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Ongoing Professional Training and Mentoring Helps to Serve Families

Strengthening families is at the core of what we do and we accomplish that by strengthening our own skills and that of our Members.  FRCA is proud to offer three different trainings to our Members and community partners to help family development workers build skills to work with families in a strengths-based and goal-oriented way. The trainings provide:

  • A holistic view of how a Family Resource Center operates.
  • Techniques on how to engage families and motivate change.
  • Comprehensive tools on how to track family progress and goals.

FRCA trains professionals across Colorado.  Each training has a diverse representation from different agencies, allowing for fruitful discussion and peer learning, as well as a streamlined approach to working with families all over the state. If a family moves from one Family Resource Center to another, we know that they will get the same treatment and attention.

VIEW OUR UPCOMING TRAINING SCHEDULE

Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening and Support

FRCA adopted The Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support in 2013. They are the first and only standards in the country to integrate and operationalize the Principles of Family Support Practice with the Strengthening Families Protective Factor Frameworks and its research-based evidence-informed Five Protective Factors. The vision is that their implementation will help ensure that families are supported and strengthened through quality practice. FRCA is the only organization in Colorado trained and authorized to conduct this training.

The Standards are designed to be used by all stakeholders–public departments, foundations, community-based organizations, and parents–across different kinds of Family Strengthening and Family Support programs as a tool for planning, providing, and assessing quality practice. The Standards create common language and expectations in the Family Support and Strengthening field across different kinds of programs, such as Family Resource Centers, home visiting programs, and child development programs.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing is a counseling technique used to help people identify their need for change and their readiness to make the change. This is a client-centered, self-directed approach and a great skill to have when working with families who are seeking support from an agency.

This training helps workers and supervisors identify where individuals fall in the Stages of Change, recognize change talk, and develop skills in using open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summarizing.

Colorado Family Support Assessment 2.0

Colorado Family Support Assessment 2.0 (CFSA 2.0) is the primary assessment tool used by the Family Resource Center Association’s network of family resource centers to assess family strengths and needs, and monitor progress towards family self-reliance and increased conditions that protect children against mistreatment. Non-FRCA agencies around the state and country have started to implement this tool into their assessments of families as well.

The CFSA 2.0 is comprised of three sections: Part A assesses 14 self-reliance and family stability domains including income, housing, transportation, food security, health coverage, etc. Part B assess the five factors that protect against child abuse and neglect. Part C identifies areas where families would like to make a change and how ready they are to make the change.

The most effective way to complete the CFSA 2.0 is by building rapport and trust with the families. In order to do so, FRCA believes developing Motivational Interviewing skills is the best way to engage families and assist them in identifying areas of which they would like to change.

Our goal is to have as many people in the family support field equipped with the training and resources to serve families in the best way possible. We are passionate about strengthening families to make true and lasting change in their lives. By equipping those who work with families each day, we are creating a culture of continuous quality and improvement for families.

If you are interested in attending a training, please take a look at our upcoming schedule.

By Anna Michaels, Project Manager at Family Resource Center Association.

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