Uncovering America's Best Kept Secret: Family Resource Centers and Family Support & Strengthening Networks

• What are Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and how are they networked across the country?

• What is the connection of FRCs to evidence-based practice and what positive outcomes have they achieved for children and families?

• Why are so many public and private funders at the state, city, county, and community levels choosing to invest in FRCs?

For answers to these questions and those of your own, please join us for this informative webinar.

Context:

The history of Family Resource Centers (FRCs) in the United States goes back more than 100 years, and yet they have been largely under the radar. Described as "America’s best kept secret," more than 3,000 FRCs in 29 states and the District of Columbia work with more than 2 million people annually.

FRCs work with families across the country in a strengths-based, multigenerational, family-centered approach to enhance parenting skills, foster the healthy development and well-being of children, youth, and families, prevent child abuse, increase school readiness, connect families to resources, develop parent and community leadership, engage males and fathers, support healthy marital and couples relationships, and promote family economic success. As conveniently-located community or school-based hubs, they bundle and co-locate many services, such as home visiting, evidence-based parenting education, health screenings, child care resource and referral, playgroups, family counseling, government benefits screening, healthy eating and living activities, and food banks.

Family Support and Strengthening Networks consist of two or more Family Resource Centers or Family Strengthening organizations working together to ensure coordinated quality support for families. These Networks serve as the backbone entity to leverage and coordinate the collective impact of their members. They create opportunities for service providers to meet formally and informally, exchange information, make connections, develop relationships, build capacity, and address challenges that no one organization could on its own.

Who Should Participate:

National, state, and local policymakers, public departments, Children's Trust Fund staff, private funders, Family Support and Strengthening Network leaders and representatives, Family Support and Strengthening Program management staff

Presenters:

• Andrew Russo, Co-Founder & Director, National Family Support Network

Webinars Wednesdays

This webinar is part of the National Family Support Network's Webinar Wednesday series. More information about the NFSN's virtual events may be found here.