Familie ilies a and S Schools ls Together in er in Canada - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Familie ilies a and S Schools ls Together in er in Canada

Families & & Schools Together Feeling connected and part of a community has a big impact on our quality of life. The tjes that bind and make us strong go beyond our immediate families. Relatjonships with friends and neighbours, schools, teachers, coaches, etc. are just as important to our health and well-being. Since 1996, agencies in Canada have been connectjng families with their schools and communitjes through the Families and Schools Together (F&ST) program.

What is Families & S Schools Together? • FAST is an internatjonally-acclaimed parent engagement program that supports the family bonding and natural supports necessary for children to thrive. • Built on evidence-based practjces and rigorously tested, FAST: • Empowers parents as leaders of their families, • Builds positjve connectjons and social capital between families and schools, and • Creates a supportjve community engaged in fostering children’s well-being and educatjon. • Post-FAST, families contjnue to meet on a monthly basis for 2 years or more through FASTWORKS, a supplemental program which is led by Parent Graduates. • FASTWORKS provides a supportjve environment where families can practjce the positjve skills they learned during the program and have a forum for working together to reach shared goals. It is designed to: • unite families and schools to help children succeed; • empower parents, teachers, children, and families; • enhance a sense of community; and • provide a network of knowledge, skills, and understanding. FAST Inc Website, 2019

FAST Recognitjon as “Evidence-Based” • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administratjon (SAMHSA) • Natjonal Dropout Preventjon Center/Network • Natjonal Instjtute of Justjce • The California Evidence-Based Clearing house for Child Welfare • US Department of Justjce and US Department of Health and Human Services • United Natjons Offjce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Compilatjon of Evidence Based Family Skills Training Programs

How did FAST become “F&ST Canada”? • 1988 - Program originates in Madison Wisconsin • 1996 – Calgary ofgers FAST in 3 schools (Catholic Family Service – CFS) • 1997 - Mississauga, Winnipeg begin ofgering FAST (Family Services of Peel; Family Dynamics) • 1998 – The Natjonal Centre for Families and Schools Together (F&ST) was established in Calgary as a result of partnership between Alliance for Children and Families (Wisconsin), Family Service Canada (Otuawa), and CFS. “F&ST Canada” is born. • Purpose: Coordinate training, promote and expand the program in Canada • 2001 – F&ST receives funding from Justjce Canada (4 years) and Health Canada (2 years) • 2004 - F&ST operated in 34 sites, in 9 provinces • 2007 – FSC loses funding from Social Development Canada and ceases coordinatjng functjon of F&ST. Informal community of practjce led by CFS • 2019 – 6 Family Service Canada agencies initjate a current state assessment of F&ST in Canada.

How does F&ST work? F&ST: 12-15 families get together weekly for nine weeks at their child’s school. Each night families partjcipate in a variety of actjvitjes including sharing a meal together; games focusing on relatjonships, communicatjon and fun; one-on-one play tjme between parent and child; and separate parent and child peer tjme. Families are supported by school stafg and a social worker. The program helps families make connectjons with each other, while parents develop and practjce positjve parentjng and leadership skills. F&STWORKS: Building on the knowledge and skills developed in F&ST, F&STWORKS contjnues to strengthen families by fostering ongoing relatjonships with the other F&ST families and increasing partjcipatjon with the school. Through F&STWORKS, families transitjon to monthly parent-led groups in the community for up to one year.

Here’s what people say about F&ST “This program involved each member of the family and gave us tjme to enjoy our family. This was a great experience and made us think about our family wellness. It was great to get to know more about the environment where our kids spend so much of their valuable tjme.” – F&ST Parent “The impact is tremendous! We feel that the program opens up doors for families and strengthens communicatjon and relatjonships. One student who was part of F&ST opened up and became more engaged with his peers and stafg at the school. His smile grew and grew each week and it was a pleasure to see him blossom into such a unique person.” – School Administrator

Contact Informatjon If you’d like to learn more, please contact: Jessica Williams Senior Director of Programs and Services Catholic Family Service 403-205-5222 Jessica.williams@cfs-ab.org