Outcome & Fidelity Evaluation Management, Data Collection and Data Entry for all CONTRACTING AGENCY funded SFP cycles.  CONTRACTING AGENCY Coaches to provide Cycle List of all cycles included in Evaluation with quarterly updates with including site name, location of cycle, start date, end date and Coach name.  Evaluation Data for each cycle to be submitted to Delta in form of SFP Retrospective Parent Pretest/Posttest as PDF file and Fidelity Site Information Survey as Microsoft Word Document to be transmitted electronically within two weeks of end of cycle.  Group Leader Fidelity Checklists to be completed in surveymonkey within 48 hours of session.  Delta to provide monthly inventory Excel list of all submitted checklists. 

QUALITY ASSURANCE & FIDELITY EVALUATION SITE VISITS: Provide 15 site visits annually with selection based on semi-annual visits to  the CONTRACTING AGENCY funded SFP sites and/or need- based site-visits with selection determined by CONTRACTING AGENCY Program Manager and DELTA Evaluator.  Visits may be observational or interview and program development formats for quality and fidelity assurance.  Observational visits to include pre-visit telephone consultation with CONTRACTING AGENCY Coach, observations of SFP session with staff debriefing immediately following session at one SFP program session. Program development and interview site visit to include program staff interviews, focus groups and evaluation-based consultation. Travel included.

ANNUAL EVALUATION REVIEW AND CONSULTATION SITE VISIT : Evaluation Report Presentation with Evaluation and Review with future Implementation Planning. To include site visit for review of 2019 Evaluation Report submitted (Visit by Project Director)

OUTCOME EVALUATION: Includes analysis and interpretation of all SFP Retrospective Parent Pre/Post tests for cycles completed during the annual funding period. Pretest/posttest to be administered to all parents participating in program by site coordinators/Parent Group Leader and transmitted electronically as PDF file with Cover Sheet to DELTA by CONTRACTING AGENCY Program Manager.  Outcome measures include the 14 established SFP parent, child and family outcomes with aggregate findings reported for annual reporting year with comparison to SFP Norms and Contracting Agency cycles, as available.

FIDELITY EVALUATION: Includes analysis and interpretation of Fidelity Evaluation data findings to include all cycles completed during funding period and included in the outcome evaluation findings.  Quality measures include five established SFP Fidelity domains of environmental context, population, program quality, staffing, and curriculum fidelity.  Additional measures include client characteristics, capacity achievement, retention, and completion rates. One Site Information Survey to be submitted for each cycle conducted during the reporting period to be submitted electronically on or before data submission deadlines for corresponding Outcome pre/post/test data submission as described in this Scope of Work.  Additionally all parent and child skills group group leaders will complete one Group Leader Session Fidelity Checklist for each parent and child group they staff  on surveymonkey.com to report adherence, quality, responsiveness and dosage.   Findings from fidelity evaluation to be included in Year-End Evaluation Report.

ANNUAL SFP EVALUATION REPORT: A Year-end evaluation report will be submitted to Contracting Agency.  The Year-end report will include to-date Outcome, Fidelity and Participant Satisfaction Evaluation project findings for all cycles completed during funding period, with comparison to national norms, with recommendations for future efforts.  Report to be submitted within 60 days after receipt of all outcome and fidelity evaluation data.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION

Project Director: Provide Project direct CONTRACTING AGENCY SFP oversight, coordination in ongoing consultation with CONTRACTING AGENCY SFP program management and leadership.

Project Administration (Indirect Costs) 

What is Strengthening Families?

Recognizing the resiliency provided to youth from a strong positive parent child relationship and parental guidance, Strengthening Families Program was originally developed in the early 1980s as a family skills-training program for families with children at risk because of substance-abusing parents. Found effective on the original NIDA grant in improving family relations, child behaviors, and parenting skills and reducing substance use, it has since been replicated with similar results for families seeking to increase their ability to parent and develop children prepared to be successful and resist the incumbent challenges they will face in their communities, their families and their overall lives. SFP was designed to educate parents about the importance of positive parental behavior and their role in being the role model, guide and monitor of their child as the child develops their values and choose their behaviors and path in life.  SFP now includes four developmentally appropriate variants including a curriculum for families with children age birth to three years, 3-5 years, 6-11 years and 12-16 years.  In 2020, SFP has been adapted while maintaining fidelity to the evidence-based model for delivery in a virtual format.  SFP has been selected as an evidence-based model family skills training program by communities across the United States in their commitment to prevent and reduce substance abuse and other risky behaviors facing youth and their parents, including criminal involvement, delinquency, academic performance and child maltreatment. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

SFP is a 14-session resiliency-based family skills training program.  What is different from most parenting programs is that parents and children attend sessions together and learn skills that they practice together before going home to implement them.  It offers three age-specific developmentally appropriate curriculums for families with children ages Birth-3,3-5, 6-11 and 12-16.  A typical weekly session includes a ½ hour family meal. Parents and children then meet for one hour in separate classes or childcare to learn parenting and social skills.  The parent and children then rejoin for 30-minutes to practice together the skills they learned in their separate sessions through fun and creative interactive activities.  The skills taught include:

1.       Parent Skills Training Group: Parents learn to build and increase positive time with children, manage stress, give clear directions, develop behavior change, hold family meetings, and use effective discipline.

2.       Children’s Social Skills Training Group: Children ages 3-16 learn parent/child bonding, communication skills, peer resistance, recognizing feelings, consequences of substance abuse and other risky behavior, anger management, problem solving and dealing with criticism.

3.       Family Skills Training Group:  Parents and children practice together new skills learned in their separate groups such as parent/child bonding, communication, family organization, family management and problem solving.

It all started when…

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