Connecting Families: Promoting a Healthy Home in Which Children Can Thrive
MSPCC is expanding the Connecting Families program, based on the lessons learned from a three year pilot. This model was developed to fill a critical gap in services, and to support the well-being of children and families who are at high risk of being abused or neglected.
Connecting Families provides families with case management, home visiting and parent training and education. These services are provided by highly qualified staff, which complement and enhance other services, some of which would be supported through existing funding streams.
The goal of Connecting Families is to strengthen families and to promote child well-being by working with families that are struggling to take care of their children and whose children are at risk for poor outcomes. These situations are likely to include families where the:
- Parents have had histories of abuse and neglect and who struggle with parenting;
- Family lacks basic resources (e.g. food, medical services, housing);
- Family members are facing stressful events, or life situations and need social services;
- Parents struggle with mental health or addiction issues, disability or major illness; and
- Family is not eligible for government funded social services.
Connecting Families will fill in the gaps between programs by connecting families to existing community resources and local school systems, and offering support that would not otherwise be provided. Specifically, services will facilitate:
- Connection of families to community services and supports (i.e. child care, economic supports, mental health services);
- Parent support;
- Parent education; and
- A blend of clinical and social services delivered by a team of experienced staff.
The Connecting Families program will allow MSPCC to help families achieve their goals and further prevent instances of child abuse and neglect. Specific goals of the program include:
- Improving child and family well-being;
- Strengthening families;
- Simplifying access to community and school resources;
- Filling gaps between services through a team approach; and
- Reducing the reporting of families on allegations of child abuse and neglect to government.
Lessons Learned
Our work with children and families in our clinical and home visiting programs has taught us that too often children and families do not receive the timely and integrated support that they need. The Connecting Families model has proven that when social services are combined with mental health services, families are strengthened. This model promotes healthy child development, enhances parenting skills and decreases the likelihood of child abuse or neglect.
We have also found that families who are considered “at risk” and who fall below the threshold for government intervention display much higher than expected levels of mental health and substance abuse disorders, domestic violence and poverty. They usually have significant prior histories with DSS, and they are often not receiving the social services to which they are entitled.
Through the three year pilot program, we worked with more than 1000 families. The results demonstrated that Connecting Families was extremely effective:
- Children and caregivers were connected to needed services such as medical care, mental health treatment, Early Intervention, child care and economic supports including food stamps, fuel assistance and housing help;
- Parents experienced decreasing levels of distress and improved parenting skills during the course of the program; and
- Referrals to DSS for abuse and neglect were lower for families that completed the Connecting Families program as compared to a comparison group of similar families not enrolled in Connecting Families
Building on the lessons learned during the program pilot, the Connecting Families model is focused on filling the gaps in the supports and the services necessary to prevent abuse and neglect.
Program Evaluation MSPCC evaluated its Connecting Families program in collaboration with the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
More Information For more information on Connecting Families, please contact an office near you.