Program Description

Copyright 1999 WeststockSFP is presented in 14 consecutive weekly sessions, each approximately 2 hours long. The program has two versions: SFP for elementary school children and their families and SFP for parents and youth 10 to 14 years of age. Each version includes skills training for parents, children, and families. Parents and children meet together at the beginning of each session for announcements, and some programs provide a snack or a small meal. Following this group time, parents and children spend the first hour in their respective groups. They spend the second hour together in family skills training. Research has demonstrated that, for both the parents and children, family skills practice helps families make and sustain improvements in their interactions.

The SFP curriculum includes 6 manuals covering each of the 3 components of the 14-session courses. The manuals are the following:

  • A Parent Trainer's Manual and Parent Handbook, which include behavioral and cognitive strategies and homework exercises for 14 sessions, to help parents improve their parenting, communication, and nurturing skills.

  • A Children's Skills Trainer's Manual and Children's Handbook, which include life and social skills training and homework exercises for 14 sessions, to help youth improve their behavior and social competence.

  • A Family Skills Trainer's Manual, which includes family involvement and homework exercises for 14 sessions, to allow family members to practice what they have learned in their separate parent and youth sessions.

  • An Implementation Manual for trainers, which includes training and setup information, materials, program logistics, group facilitation techniques, and ethical questions.
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Family Skills Training for Parents and Children Juvenile Justice Bulletin April 2000