Involved Parents, Schools and
Community Organizations in Creating
a System of Care for Children
Families and Schools Together Inc.
AGENDA
 What is a System of Care?
 General Concept/Value: Parent
Empowerment
 Overview of program
 Experiential
 How to implement the FAST
program
 The story of LaGrange Middle
School, Illinois
 Outcomes
Families and Schools Together Inc.
What is a System of Care?
Families and Schools Together Inc.
System of Care
Families and Schools Together Inc.
What is a System of Care?
 Systems of care is not a program — it is a
philosophy of how care should be
delivered. Systems of Care is an approach to
services that recognizes the importance of
family, school and community, and seeks to
promote the full potential of every child and
youth by addressing their physical, emotional,
intellectual, cultural and social needs
 systemsofcare.samhsa.gov
Families and Schools Together Inc.
What is a System of Care?

Systems of Care is a service delivery approach that builds partnerships
to create a broad, integrated process for meeting families' multiple
needs. This approach is based on the principles of interagency
collaboration; individualized, strengths-based care practices; cultural
competence; community-based services; and full participation of
families at all levels of the system. A centralized focus of Systems of
Care is building the infrastructure needed to result in positive
outcomes for children, youth, and families.

A system of care is a coordinated network of
community-based services and supports that are organized to meet the
challenges of children and youth with mental health needs and their
families. Families and youth work in partnership with public and private
organizations to design mental health services and supports that are
effective, that build on the strengths of individuals, and that address
each person's cultural and linguistic needs. A system of care helps
children, youth and families function better at home, in school, in the
community and throughout life.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Creating a Systems of Care
 Need a Frame Work
 Need a Structure
 Need Training
 Need Defined Roles &
responsabilities
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Exercise
 Systems of Care
• Think, Pair, Share Exercise
 Think:
• Think about what systems of care means.
Write down one or two examples that illustrate
empowerment.
 Pair:
• Pair up with a person at your table.
 Share:
• Share your examples and definition of systems
of care with your partner. Then select a spokes
person for the group who will share your
thoughts and ideas with the group.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
What is
EMPOWERMENT?
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Exercise
 Empowerment
• Think, Pair, Share Exercise
 Think:
• Think about what empowerment means.
Write down one or two examples that
illustrate empowerment.
 Share:
• Share your examples and definition of
empowerment with your partner. Then be
prepared to share your thoughts and ideas
with the group.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Empowerment is the process that is
essential to activate people’s
capacity to satisfy their own needs,
solve their own problems, and
acquire the necessary resources to
take control over their life.
(from S. Talseth, 1997)
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parents
& Youth
Staff
Administration
Families and Schools Together Inc.
KEY ELEMENTS OF
EMPOWERMENT
Information
Choices
Respect/acceptance
Help and support to others
Families and Schools Together Inc.
The Importance of
Empowering Parents
 Empowerment is a basic need for any
parent raising a child
 Treating parents as partners in the
educational process is essential to
school success
 Program retention
 Voluntary participation: free choice
 Recruitment: being wanted and feeling
cared for
 Receptiveness to program messages
Families and Schools Together Inc.
What is Families and Schools
Together (FAST)?
Created by a Social Worker
Prevention/Early Intervention Program
Collaborative model
Whole family approach
Multi-family group based
Empowers parents
UW Madison- Research Partner
Builds relationships with community-based
organizations
 Gives youth a voice
 Builds youth leadership
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Families and Schools Together Inc.
Values of FAST
 Parents already have power; they have the
right to decide to use that power.
Empowerment is not a top-down approach.
 Look for strengths versus deficits in working
with parents and families.
 Parents are capable of being the primary
prevention agents for their own children.
 Stress and social isolation diminish parental
effectiveness; social support increases parental
effectiveness.
 All parents love their children and want a
better life for them.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
FAST Versions
 Baby FAST: for young mothers/fathers,
their mothers, and the babies (ages 0 3)
 Early Childhood FAST: for parents and
their children ages 3 - 5
 Elementary School FAST: for parents
and their children in K-5
 Middle School FAST: for parents and
children in 6-8th grade
 High School FAST (under development):
for parents and their 9th graders
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Research Base
Brain Research
Social Capital
Social Ecology of Child Development
Social Control/Bonding Theory
• Hirschi, Naroll, Kohn & Massey
 Family Stress & Coping Theory
• Hill & McCubbin
 Family Systems Theory
• Minuchin, Satir, Parsons & Alexander
 Risk & Protective Factors Research
• Werner, Gramezy,Schedler & Block,
Rutter, Kumpher & Hawkins
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Families and Schools Together Inc.
Social Ecology of Youth Development
Youth
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Social Ecology of Youth Development
Youth
Family
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Social Ecology of Child Development
School
Youth
Family
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Social Ecology of Youth Development
Youth
School
&
Family
Social
Workers
Neighborhood
Community
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Social Ecology of Youth Development
Community
School
Youth
Family
Families and Schools Together Inc.
To become a successful adult,
a youth needs support from at least
one caring adult
Families and Schools Together Inc.
“A mother’s eyes
are a baby’s skies.”
Families and Schools Together Inc.
To be tuned into a child,
a father/mother needs
support
Families and Schools Together Inc.
“Relationships are
to child development
what location is to real
estate.”
James Comer, M.D.
Psychiatrist,
Yale University
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Program Goals
 Enhance family functioning
 Prevent the focal youth from
experiencing school failure
 Prevent substance abuse by the youth
and family
 Reduce the stress that parents and
youth experience from daily life
situations
Overall, to increase the likelihood of the youth
being successful in the home, in middle school,
and in the community.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Why these goals?
 Families with high conflict are more
likely to have youth who use
alcohol
 Families with high cohesion and
expressiveness are less likely to
have depression and loneliness
 Children who have good impulse
control will do better in school
Families and Schools Together Inc.
FAST Team
Parent Partner
School Partner
Mental Health Professional
Substance Abuse/AODA
Professional
 Youth Representative
 Youth Advocate
 Volunteers
Team must be ethnically representative of
families being served
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For greater success recruiting fathers, team
should include men.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
How Does Middle School FAST
Work?
 14 Weekly Youth Rap Sessions
 10 Weekly Multi-Family Group
Sessions
Group
– 14 Weekly Meetings
Youth
Fun,
Interactive
Programming
Weeks 1 – 14, Led by Youth Advocate & Youth Partner
Family Group – 10 Weekly Meetings
Weeks 5 – 14, Led by the Whole Team
Week 1
Week 5
Week 14
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Family Unit at Family Table
•Flag (1st night only)
•Meal
•FAST Hello
•FAST Song
Parents’ Time
•Buddy Time
•Parent Self-Help
Group
Peer Group
Time
YOUTH GROUP
AT FAST
One-to-One Time
Focal Youth & Parent
10 weeks of
family meetings
Kids’ Time
Children divided
by age group for
group activities
Siblings
continue Kids’
Time
Family Table: GAME & Lotto
Closing Circle
Announcements & RAIN
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Families and Schools Together Inc.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parent’s Time
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Families and Schools Together Inc.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
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Families and Schools Together Inc.
FAST Special Sessions
 Week 5 – Violence Prevention,
Gangs, Substance, etc.
 Week 10 – Graduation Ceremony
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
The Story of the LaGrange School District,
Illinois
Recipient of the Directors Award for Excellence in
Transforming and Promoting Mental Health of
Young Children by SAMHSA in 2004
Families and Schools Together Inc.
LaGrange Mental Health Crisis
 Benefits of collaborative team
(different areas of expertise)
 Benefits of collaborating with
community agencies
 Benefits of accessing community
resources
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Keys To Success
 Collaboration across agencies,
building social capital
 Respect for participants
 Programmatic fidelity:
adaptation, not drift
 Cultural representation
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Evaluation
 Each program cycle is evaluated
 Parents and youth complete pre- and posttests
 n=1,956 youth
 n=1,907 parents
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Measures
 Social Relationships Questionnaire (children, other
adults)
 Social Support (emotional, tangible, affectionate
and total support)
 Reciprocal Support with Other Parents
 Parental Involvement in Education
 Family Environment Scale (FES)-Family
Relationships Index (Completed by both Parents
and Youth)
 Parenting Style
 Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire
(Completed by both Parents and Youth)
 Youth Stress Checklist
 Coping Responses Checklist
 School Behavior
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parent Respondents
Average age: 39 years
Race/Ethnicity
 43% Caucasian/White
 27% Hispanic/Latino
 21% African American/Black
Relationship to youth
 89% mother/father
 5% grandparent
Marital status
 53% married
 16% divorced
 12% never married
 7% separated
 7% member of unmarried couple
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parent Respondents
Educational attainment
 21% less than high school education
 31% high school diploma or GED
 10% junior/vocational college
 19% some college – not junior/vocational
 20% college graduate and/or graduate school
Employment status
 51% full-time job
 16% part-time job
 10% unemployed, looking for work
 11% not employed outside home
 8% disabled, unable to work
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Youth Respondents
Average age: 12 years
Gender
 48% male
 52% female
School behavior
 Suspended from school in past year: 26%
 Skipped school in past year: 36%
 Grades, mostly C’s and below: 22%
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Building Relationships has
Results for Adults and Youth
100%
After 86%
FAST, percent of parents reporting…
80%
60%
51%
51%
44%
40%
27%
22%
20%
0%
New Friends
Adult
Return to
Education
Work
Attend
Church
PTO
Volunteering
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parenting Skills
 Parents rated their own levels of
personal effectiveness in general, in
social situations, and as parents. Selfefficacy scores showed that 51% of
parents improved.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Youth’s Strengths & Difficulties
On the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire,
parents reported improvements on the following:
100%
80%
60%
40%
63%
44%
49%
46%
48%
43%
33%
20%
0%
Impact of
Total
Peer
Prosocial Emotional Conduct Hyperactivity
Problems Difficulties Difficulties
Behaviors Symptoms Problems
These findings indicate that youth behavior has improved.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Social and Reciprocal Support
Improved
On the Social Support Questionnaire, parents
reported the following improvements:
100%
100%
71%
80%
53%
60%
80%
60%
56%
57%
61%
43%
40%
40%
20%
20%
0%
Emotional Total Support Total Social
Support
Relationships
0%
Support
Provided
Support
Received
Total
Reciprocal
Support
Families and Schools Together Inc.
Parent Involvement in Education
On the Parent Involvement in Education Questionnaire,
parents reported the following improvements:
100%
80%
60%
52%
56%
47%
43%
40%
20%
0%
Parent School
Parent to
School to
Involvement School Contact Parent Contact
Total Parent
Involvement
These increases in parental involvement in school are
likely to result in greater academic success of FAST youth.
Families and Schools Together Inc.
For More Information
Families And Schools Together, Inc.
2801 International Lane, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53704
(888) 629-2481
answers@familiesandschools.org
www.familiesandschools.org
Families and Schools Together Inc.
International Headquarters address:
Families and Schools Together Inc.
2801 International Lane, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53704-3151
Phone:
Toll-free:
Fax:
608-663-2382
888-629-2481
608-663-2336
Families and Schools Together Inc.