Welcome
MISSION
The mission of the National Family Support Network is to promote positive outcomes for all children, families, and communities by leveraging the collective impact of state networks and championing quality family support and strengthening practices and policies.
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EVENTS
Be Part of the 2024 Virtual Together for Families Conference
Register today for the international 2024 Together for Families Conference. This unique biennial event connects various stakeholders from across the globe to focus on best and promising practice for supporting families’ advancement. Designed for practitioners at the program, systems, and funder levels, the conference will provide valuable opportunities for learning from expert presentations, innovation sharing, peer learning, and networking. Register here.
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New for 2024
Group pricing: Receive a 10% discount for purchasing 5 or more registrations
WEBINAR WEDNESDAYS
The National Family Support Network’s free Webinar Wednesdays series raises awareness of Family Resource Centers, Family Resource Center Networks, and the nationally-adopted Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support. Click here to view the 2024 Webinar Wednesday calendar.​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​December 4, 2024 2:30- 3:45pmEST​
From Under the Radar to All the Rage: FRCs & FRC Networks
What are Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and how are they networked across the country?
What does research show about the positive outcomes FRCs have 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 more information and to register, please click here.
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VIRTUAL TRAININGS
Virtual Standards of Quality Certification Training
The Certification Training details how the nationally-adopted Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support can enhance your work with families. Whether you are program staff setting up a new program or strengthening an existing one, or a funder developing or monitoring programs, the Standards provide a blueprint for implementing best practice, with a particular emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Learn more here. ​​​
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November 14 & 15th, 2024​
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For more information and to register by October 1st (U.S.) or September 28th (outside of the U.S.), click here.
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December 11 & 12th, 2024​
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For more information and to register by November 25th (U.S.) or November 20th (outside of the U.S.), click here.
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For the full schedule of upcoming trainings, please click here.
Connect with Effect: Outreach Training
Outreach to and engagement of families is essential for any Family Support and Strengthening Program, as our Programs are only effective if they are well-utilized. This training will explore outreach and planning strategies to maximize a Program’s effectiveness with connecting with potential participants. The training is co-trained by both a NFSN Staff person and an experienced National Parent Leader who have successfully developed and implemented outreach plans. Amplify your Outreach, Strengthen your Impact!
November 13th, 2024
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For more information and to register by October 30th, click here.
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Developing & Sustaining Effective Parent Advisory Committees Training
How can an active Parent Advisory Committee enhance a Program's work with families?
This unique, highly-rated training is designed for program managers and direct service staff who work with, or would like to develop, a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). Whether Programs are exploring setting up a new PAC, or seeking to strengthen an existing one, this training will provide staff with the strategies and tools to maximize the great potential of shared staff-parent leadership. The training is co-conducted by a NFSN staff member and an experienced national Parent Leader. Learn more here. ​​​​
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October 29th & 30th, 2024
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For more information and to register by October 27th, click here.
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November 18th & 19th, 2024
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For more information and to register by November 17th, click here.
For the full schedule of upcoming trainings, please click here.
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​​Standards of Quality Training of Trainers Institutes
The Institutes are scheduled for 7 partial days in order to be accessible to all U.S. time zones.
NFSN Member Networks representatives can learn more, view requirements, and apply here. ​
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Fall​​​​​​​​
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October 25, October 28-November 1, & November 4
Deadline to apply: October 15
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Winter​​​​​​​​
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December 10-13, 16-18
Deadline to apply: November 6
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*Please note that Training of Trainer Institutes must have a minimum of five participants in order to be held.
HIGHLIGHTS
2024 National Forum Recording Link • 2024 Presentation Link
More than 550 people from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, India, Ireland, Uganda, and the United Kingdom registered to participate in the 2024 National Family Support Network National Forum on September 26, 2024. Participant evaluations indicated that 100% rated the event as good to excellent, and 100% found it helpful in informing their work.
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The Forum featured:
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School-based FRC virtual visit with North Hancock FRC at North Hancock Elementary in Lewisport, Kentucky.
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Community-based virtual visit with Liberation Center in Richmond, Virginia.
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An inspiring keynote from Clare Anderson of Chapin Hall, policy and federal funding updates from Casey Family Programs and the National FRC Coalition, Thriving Families, Safer Children updates from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and an overview of the Kentucky School-based Family Resource Center Return on Investment Study by OMNI Research Institute.
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A dynamic panel discussion with network leaders from Louisiana, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, sharing strategies for strengthening the FRC workforce through parent leadership engagement.
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Federal, state, and private foundation perspectives on the value of investing in Family Support and Strengthening Networks.
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The release of the 2024 NFSN Federal Funding for Family Resource Centers Briefing.
We deeply appreciate the engagement of our members and stakeholders, who helped make this event a success and are excited to continue building on the momentum generated by the 2024 National Forum. We look forward to seeing the ongoing positive impact of Family Resource Centers and Networks nationwide.​
Standards Program-Level Implementation Successes
Is your Program doing great work implementing the Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support? If so, we'd love to hear about it! The NFSN is looking for Programs with success stories of Standards implementation to highlight for a national audience such as presenting at an upcoming Webinar Wednesday, being highlighted in NFSN communications, or featured on the NFSN website. Please complete this form to share your story.
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Family Resource Center Learning Hub Launches
The NFSN launched the Family Resource Center Learning Hub, a valuable new free resource developed in partnership with Families Canada by a diverse planning committee with the support of Casey Family Programs. The Hub is designed to provide tools and sample materials for those seeking to develop individual Family Resource Centers. The Hub is organized into the six phases of the newly-released Developing a New Family Resource Center Continuum. Each phase includes accompanying resources.
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Case Studies Demonstrate Family Resource Centers Save Child Welfare System Millions
The OMNI Institute has released two new reports on cost savings FRCs yield for rural and urban child welfare systems by reducing families' involvement in them. The research was supported by Casey Family Programs.
The key findings are:
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In 2017, reductions in child maltreatment cases in Westminster FRC's Orange County community saved the child welfare system an estimated $1.82M; in 2016 this savings was estimated at $1.1M. For every $1 invested in Westminster FRC in 2016 and 2017, the Orange County child welfare system saved an estimated $3.65.
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After a formal partnership between Community Partnership FRC and Teller County child welfare was established, the county saved an estimated $2.5M associated with reductions in child welfare cases. For every $1 invested in Community Partnership FRC, the Teller County child welfare system saved an estimated $2.92
The recording and materials from the webinar that launched the reports can be found on the Webinar Wednesday page.
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Kentucky's Family Resource Centers have been providing "Drive-by Cheer-ups" for families, complete with signs, bubbles, music, and dancing - all while practicing safe social distancing! These caravans of cheer have become a welcome sight for home-bound families across the state, distributing stress-relieving bubble wands to help "blow worries away."
​Family Resource Centers & COVID-19: Here to Help
In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when families are more challenged than ever, Family Resource Centers (FRCs) are uniquely positioned to be of support. Learn how their valuable work is being leveraged to respond to this crisis at the community level, state level, and Federal policy level.
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