This September Forogie will be delivering the Strengthening Families Programme (SFP ) on behalf of the Midlands Regional Drugs Taskforce.
The Strengthening Families Programme is a family skills programme that is internationally recognised as an intervention based programme to offer support and training to families who want to improve communication and strengthen relationships.
The focus of the SFP programme looks at reducing stress, increasing resilience, the risk factors for substance misuse, involvement in crime, and early school leaving for 12 to 16 year old children and their parents.
The programme includes three courses taught in 14 two-hour periods. In the first hour, parents and children participate in separate classes; each class is led by two co-facilitators. During the 14 weeks parents focus on clear communication, effective discipline, substance use education, problem solving, and limit setting. Children will focus on communication, understanding feelings, stress management, social skills, resisting peer pressure, and consequences of substance use. During the second hour families practice structuring family activities, communication skills, and reinforcing positive behaviours in each other.
All families who complete the programme will graduate at the end of the 14 sessions.
It is proven to help build and strengthen communication and develop family and behavioural management skills all in a safe and secure environment. This in turn allows parents and their children to build new and positive relationships within their families.
To date, Foroige has been involved in rolling out Strengthening Families Programmes nationally since 2007.
“We are excited to be taking the lead in the co-ordination of this innovative pilot project within the Midlands region; it is a combined inter-agency approach which is one of the key strengths to this initiative. This programme has been developed for families within all walks of life and we are delighted to be able to offer it to the families in the Midlands,” according to the Carmel Daly, Drug Education Co-ordinator for Foroige in the Midlands Region.
For more information on the SFP programme, please contact Carmel Daly on [email protected] or (086 ) 0455013.
