John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator FACT SHEET #8 March l994. FAMILY STRENGTHENING FOR HIGH-RISK YOUTH by Sharon L. Cantelon STRENGTHENING FAMILIES John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator, has stated, "Healthy childhood development is crucial for a child to become a well adapted and productive member of society." Yet, an unacceptably high percentage of American families are in trouble. Too many children live in poverty, a large number of which are members of racial or ethnic minorities. Many live in fatherless homes. Most mothers work outside the home, often because of economic need; consequently, many children are cared for by child-care workers, or left at home as "latch-key" children. Others may be reared by parents who abuse alcohol or other drugs, engage in crime, or abuse and neglect them. Children whose families fail to provide adequate supervision are more likely to become anti-social. Lacking proper role models, children develop their own norms based largely on their desires. While children are the first victims of the deterioration of family life, society suffers as well. Strengthening the ability of families to rear children must become--and remain--a national priority. The influence of the family environment on the child's social development lasts a lifetime. Accordingly, effective delinquency prevention efforts must involve the family, and should incorporate family strengthening. OJJDP PARENTING INITIATIVE In 1988 the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) launched a major parenting initiative entitled "Effective Parenting Strategies for Families of High-Risk Youth." An interdisciplinary team comprised of family researchers at the University of Utah and policy scientists at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation were selected to carry out the program. The principal investigators were Dr. Karol Kumpfer, Assistant Professor in the Health Education Department of the University of Utah and Dr. Peter Schneider, formerly a Senior Research Scientist at Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. For the purposes of this initiative, a family strengthening program was defined as any intervention that works with either a parent or caretaker of a child or some members of a family (including at least one target child) with the goal of reducing risk or increasing protective factors for problem behavior. An extensive literature review focused on the causes and correlates of delinquency, and the effectiveness of prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies for high-risk families. Some 450 agencies across America, representing social services, education, health, mental health, substance abuse, children's services, and juvenile justice, and a pool of key contacts were asked to nominate promising programs deemed effective in strengthening the family's ability to rear children. Review of the 394 nominees disclosed that many of the programs contained subprograms worthy of separate consideration, raising the total number to 547. Assessment of the nominated programs yielded 25 different intervention strategies (and a myriad of variations) for strengthening families. These strategies do not exhaust all the possibilities. A matrix was used to organize programs and services according to the family's level of functioning and the child's age. This conceptualization may help agencies determine the most appropriate family services for their target populations. PROMISING PROGRAMS Based on all sources of information, the researchers identified a representative group of 25 programs in six categories as potentially the most promising. Many of these programs have been formally evaluated. During the course of the University of Utah study, the Principal Investigator conducted site visits to all 25 programs. The programs (and their developers or sponsors) are: FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAMS 1. Homebuilders (Behavioral Sciences Institute, Homebuilders Program Federal Way, WA) 2. Maryland Intensive Family Services (Maryland Department of Human Resources, Baltimore, MD) 3. Tennessee Intensive Family Services (Middle Tennessee Children and Youth Services, Clarksville, TN) FAMILY SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMS 4. CEDEN (CEDEN Family Resource Center, Austin, TX) 5. Families and Schools Together (Project FAST/Family Services, Madison, WI) 6. Families in Focus (Cottage Program International, Salt Lake City, UT) 7. The New Futures School (New Futures School, Albuquerque, NM) 8. The Nurturing Program for Parents and Adolescents (Family Development Resources, Inc., Park City, UT) 9. The Strengthening Families Program (University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT) FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAMS 10. COSSMHO Project Esperanza (COSSMHO, Washington, DC) 11. Family Relationship Enhancement (Individual and Family Consultation Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA) 12 Functional Family Therapy (University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT) 13. Prime Time In-Home Family Therapy (The House Next Door, Deland, FL) 14. Social Rehabilitation Program for Children and Their Families (Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, Philadelphia, PA) 15. Structural Family Therapy Program for Hispanic Families (Spanish Family Guidance Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL) PARENT TRAINING PROGRAMS 16. Birth to Three (Birth to Three, Eugene, OR) 17. Child Behavior Institute Parent Training Program (University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN) 18. Effective Black Parenting Program (Center for the Improvement of Child Caring, Studio City, CA) 19. Minnesota Early Learning Design (MELD, Minneapolis, MD) 20. Parenting and Family Skills Program: Helping the Noncompliant Child (University of Washington, Seattle, WA) 21. Preparing for the Drug-Free Years (Developmental Research and Programs, Seattle, WA) 22. Specialized Foster Care Program (Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR) PROBATION AND REHABILITATION SERVICE PROGRAMS 23. Adolescent Intensive Rehabilitation Services (Bob Bratcher, Boise, ID) 24. Juvenile Intensive Probation Supervision (JIPS, Phoenix, AZ) VIDEO PRESENTATION PROGRAMS 25. Parents and Children Videotape Series (University of Washington, Seattle, WA) SUMMARY There is no one-size-fits-all family strategy for preventing delinquency. Several types of parenting programs are needed. There are programs designed for parents of infants, children, and adolescents. Some programs are best suited for well-functioning families, while others address the needs of dysfunctional families. Features common to effective programs include the fit between the family's needs and the content and duration of the course, the recruitment and retention of participants, and follow up. In its Fiscal Year 1994 proposed Program Plan, OJJDP plans to solicit development of programs to strengthen families of high risk youth, utilizing the results of this initiative, along with other relevant sources. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION To learn how you may obtain a copy of Strengthening America's Families: User's Guide, which provides a summation of the literature review, detailed descriptions of the 25 programs, and the matrix described above, call the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse toll free at (800) 638-8736. For further information regarding the study, contact Sharon Cantelon, OJJDP, at (202) 307-5914. FS-9408