The National Family Support Network released the “Uncovering America’s Best-Kept Secret: Family Centers Webinar,” which created a comprehensive summary of the importance of Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and Family Resource Center Networks for children, youth, and families’ health and well-being.
FRCs commonly provide services around parenting support, parent leadership development, access to resources, child development activities, and other child and parental services. The success of FRCs in communities is due to a multigenerational, strengths-based, family-centered framework designed for all families at no or low cost. FRCs strengthen parental resilience, social connections, support systems, parenting and child development knowledge, and children’s social and emotional abilities. Teller County, Colorado, serves as evidence of FRCs’ success as the child abuse rate saw a 63% reduction since the area shifted to a differential response that utilizes FRCs in 2016.
Family Resource Center Networks contain two or more Family Resource Centers and serve as a support system that strengthens and interrelates the collective impact of FRC members. Family Resource Center Networks increase various forms of connectedness between members, offer training and technical assistance, advocate for related policy and legislation, and exchange information to address system challenges. Family Resource Centers and Family Resource Center Networks enhance and grow support for families while creating connectedness among community members.
Materials from the webinar can be viewed here.
By Ellison Olson, Policy Intern
