Depaul Trust
Key Facts
Location
Project Criteria
Contact
Judith Saffer
Email
Project funding
£85,000
Funding round
The Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities program (SFSC) is a prevention/intervention training programme for parents addressing violence within the home and local community. The course is culturally sensitive and encourages parents to teach positive family and cultural values to their teenage children. A key aspect to the training is to enhance community involvement so parents can engage with local services. The course was piloted in Autumn/Winter 2005 by Manchester Reconnect to enhance the existing mediation provision.
The target group is BME families and those living in poverty and deprivation, who are affected by family conflict or who are unable to effectively cope with their teenage children (14plus). This also includes single/joint parents with multiple needs. The project is delivered through:
- Weekly workshops bringing parents together to explore and discuss strategies to improve their family relationships and how to benefit from community resources
- Telephone support to offer parents ongoing guidance and advice
- Drop in session for parents to access one to one and peer support
- Mediation for families in extreme crisis
- Peer support groups to give parents longer term support
- Recruiting and training parents as facilitators in their local community.
Over the next 2 years, the two trained Reconnect facilitators will deliver nine thirteen week workshops across Manchester. They are also responsible for recruiting parents, providing one to one support and developing user involvement.