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Lalley, Jacqueline, Ed.Connection, 1995.Family Resource Coalition, Chicago, IL.95

25p.Family Resource Coalition, 200 South Michigan Avenue, 16thFloor, Chicago, IL 60604; phone: 312-341-0900; fax:312-341-9361.Collected Works - Serials (022) -- Reports - Descriptive

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Connection; Jan-Dec 1995MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.*Advocacy; Block Grants; Community Development; CommunityPrograms; Evaluation Criteria; *Family Programs;Newsletters; Public Policy; Social Services; State Programs*Family Resource Coalition IL; *Family Support

This document consists or the six issues of the FamilyResource Coalition's newsletter "Connection" published in 1995. Thesenewsletter issues explore matters pertaining to family support and relatedprograms. Featured articles are as follows: (January-February) "Board.

Approves Long-Range Plan, Reaffirms FRC's [Family Resource Coalition]Commitment to local Programs," and "FRC Spreads Family Support News throughComputer Network"; (March-April) "Big Changes in Washington: How They CouldAffect Family Support Programs," and "Young Adolescents and Their Families";(May-June) "Announcing Landmark Contributions from FRC Best PracticesProject," and "FRC's STATES Initiative Hits the Ground Running";(July-August) "FRC Nurtures Community Efforts to Grow the Family SupportMovement," and "Panel Advises STATES Initiative: Providers, Parents, &Trainers are Experts on Technical Advisory Panel"; (September-October) "FRCPublishes Community Assessment Manual: Experience is Backbone of How-ToGuide" and "Block Grants are Coming: How Can We Turn a Crisis into anOpportunity"; (November-December) "Helping States Build Committee's Capacityto Support Children and Families," and "Child and Family Services BlockGrants: A Threat to Preservation Programs." Each of the bimonthly issues also

features a section entitled Bulletin Board, which contains information onconferences, resources, job openings, seminars, and events. (WJC)

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January/February 1995

Board Approves Long-Range Plan,Reaffirms FRC's Commitment to Local Programs

FRC's top priority in the coming years will be to support quality community-levelfamily support programs and practice. At a January 29-30 meeting in Chicago,the Board of Directors renewed its commitment to families by adopting a long-range strategic plan that puts communities first.

For the last few years, FRC's Board of Direc-tors has been planning a strategy for fueling thefamily support movement into the 21st century.At a January meeting, the Board made a crucialdecision to approve a long-range plan, commit-ting to a mission, vision, and set of goals that willadvance the status of all families by supportingquality community-level family support.

The Board articulated three general goals toguide the Coalition, and recommended specificways for FRC to pursue them in its day-to-daywork. In order of priority, the goals are:

I. Expand capacity for developing new waysof supporting quality programs and practiceat the community level

II. Build support for universally availablefamily support opportunities

III.Develop a self-directed, stable financialbase for the organization

In the process of approving the plan, theBoard also clarified its mission as a membership,consulting, and advocacy organization to pro-mote, strengthen. and support the family supportmovement. The movement strives to strengthenand empower families and communities so theycan foster the development of children, youth,and adult family members.

The Board recognized that they must envisiona world in which that mission has been realizedotherwise, there is no way to gauge progress.Board members agreed that the movement wouldbe successful if, within 15 years:

1. Plentiful, comprehensive, high-qualitysupports exist for children, youth, andfamilies in their own communities, reflec-tive of families' needs and wants, provided

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

through a number of public and privatedelivery systems.

2. There is a broad-based demand for effectivefamily support services for all families from avariety of consumers and institutions,including parents, elected officials, commu-nity leaders, and business leaders.

3. All institutions that serve children andfamilies adopt a family-supportive approachin their work, consistent with family supportprinciples, and are accountable to the peoplethey serve for the outcomes they produce.

4. An infrastructure to support the ongoingdevelopment and increasing quality of familysupport practice through training, researchand evaluation, and policy development is inplace nationally, with elements in every state.

5. All levels of government make family andyouth needsincluding economic security,adequate housing, and the viability and safetyof every communitya priority in funding,and in developing policies and programs.

6. All public and private employers adoptworkplace policies and practices consistentwith a family support approach.

FRC's team managers have drafted a planoutlining how each team (Policy, Infrastructure,Knowledge Development. Communications,Training and TA, and Constituency) will work toturn the Board's vision into reality. PEoRtasssisIZAT4 TRHErsRmATEREIAALN°

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

INSIDE

Black History Month Resource TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Use Your Computer to Support Families

The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition.

2

BULLETIN BOARD

SEMINARThe 20th annual Advanced Seminars in Child CareAdministration will be held July 8August 3 in Boston.For information, contact Barbara J. Bagwell, Ph. D., theCenter for Career Development, Wheelock College, 200The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215, 617/734-5200 x279.

CONFERENCEA call for papers is out forHead Start's research confer-ence, Making a Difference forChildren, Families, andCommunities: Partnershipsamong Researchers, Practitio-ners, and Policymakers, June20-23, 1996 in Washington.D.C. Call 212/304-5251 or fax212/305-7024.

RESOURCEParenting Works! is a

: national TV series andeducational outreachprogram for the parentsof preschool children.A video of the pilot isavailable from Work &Family Resources,15680 37th St. S.,Afton, MN 55001, 612/436-7968.

Job Openings

The FamilyResourceCoalition isseeking

staff to fill a number ofpositions at various lev-els throughout theorganization, includ-ing jobs with theNational Training andTechnical AssistanceProgram for States. Forinformation, call FRCat 312/341-0900, ext.150.

The National Centerfor Family Literacyseeks an educatorwith background inearly childhood edu-cation for the positionof Family LiteracyTraining Specialist.For information, con-tact Susan Paull,NCFL, WaterfrontPlaza, Ste. 200, 325W. Main St., Louis-ville, KY 40202, 502/584-1133.

NOMINATIONS SOUGHTIBM and the Illinois Literacy Foundation seek nominees for the annualSpotlight on Achievement Awards, rewarding outstanding progressby adult literacy students in Illinois. To obtain a nomination form,contact the Secretary of State Literacy Office, 431 S. 4th St., Spring-field, IL 62701, 217/785-6925.

NOMINATIONS SOUGHTThe Robert Wood Johnson Community Health LeadershipProgram seeks 10 outstanding community health leaders toreward with a stipend and program enhancement money.Contact them at 30 Winter St., Ste. 1005, Boston, MA,02108, 617/426-9772 (phone) or 617/451-5838 (fax).

RESOURCEThe Mayo ClinicComplete Book ofPregnancy andBaby's First Yearoffers the latestinformationfromconception to laborand beyondeditedby Dr. Robert V.Johnson, head ofMayo Clinic'sneonatology unit.For information,call 507/284-9537.

CLAIM YOUR EARNED INCOME CREDITThe Earned Income Credit is a tax benefit forpeople who worked full- or part time in 1994and (1) raised children and earned less than$25,296 ($23,755 for one child) or (2) were25-64 and earned less than $9,000. Forinformation on this and on free help filingyour taxes, call 800/829-1040.

s

RESOURCE

The Child Welfare League of

America's new Standards ofExcellence for Family Foster Care

gives updated guidance on policy

and practice. To order, contactCWLA at 440 1st St. NW, Ste. 310,

Washington, DC 20001-2085.

CONFERENCEThe National Council on FamilyRelations conference Families:Honoring Our Past, Creating OurFuture will be held Nov. 14-15 inPortland, Oregon. For information,contact NCFR at 3938 Central Ave. NE,Ste. 550, Minneapolis, MN 55421, 612/781-9331 (phone), 612/781-9348 (fax).

NATIONAL TV-TURNOFF WEEKApril 24-30 is a chance for families to read andspend time together instead of watching TV. Toorganize a local turnoff, contact ElizabethBarrett at TV-Free America, 1322 18th St. NW,Ste. 300, Washington, DC 20036, 202/887-0436 (phone) or 202/887-0438 (fax).

FRC NEEDS YOUR HELPIN FINDING ...

Cross-discipline programsor training materials for

Nyo)jle working with familiesexperiencing or at risk for

substance abuse AND child abuse (forexample: parenting classes in rehabcenters) and

Examples of family needs assessmenttools that focus on family strengths, notdeficits; or materials/tools used to helpfamilies set goals.

NEW GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY- AND SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMSLearn and Serve America, a program administered by the Corporation for National Service and created by the National andCommunity Service Trust Act of 1993, will offer close to $11 million in new grants to school-based, community-based, andhigher education programs that integrate community service with learning. For information, contact the Corporation forNational Service, 1201 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20525. 202/606-5000 x474 (phone), or 202/565-2785 (fax).

Still not on Hands Net?Here's what you've missed ...

Tips on Lobbying(Consejos Para El Cabildeo)

On Congress's Plate in 1995

New report from the NationalCenter for Children in Poverty

Federal Goals 2000 ProgramFunds Parent Centers

Family-Supportive Welfare-to-Work Program Characteristics

Action Alert: Proposition 187Endangers All Families

Federal Community-BasedFamily Resource Program

Family Support At-A-Glance

... plus profiles of more than 10 familysupport programs, updates on FRCprojects. resources for those workingwith Latino and other families, andmore! See article at right for details.

FRC Spreads Family Support NewsThrough Computer Network

The new year brought a new way forFRC to reach family support profes-sionals and advocates. Now anyonewith a computer and modem can accessfamily support information and newsthat's up-to-date (see September/Octo-ber 1994, Connection).

Via HandsNet, a system that joinshuman services professionals and otheradvocates for families and children,the Coalition already has released nearly50 postings including late-breakingstatistics from the National Center forChildren in Poverty showing high ratesof poverty among working families.

Accessing the FRC pipeline iseasyonce you' ve registered withHandsNet (call 408/257-4500) and havelogged on. select these icons as theyappear: "Children. Youth, and Fami-lies." "Child Welfare.- and "Prevention

Family Support Resources for Black History Month

Use Them Year-Round!

IT TAKES A WHOLE VILLAGETO RAISE A CHILD

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Christopher

(24" x 36")$20 FRC members.$25 non-members

This unframed. art-quality posteris perfect for home, office, or fam-ily support programorder foryourself, or as gifts. We'll mail itin a protective tube anywhere inthe U.S.

Palmer. artist

WORRIAC WITHAFRICAN AMERICANwarms:A CeidetoResoarces

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Working with African AmericanFamilies: A Guide to Resourcesby Carolyn Ash

(1994. 100+ pp.. loose-leaf)$25 FRC membersS35 members

If you are a program provider or anadvocate working with AfricanAmerican families, this guide is amust-buy. References describe use-ful books and articles, curricula.and national and local organiza-tions. Extensive appendices includea special FRC Report on AfricanAmerican families. A multitude ofresources to inspire your thinkingand help you plan your program.

To order, fax FRC at (312) 341-9361, or call (312) 341 -0900.

and Early Intervention." You'll seeFRC's bulletins on family support news;policy and legislation and news fromthe states: and family support programs.practices. and strategies.

HandsNet is the fastest, cheapestway for FRC to reach out to those whowork with familiesthe moment wepost it, you see it, for the cost of a localphone call plus a modest fee.

Communications Assistant ShayRiley began sending the family supportmessages in January as one of her firstprojects at the Coalition, and she getscalls, letters, and e-mail from familysupport advocates who are respondingto postings almost every day.

Contact Shay at HN4860 with yourideas on family support news and sub-jects you'd like to see covered.

TRANSITIONSWelcome African American Cau-

cus Coordinator Ron Bailey! Ron comesto us from the Community RenewalSociety of Chicago. where he wasassistant director in charge of develop-ment and technical assistance grants tocommunity-based organizations. Ron'sleadership and expertise will be greatresources for the Caucus and for thewhole Coalition.

FRC also welcomes two additions toits Knowledge Development Team.Research Assistant Kai Jackson earnedher B.A. in developmental psychologyat Loyola University and has workedwith two Chicago family support pro-grams. Information Assistant Olga Nietoobtained her B.A. in sociology at theUniversity of IllinoisChampaign/Urbana, where she worked in the Edu-cation and Social Science Library.

This winter the Coalition said good-bye to Carolyn Ash, ProgramDevelopment Associate and author ofFRC's Working with African Ameri-can Families: A Guide to Resources.Carolyn will surely be missed.

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Networking for Family SupportIn the Bay Area

Two years ago, San Francisco Bay area residents who cared about families cametogether to make it a better place for them. Since then the Greater Bay Area FamilyResource Network has become a powerful force for family support practice andpolicy in California. "It's a very grassroots network," says executive directorConnie Busse, "and that's its strength."

The Network shares strong ties with FRCseveral Network advisory councilmembers have been longtime FRC Board members and others have been active inthe Coalition in other ways. The Bay Area Network is also contracting with theCoalition for technical assistance services.

Through "sheer hard work," Busse says, the Network was instrumental inensuring California's plan to spend its federal Family Preservation and SupportServices Program dollars funded later intervention and prevention/early interven-tion efforts equally. Advising planning and implementation of the Program on thestate and county levels is one of the Network's many means of infusing familysupport principles into policy and practice. It also will help plan a San FranciscoBeacona school-linked family support initiative modelled after New York City'ssuccessful Beacons initiative. (For more information on Beacons and other school-linked family support programs, contact FRC.)

The Network's workshops meet the needs of current (and potential!) familysupport professionals and advocates in the area. So far they have featured topicssuch as program evaluation, family support principles, integrating family supportinto existing programs, and "After the Elections: Family Support in a New Era."

Network staff are gearing up to provide highly customized, culturally specifictraining to a small number of programs serving families, with Jerome Knox ascoordinator. "The topics will depend entirely on the work they are doing and,especially, on the specific population they serve and seek to serve," says Busse.

FRC looks forward to a visit from Busse this spring. 5

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CALLING ALL LEADERSBoard Seeks Nominees

Do you know a familysupport leader? Someone with:

a high level of skill in andknowledge of family support

an outstanding reputationa national perspective, anda vital interest in developingthe field?

Would they be willing to committhe time and energy it takes toattend semiannual board meet-ings and serve on two active boardand staff committees? If so, nomi-nate them for a position on theFamily Resource Coalition Boardof Directors. Board members'terms are four years, and there isa limit of two consecutive terms.

Send nominations, includingrésumés and full descriptions ofthe candidates' qualifications, tothe attention of the FRC Board ofDirectorsNominating Commit-tee, FRC, 200 S. Michigan Ave.,16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604.

March/April 1995

SAVE THE DATE!b... Changing the Way America

Works for FamiliesApril 30May 4, 1996

FRC NationalConference

Chicago

Big Changes in Washington:How They Could Affect Family Support ProgramsFRC has been busy educating policymakers and others about the threat to statefamily support and other prevention efforts posed by current block grantproposals on Capitol Hill.

Republicans in the House of Representativesare attempting to institute sweeping reforms inthe way federal funding is administered. Thelinchpin of this effort is H.R. 1214, the PersonalResponsibility Act (PRA), which would consoli-date funding for assorted welfare, nutrition, andchildcare programs and aid to disabled childreninto a handful of block grants to the states.

Various child protection programs are alsoslated for consolidation in the proposed ChildProtection Block Grant. This block grant wouldcap the open-ended federal assistance now avail-able under the Foster Care and Adoption AssistancePrograms, which guarantees help for abused andneglected children. It would also replace a num-ber of other programs, including theCommunity-Based Family Resource Program andthe Family Preservation and Support ServicesProgram.

Instead of stimulating states' prevention ef-forts, as these programs were intended to do,H.R. 1214's Child Protection Block Grant wouldgive a lump sum of money to state governments,who could then protect whatever children theywished to, in whatever way they chose.

What's Wrong with Block Grants?This approach may appear consistent with

the family support movement's call for less cat-egorical fundingblock grants or consolidationscan be configured to give states and communitiesgreater flexibility to meet families' needshow-ever, the sweeping block grants of H.R. 1214require little accountability from states. Theydestroy the safety net for our nation's mostvulnerable children without offering meaningfulreform or supports for families in its place.

H.R. 1214's Child Protection Block Grantwould certainly doom the efforts in many statesto begin family support initiatives. Why?

As if foster care caseloads weren't highenough in most states, other provisions in the

PRAsuch as denying aid to children born ofunmarried teens, children born to mothers onwelfare, and children with disabilitieswill makematters worse. If the states only have a limitedamount of resources, they will have to use all oftheir block grant funds to accommodate this in-creased demand for foster care. In addition, theelimination of open-ended funding for foster careand adoption assistance may mean that stateswon't have enough money to protect all vulner-able children. Prevention efforts will fall by thewayside, as we have witnessed time and again.

Instead of the H.R. 1214 approach, FRC hasbeen advocating another strategy:

1. Establish a separate block grant for the devel-opment of preventive, family resource andsupport services.

2. Pattern the Child Protection Block Grant forstate child welfare agencies after the 1993Family Preservation and Support Services Pro-gram (see Policy Beat, October 1993 andFebruary 1994).

3. Retain the Foster Care and Adoption Assis-tance Programs outside of any block grant toensure that in times of increased need, federalfunding for abused and neglected children isadequate.

FRC staff has been working to drum up supportfor these ideas:

Two letters have been sent to members of theHouse of Representatives and were posted on

continued on page 2

INSIDE

New NRC Brings Expertise to States

National Father-to-Father Plans

Pursuing the Dream Photo Project

The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition.

6

BULLETIN BOARD

ACADEMY ON SCHOOL-BASED ISSUESThe National Academy on Implementing School-Based Child Care and Family Support Programs willbe July 17-21 in New Haven. Conn. Orientation andadvanced workshops for policymakers. school adminis-trators, teachers, and program staff. For information,contact Bush Center in Child Development and SocialPolicy. Yale University, 310 Prospect Street, NewHaven, CT 06511, 203/432-9944 or 203/432-9945 (fax).

TRAINING INSTITUTEThe National Training Institute for Child WelfareSupervisors will be May 15-17 in Atlanta. Forinformation, contact Tina Smith, Child WelfareInstitute, Two Midtown Plaza, 1349 West PeachtreeStreet NE, Ste. 900, Atlanta, GA 30309-2956, 404/876-1934 or 404/876-7949 (fax).

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RESOURCEWorld Without Work: Causes and Conse-quences of Black Male Joblessness is a newpublication from the Center for the Study ofSocial Policy and the Philadelphia Children'sNetwork. For information, contact them at 1250Eye St. NW, Ste. 503. Washington. DC 20005-1565. 202/371-1565 or 202/371-1472 (fax).

CONFERENCEBuilding Alliances for Equity: DetrackingSchools and Society will be August 3-6 inCambridge, Mass. For information, contactthe National Coalition of Education Activists,P.O. Box 679, Rhinebeck, NY 12572, 914/876-4580, e-mail: rfbs@aol.com.

CONFERENCEA call for presentations has beenissued for Educating Today'sCommunities for Tomorrow'sWorld, to be held Nov. 29Dec.2 in Atlanta, GA. Apply by April24. For information, contact theNational Community EducationAssociation at 3929 Old LeeHwy., Ste. 91-A, Fairfax, VA22030-2401, 703/359-8973.

RESOURCEOn Target highlights promising initiatives that bringfamilies together, many through local employers. Forinformation, contact the Center for WorkplacePreparation, P.O. Box 1200, Washington, DC 20013-1200. Connection readers can order at a discount.

is

NATIONAL PARENT DATABASEThe National Parent to Parent Supportand Information System offers parents ofchildren with special health care needs orrare disorders a chance to network withothers nationwide through a database. Forinformation, contact NPPSIS at P.O. Box907, Blue Ridge, GA. 30513. 800/651-1151.

CONFERENCEBuilding on FamilyStrengths will take placeJune 1-3. For information,contact the Research andTraining Center on FamilySupport and Children'sMental Health, Portland StateUniversity, RPI/P.O. Box751. Portland, OR 97207-0751. 503/725-4040.

FRC Meets With Fatherhood LeadersIn March, FRC Executive Director Judy Langford Carter met with national

leaders on positive fathering, including Vice President Al Gore. The meeting wasa follow-up to "Family Reunion III: The Role of Men in Children's Lives," aconference called by Gore at which he kicked off the Father-to-Father Initiative.

"There are new, young fathers struggling with every facet of their role." saidthe Vice President, "from changing diapers to finding a job that can support theirsons and daughters. There are mature, experienced fathers who would love tovolunteer to help them. Let's bring them together." The Initiative is expected tooffer new ways for local family support programs to reach out to fathers.

The March meeting brought together leaders of national organizations withnetworks on fatherhood, including the Families and Work Institute, the NationalCenter on Fathers and Families, the National Fatherhood Initiative, the NationalCenter for Fathering, and the National Institute for Responsible Fatherhood andFamily Development. It was coordinated by the University of Minnesota Children,Youth, and Family Consortium, cosponsors of "Family Reunion III."

A major public education campaign on involving fathers in local programs isone possibility the group is discussing. The Coalition is planning events for its 1996national conference, Changing the Way America Works for Families, thatemphasize the importance of fathers in achieving the goals of the family supportmovement.

7

Block Grants from page 1

HandsNet as an example for advo-cates for families.

Communications Team memberShelley Peck is meeting with othernational organizations to plan andcarry out a unified communicationsstrategy to get the message out.

Policy Team staff have been work-ing with a small number of othernational organizations since last fallto craft a proposal for a "preventionfunding block grant" modeled afterthe Community-Based Family Re-source Program authorized last year(see Policy Beat, August 1994).

For more information or to obtain asample letter to send your Members ofCongress, contact Shelley Peck at FRC.

Young Adolescents and their FamiliesFRC Collaboration to Produce New Findings

Most family support workers whowork with fifth-to-ninth-graders haven'tbeen specially trained to do so. Andmany find it frustrating to try to de-velop programs and services for thosewho are no longer children, but not yetyoung adults.

But beyond these general ideas, notmuch is known about howandwhetherfamily support programs aremeeting the needs of young adoles-cents.

FRC is collaborating with well-known researcher Dr. Peter Scales, fromthe Center for Early Adolescence at theUniversity of North Carolina. to launcha "Helping Families Promote PositiveYoung Adolescent Development-project. The purpose of the project is toexpand and strengthen family supportprograms and services for 10-to- 15-year-olds and their families in order toencourage healthy adolescent devel-opment.

But before that goal can be accom-plished, the project must round up factsthat no one has yet compiled. In May.Dr. Scales and FRC, with funding from

SAVE THE DATE ...

FRC 1996 Conference

Changing the WayAmerican Works for Fami-lies. FRC's 1996 nationalconference, is already in theworks. April 30-May 4, 1996.are the dates to set aside fornetworking, workshops, andplenty of special events. Lo-cation: Chicago. For updatesas conference plans develop,call the FRC ConferenceHotline at 312/341-0900 x175.

the A. L. Mailman Family Foundation,Inc.. will survey 2.000 family supportprograms providing services and pro-grams for young adolescents, to findout:

what they are doing for this agegroup and their families;

what they'd like to do:

what kinds of training they'vehad: and, most importantly,

what training and resources wouldhelp them most in strengtheningthese services and programs.

The eventual results will be to de-sign training, create mentoring andnetworking experiences, and produceresources that will make it possible forfamily support programs to do more foryoung adolescents and their families.

If you work in a family supportprogram that serves youth between theages of 10 and 15 and haven't receiveda letter asking you to participate in thesurvey, and would like to participate,contact Lynn Pooley at FRC.

Pursuing the Dream

FRC is working with world-re-nowned photographer Stephen Shameson a project that will capture the powerof community-based programs to im-prove families' lives. Shames' last book,Outside the Dream: Child Poverty inAmerica. crystallized the overwhelm-ing problem of child poverty for readersacross the country.

Pursuing the Dream will go a stepfurther to show how a strong commit-ment from public funding sources andcommunity-based programs nurtureschildren and strengthens families.

FRC is helping Shames identifyprograms to visit, and will organizepublic exhibits of his work insummer 1996.

NRC Staff Travelto Assist States

In 1993, the federal FamilyPreservation and Support ServicesProgram created funding for statesto link local programs serving fami-lies. Now states are planning forthese new systemswith the helpof the National Resource Center(NRC) for Family-Centered Prac-tice (see November/December1994 Connection). As a partner inthe NRC, FRC is sending staffmembers to present to state childwelfare administrators at regionalconferences throughout the U.S.

Bryan SamuelsAssociateDirector of the NRCand NiloferAhsan visited the Region I confer-ence, held in Boston, February sixthand seventh. A week later theypresented to Region V states inFRC's hometown, Chicago. Theconferences are set up by the U.S.Department of Health and HumanServices (HHS), which adminis-ters the NRC and the federal FamilyPreservation and Support ServicesProgram. Ahsan and Samuels cov-ered the basics of how states shoulddraft their proposals for the plan-ning stage of the programthephase in which states and commu-nities plan how they will createlocal networks to support families.Staff also are assisting states indi-vidually on planning andimplementation of the program.

February 21-22, Samuels rep-resented the NRC at the HHSAdministration on Children,Youth, and Families' NationalChild Welfare Conference in Ar-lington, Va. He spoke on "How toMake Family Preservation andSupport Collaboration Work."

Together, the three partners inthe NRCFRC, the University ofIowa School of Social Work (for-merly the National ResourceCenter on Family Based Services),and the National Indian ChildWelfare Associationhave the ca-pacity to visit all 50 states by June.

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TRANSITIONSFRC welcomes a number of new

staff members this spring!Gail Koser is Project Director for

the National Technical Assistance andTraining Program for States. Gail pre-viously was Director of Policy for theNew York State Council on Childrenand Families, and brings years of expe-rience in family policy to the Coalition'seffort to provide states the training andtechnical support they. need to imple-ment the federal Family Preservationand Support Services Program.

Joanne Kelly joins FRC as SeniorPolicy Analyst for the National Techni-cal AssistanCe and ,Training Programfor States. Joanne comes to the Coali-tion from the New York State Councilon Children and Families.

Israel Romero is now Coordinatorof FRC's Latino Caucus. Israel wasmost recently Family Support Coordi-nator for Chicago's Child AbusePrevention Services. His many yearssupervising and providing services toLatino families at the state and locallevels make him an invaluable leader

and resource to the Coalition.Lucy Trujillo joins the Coalition as

Director of its Families/Schools/Com-munity project. Lucy was ProjectCoordinator for Denver's Family Re-source Schools, a national model ofschool-linked family support.

Longtime FRC board member MariaElena Orrego, who was Executive Di-rector of Family Place in Washington,D.C., is now a consultant for the Coali-tion on issues concerning federal policy.

Aaron Gurner, Assistant to the Fi-nancial Manager, earned his MBA atthe Kellogg Graduate School of Man-agement and has worked in fiscalmanagement for the Infant Welfare So-ciety of Chicago and other nonprofits.

Bernice Jackson, FRC's new re-ceptionist, comes to us after many yearswith Women Employed in Chicago.

The Coalition was sad to say goodbyeto five-year staff member SusanOliver, who, as Development Director,contributed invaluably to FRC's work.We wish her the best of luck!

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Information HighwayGrantsApply Now!

Proposals are due this spring forthe $64 million federal program tohelp community organizations andstate and local governments accessnew telecommunications technol-ogy. The Telecommunication andInformation Infrastructure Assis-tance Program (see September/October Connection) emphasizeson-line networks such as HandsNet,the computer bulletin board that FRCposts family support messages oneach week, and encourages collabo-ration among organizations. Lastyear's grants were $20,000$500,000each: lasted 12-18 months; and re-quired matching support in cash orin-kind services.

For an application form, send yourname. position title, organization,address, phone. fax, and e-mail (ifavailable) to:

DOC/NTIA/TIIAP14th and Constitution Ave. NWWashington, DC 20230For information, call 202/482-

2048, fax 202/501-5136, or e-mailtiiap@ntia.doc.gov.

MN/May/June 1995

Announcing Landmark Contributionsfrom FRC Best Practices ProjectA new series of monographs published by the Family Resource Coalition addressessome of family support's most pressing issues and meets needs identified by theBest Practices Project.

FRC' s Best Practices Project is publishingground-breaking monographs by four top think-ers in the family support field: two are availablenow. These are the first fruits of an effort toprovide family support workers, advocates, plan-ners, and policymakers with the tools they needto revolutionize systems for supporting families.

Linking Family Support andEarly Childhood Programs:Issues, Experiences, Opportunitiesby Mary LamerEarly childhood programs and family supportprograms share a deep concern for giving chil-dren the best possible chance for success. But thetwo often take very different approaches towardachieving that goal. Lamer recommends policies

and practices that can unite theserelated, but often isolated, fields.This text presents the design andorientation of various early child-hood programs and examinesstrategies for applying the prin-ciples of family support to them.Available now.

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Key Characteristics and Features ofCommunity-Based Family Support Programsby Carl DunstDunst, a pioneer and lauded author in the familysupport field, gets to the heart of current ques-tions over what a family support program isandisn't. Legislation is putting resources for familysupport into the hands of many policymakers,program builders, and human service practitio-ners who are new at identifying family supportpractices and principles. This crucial text definesfamily support programs, explores their key char-acteristics, classifies their operational features,and proposes a way of categorizing themgivingall readers a way to know family support whenthey see it. Available now.

10

Diversity, Cultural Democracy, and theFamily Support Movementby Makungu AkinyelaWritten from a cultural democracy perspective,this text discusses how family support programsserving people of color can find ways for partici-pants to appropriate power for themselves withinsociety. Akinyela examines the principles of fam-ily support and the values and assumptions thatundergird them in light of programs that servefamilies of color. He shows why and how programproviders must rethink the distribution of powerbetween provider and participant, between staffand supervisor, and among communities, pro-grams, and policymakers. Available this fall.

Community-Based Family Support Centers:Working With Abusive and At-Risk Familiesby Joyce ThomasEfforts are under way to integrate family supportinto the child welfare systemwhich child advo-cates know is a step in the right direction. How canvoluntary, community-based family support pro-grams work with mandated child protective servicesand family preservation efforts when a family isexperiencing abuse or neglect? Thomas exploresthe challenges and successes of such efforts andrecommends strategies for how to move forward.Available this fall.

The Best Practices Project's final document,Family Support: Guidelines for Practice, will tietogether review of academic literature and theexperiences of family support program providersand participants throughout the nation. To bereviewed this fall, the guide will define how familysupport principles are operationalized by programsand what constitutes effective practice in familysupport programs.

FRC members can purchase the monographsfor $6 each (nonmembers pay $8), including ship-ping and handling. For more information, callFRC at 312/341-0900.

The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition.

BULLETIN BOARD

RESOURCEThe Directory of Operating Grants lists670 foundations that support the generalongoing expenses that sustain organiza-tions' usual activities and includes morethan 3,000 funding entries. For informa-tion, contact Research Grant Guides, Inc..Dept. 3A, P.O. Box 1214, Loxahatchee, FL33470, 407/795-6129, 407/795-7794 (fax).

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RESOURCESingle-Parent Families: Mutual SupportGroups for Low Income Parents is a paperpublished by the Single Parent ResourceCenter. To obtain a copy, or for more infor-mation on the Center's drug abuse preven-tion programs for those leaving prison,contact the Center at 141 W. 28th St.. NewYork, NY 10001, 212/947-0221.

E'

WORKSHOPFatherhood Development: A Curriculum for YoungFathers is a series of three-day workshops sponsored byPublic/Private Ventures (P/PV) to be held in Chicago, SanFrancisco, and St. Petersburg, Fla. this summer. For infor-mation, contact Liz Alpern, P/PV, 2005 Market St., Ste.900, Philadelphia, PA 19103, 800/755-4778 x4436.

r .

CONFERENCEThe Changing Tide: Innovations for Preserving andStrengthening Families, the North Carolina Family-BasedServices Association's (NCFBSA) fourth annual conference,will be Oct. 18-20 in Charlotte, N.C. For information, con-tact NCFBSA, P.O. Box 34174, Charlotte, NC 28234-4174,704/336-4720, 704/336-7509 (fax).

CONFERENCEThe Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) willhold its ninth annual conference in St. Louis August 7-9. Forinformation, contact FFTA, 43 W. 33rd St., Ste. 601, New York,NY 10001, 212/643-0179 or 212/594-7360 (fax).

CONFERENCERenewing the Spirit of Excellence, the National Black ChildDevelopment Institute's (NBCDI) 25th national conference,will be Sept. 28-30 in Washington, D.C. For information, con-tact Conference Coordinator Vicki Pinkston, NBCDI, 102315th St. NW. Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20005, 202/387-1281,or 800/556-2234.

GALA FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDRENThe Share the Dream Gala. Sept. 27 at the Gar-den City Hotel in New York City, will raise fundsto build a new wing at Variety Pre-schoolers'Workshop (VPSW), which has provided educationand support for children with disabilities and theirfamilies since 1966. For information, contactVPSW. 47 Humphrey Dr., Syosset, NY 11791,516/921-7171 or 516/921-8130 (fax).

WORKSHOPService-Enriched Affordable HousingModels and Methodologies will be presented Oct. 23-24 in Washington,D.C. To be put on a mailing list, call Oliver Libaw, 213/252-0791. For more information, contact Natalie Profant,Beyond Shelter, 213/252-0793 (phone), 213/480-0846 (fax), HNO174 (HandsNet), or HNO174@handsnet.org.

New Father Policy Institute Moves In With FRCPolicy Research & TA to Promote Fathers' Responsibility

Family support advocates have longrecognized that America's current lawsregulating child support. custody andvisitation, and establishing paternityare not effective in encouraging fatherinvolvement.

The Father Policy Institute is a newproject to answer the legal and socialpolicy questions surrounding father-hood in the U.S. The Institute will dothe policy research and provide thetechnical assistance necessary to rec-ommend strategies that promote fathers'responsibility in a way that treats allfamily members with respect and fair-ness.

In the first stage of a six-monthplanning grant by the Ford Foundation(which also funds FRC's AfricanAmerican and Latino Caucuses' work)

the Father Policy Institute will lookclosely at four states to study how lawsand public programs affect fatherhood.Institute Director Kirk Harris, LeadConsultant David Pate, and PolicyAnalyst Daniel Ash will convene round-table meetings throughout the nation todiscuss issues such as welfare reformand how welfare regulations affect fa-thers' involvement in their families.

The Institute is part of a set ofactivities taking place throughout theU.S. that are focused on low-incomefathers and families, funded by the FordFoundation. Annie E. Casey Founda-tion. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation,and Danforth Foundation. Programsother than the Father Policy Institutethat are collaborating in the activitiesare the University of Pennsylvania's1

National Center on Fathers and Fami-lies, the Fatherhood Project at theFamilies and Work Institute, and theNational Institute for Responsible Fa-therhood and Family Development.

The Father Policy Institute is an in-dependent entity housed at the FamilyResource Coalition.

ConnectionEditor

Editorial Assistant

Director ofPublications

Jacqueline Lalley

Shamara Riley

Kathy Goetz

The Connection is the bimonthly newsletter ofthe Family Resource Coalition, 200 S.-Michi-gan Ave., 16th Floor. Chicago, IL 60604, 312/341-0900, 312J341-9361 (fax). Membership inFRC includes a subscription to the.Connection:

FRC's STATES Initiative Hits the Ground RunningConvenes Advisory Groups, Sends Applications, Starts Developing Materials

FRC' s STATES Initiative to improveand expand statewide networks of fam-ily support programs across theU.S.funded by the Robert WoodJohnson Foundationhas taken off.

This spring STATES sent informa-tion and applications to more than 4,000community-based family support ad-vocates and programs, and to all U.S.governors, inviting them to apply to beone of 10 states to receive intensivetechnical assistance (TA). Applicationswill be accepted from collaborationsamong state agency staff, the privatesector, legislators, and community-based family support programs.

STATES recently convened two im-portant advisory groups:

Recipients of Past TAWhat makes good TA good?

STATES staff called together repre-sentatives from states who have receivedTA on children and family services andasked them. The group shared ideas onsuccessful strategies, relevant contentareas, and lessons learned from theirexperiences, helping STATES staff pre-pare to provide high-quality trainingand TA.

Technical Advisory PanelTo ensure the highest-quality plan-

ning and implementation of STATES,FRC has brought together a broad-

TRANSITIONSThe Coalition is pleased to wel-

come Courtney O'Malley as its newDirector of Development. Courtneywas Associate of the Edna McConnellClark Foundation's Children's Pro-gram. She has been a consultant fornonprofits including NorthwesternUniversity's Child and Family Jus-tice Center and the ChicagoChildren's Museum.

FRC's 1996 conference coordi-nator is Juju Lien, who brings 20-plusyears of nonprofit work experienceto FRC. The former Executive Di-rector of the Chinese Mutual AidAssociation was a consultant in theareas of nonprofit management andcommunity relations and was Direc-tor of Constituency for Carol MoseleyBraun's U.S. Senate campaign.

based Technical Advisory Panel. ThePanel of state officials, community-based service providers, programparticipants, trainers, and experts in thefield of family support will advise staffon programmatic and strategic issues.

The Panel, which will meet for thefirst time July 12, includes: Pat Balasco-Barr (Director, Youth & FamilyServices, NJ); Charlie Bruner (Execu-tive Director, Child &Family Policy Center,IA, and FRC BoardMember); MaryDudley (Family De-velopment Program,N M ) ; MargotKaplan-Sanoff (Boston City Hospital);Cecilia Leona (California Tomorrow);Peter Leousis (Asst. Secretary for Chil-dren, Youth, and Families, NC); JamesMason (President, Beech Acres, OH);Meta Potts (Director of Training, Na-tional Center for Family Literacy, KY);Edwin Cancel Rios (Executive Direc-tor, Centro Las Americas,MA, and FRCLatino Caucus Steering CommitteeMember); Yoland Trevino (Director,Vaughn Next Century Learning Center,CA, and FRC Latino Caucus SteeringCommittee Member); Eleanor Wagoner(National Center on Child Abuse andNeglect, DC); Margaret Williams (Di-

rector, Friends of the Family, MD);Mildred Winter (Director, PAT NationalCenter, MO); Aaron Worthy (President,Alworth Associates, GA, and FRC Af-rican American Caucus SteeringCommittee Member); and Duncan Wyse(Executive Director, Oregon ProgressBoard).

STATES staff are currently devel-oping materials to use in providing

STATES sent information and applications tomore than 4,000 community-based familysupportadvocates and programs, and to all U.S.governors, inviting them to apply to be one of 10states to receive intensive technical assistance.

Selene James, FRC' s new Assistantto the STATES Initiative Director, has22 years' experience in administrativecoordination, and worked for the Chi-cago Housing Authority's Dept. ofResident Programs, which oversees in-tervention and prevention programs forchildren, youth, seniors, and families.

Paul Vivian, Director ofConnecticut's statewide family sup-port program and longtime FRCmember, is helping FRC's technicalassistance team provide TA to states asthey apply for the Federal Family Pres-ervation and Support Services Program.

Aaron Worthy, a member of theFRC African American Caucus Steer-ing Committee, is currently workingwith the Committee and the Coalitionstaff to clarify the mission and goals of

12

technical assistance, including a guideto state-sponsored family support ini-tiatives and a notebook of options forstates to consider when developing afamily support system of services. TheInitiative's staff includes consultantswith a wide range of expertise andexperience, including cultural compe-tence, systems reform, financing, andresults-based accountability.

If you are a program providerand think your state should apply,contact your governor's office. Formore information, call Selene James,Assistant to the STATES InitiativeDirector, at 312/341-0900.

the caucus. Aaron has been a manage-ment consultant for seven years,serving clients such as the governorof Georgia's office, where he helpedimplement the state's School-to-WorkPlanning Grant.

This spring FRC said good-bye tostaffer Stephanie Lubin, school-linked program specialist andcoordinator of the Coalition's 1992and 1994 national conferences. Herleadership made FRC's last two con-ferences an ideal meeting ground forthousands of family support provid-ers, advocates, and planners. Outsideof the conference season, Stephaniepromoted FRC's vital connection toschool-linked family support effortsacross the nation. The Coalition willmiss her greatly.

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Interstate Highways and Country Roads ...Technical Assistance Team Reaches States, Communities

FRC's policy and technical assis-tance staff have been consulting withcommunities and states across the coun-try, working to improve their ways ofsupporting and strengthening families.

The Local Angle

St. Louis, MissouriCoalition staff have assisted commu-nity planners this spring, as they workto create a strategic plan for a "one-stop-shopping" family center that willprovide a spectrum of services andprograms at a single site. The plan willbe implemented this summer. Plannershave acquired an old county hospitalbuilding and named it the Prince HallFamily Support Center.

Columbus, IndianaThe Lincoln-Central neighborhood iscreating a school-based family resourcecenter as part of Bartholomew County'sChildren, Youth and Families Initia-tive. FRC's assistance concentrates onpositive youth development, primaryprevention, and family support. Staffare helping to create a strategic plan to

address the community's primary con-cerns: safety, infrastructure, education,health care, support for parents, posi-tive youth development activities, andchildcare. FRC will visit Columbusevery two weeks this summer to helpset goals for the center and to help planfor staffing, structure, and funding andbudget development.

Changing State SystemsAs a partner in the National Re-

source Center for Family-CenteredPractice (NRC-FCP), the Coalition ishelping states through the process ofapplying for federal Family Preserva-tion and Support Services (FPSSP)grants. By the end of June, states mustturn in detailed plans for how they willspend the federal fundswhich in-volves evaluating the state's currentcapacity and planning how it couldmost effectively use the funds to im-prove statewide coordination of localfamily support and preservation efforts.

FRC State Policy Analyst NiloferAhsan spent two days in Dallas withstaff of the regional office of the U.S.

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Department of Health and Human Ser-vices (HHS), facilitating discussionsand training sessions that centered onevaluating existing family support pro-grams, a key requirement of the FPSSP.The regional HHS staff administer theFPSSP in Texas, New Mexico, Arkan-sas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

NRC-FCP Associate Director BryanSamuels, FRC Policy Coordinator JillGarcia, and Ahsan worked in similarways with the states of Mississippi,Hawaii, andmost recentlyKen-tucky. FRC previously assistedKentucky in planning and creating thefamily resource and youth service cen-ters required by the state's landmarkeducation reform, passed in 1991.

Community involvement is essen-tial to Kentucky's planning process.Program providers and communitymembers must conduct a detailed as-sessment of their communities' needsand how the federal program could bestserve them. FRC staff helped local-and state-level planners pool their ideasao create a cohesive state plan.

.71.4

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July/August 1995

FRC Nurtures Community Effortsto Grow the Family Support MovementAs FRC solidifies plans for Changing the Way America Works for Families, thenation's largest family-focused gathering, staff reach out to grow the fieldcommunity by community.

The Family Resource Coalition Board of Di-rectors reaffirmed at its summer meeting thatlocal communities not only form the bedrock ofthe family support movement: they are the groundin which the movement grows. In the currentpolitical climate. FRC is more dedicated thanever to providing local programs with trainingand technical assistance. information, and sup-port to build the family support constituencyanational community of organizations and indi-viduals who believe in and carry out collaborative,family-focused practices.

FRC membership adds up to more than thesum of all of its parts. By joining FRCand itsAfrican American and Latino Caucusesthosewho work, with families add their voices to oth-ers' from across the nation, turningcommunity-based efforts into a national cam-paign to strengthen and support families. Membersstay connected to this national effort throughsubscriptions to FRC's publications and throughthe FRC conference and day-to-day communica-tion with Coalition staff.

Through publicationsthe Connection, theCaucus Voices. Policy Beat, the Report. andbooks and monographsand HandsNet postings(see page 3), FRC also reaches the wider circlesof policymakers, educators. human service pro-viders. and others whose work affects the well-being of children and families.

FRC's training and technical assistance (TA)staff are another conduit for building the familysupport field. While some assist state planners infinding ways to improve family-serving systems,others travel to communities such as Columbus.Indiana. and St. Louis, Missouri. to provide localplanners with the tools they need as they tailorservices to local families. Staff also speak atconferences to spread the word about familysupport and build alliances with others.

Focus groups of family support practitioners

form the backbone of FRC's Best Practices Project,which ties their expertise with that of researchersto point out practices that are working to strengthenfamilies. Best Practices has produced two mono-graphs and will produce two more, plus a finalreport to be released at FRC's 1996 nationalconference.

Vice President Gore Invited toAddress FRC Conference Dinner

Thousands will gather at the Family Re-source Coalition's national conference nextspring to make new connections, strengthenexisting ones, and refuel for another twayears.-

Changing the Way America Works forFamilies will kick off with the "State of theFamily Dinner" on Wednesday, May 1. VicePresident Al Gore has been invited to speak onthe state of America's families todayour chal-lenges and our strengths. This national event isnot to be missed. The dinner will cap off a fullday of pre-conference activities, includingFRC's membership meeting.

Thursday morning, an eclectic event willbring attendees together with a common vision:an America in which all families get the supportthey need and deserve. Friday, invited speakerAudrey Rowe. Executive Vice President. of theNational Urban League, will speak on how thecurrent political climate impacts families andthose who work with them. A final event Satur-day morning will send attendees back to theircommunities with a charge to use their new'tools, networks, and alliances to make .a differ-ence for America's families.

Watch your mailbox for a chance to savemoney by registering as an "early bird." And ifyou're not already a member of FRC, make sureto joinand get a discount on conference reg-istration. The Connection will keep you up todate on speakers and events.

The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition.

I 4

BULLETIN BOARDCONFERENCEThe North American Conference on the Family: Partnerships forChange, cosponsored by Family Service America. Inc.. and FamilyService Canada. will be held Oct. 19-22 in Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada. For information, contact Ms. Penny J. Mandli. Family ServiceAmerica. Inc.. 11700 W. Lake Park Dr.. Milwaukee, WI 53224: 800/221-3726 (phone); 414/359-1074 (fax).

RESOURCEOn Target highlights promising initiatives thatbring families together, many through localemployers. For information, contact the Centerfor Workplace Preparation, P.O. Box 1200,Washington, DC 20013-1200. Connectionreaders can order at a discount.

GRANTS AVAILABLEProposals are being accepted for U.S. WEST and Bell Atlantic corporate grantsto community-based organizations. Programs that impact the funders' employeesand their families will be considered. Contact Jill Kortright, The PartnershipGroup, at 215/643-8383 (phone), 215/283-4814 (fax), or HN558I (Hands Net).

Job OpeningCommunity Development Special-ist, Family Resource Coalition's STATES(State Technical Assistance and Training

for Effective Systems) Initiative. For a job description,contact Selene James, Assistant to the STATES Initia-tive Director, at 312/341-0900.

CONFERENCETwenty Years of Caring for America will beSept. 13-15 in Washington, D.C. For informa-tion, contact the National Association of Homesand Services for Children, 202/223-3447.

NATIONAL PARENT DATABASEThe National Parent to Parent Support and In-formation System is a database for parents of chil-dren with special health care needs or raredisorders. For information, contact NPPSIS at P.O.Box 907. Blue Ridge, GA, 30513. 800/651-1151.

CONFERENCEThe Healthy FamiliesAmerica Conference and theNational Committee to Pre-vent Child Abuse LeadershipConference will be held inconjunction with each otherOct. 22-25 in Chicago. Forinformation, contact AnnaLoftus, 312/663-3520 x 115.

FAMILIES IN THE MEDIASex, Teens, and Public Schools will pre-miere Oct. 17 at 10:00 p.m. on PBS. Hostedby Jane Pauley, the program travels to com-munities to explore the conditions leading toescalating rates of teen pregnancy and to findout what public schools can do.

TRANSITIONSFRC welcomes two new staff

members. STATES Initiative SeniorTraining Specialist BrendaRodriguez has conducted training ona broad range of diversity, educa-tional, and community developmentissues. She previously served as atrainer for the Inter America MidwestMultifunctional Resource Center. Shereceived her M.A. in Public Adminis-tration, and completed her doctoralwork at the University of Colorado inPolitical Science with a focus onpolicy and race, class, and genderissues. Technical Assistance Special-ist Mark McDaniel has planned andled .community, development effortsfor the City of Annapolis, Md., andworked with several community de-velopment concerns in Baltimore. Heobtained his Master of City and Re-gional Planning degree at MorganState University.

WORKSHOPPeace Education and Conflict Reso-lution will be held Oct. 27-28 inEdmunton. Alberta, Canada; and Nov.10-11 in Albuquerque. N.M. Forinformation, contact Marilyn Gardneror Erin Macey at the Association ofChildhood Education International.I 150 I Georgia Ave.. Ste. 315.Wheaton, MD 20902, 800/423-3563.

REVIEWERS AND CONSULTANTS SOUGHTThe National Head Start Bureau is seeking peer reviewers and/orconsultants: all respondents will be put on a mailing list to receivefunding bulletins. For information, contact Ellsworth Associates.Inc.. Attn: Head Start Reviewers and Consultants. F-A20, 8381 OldCourthouse Rd.. Vienna, VA 22182: 703/356-0472 (fax);cclark@acf.dhhs.gov (e-mail).

The Coalition said good-bye tothree longtime staff members thissummer. Adrienne Coffey fulfilledmany roles during her years with FRC,including being Office Manager dur-ing a period of great growth andchange in FRC's staff structure andmanaging registration for FRC's 1994national conference. Director of In-formation Services Paul Deane'sexpertise in computer and informa-tion technology saw FRC throughtremendous growth in size and scope;he helped manage FRC's database offamily support workers, advocates,and researchers and kept the Coali-tion up to date on new family supportresources. Constituency AssistantAngela Williams contributed con-siderably to the Coalition's work ingrowing the field and building theAfrican American Caucus.

All three will be greatly missed atFRC. We wish them the best of lust.

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How Would U.S.Budget Cuts AffectFamilies in Your State?

The White House has prepared afact sheet for each state, explaining theimplications of the appropriation billapproved by the House of Representa-tives for FY 1996.

Proposed cuts in Head Start, Chap-ter 1, Goals 2000. job training, PellGrants, Summer Jobs, and other sup-ports and services are discussed. For acopy of your state's fact sheet, contactFRC at 312/341-0900.

ConnectionEditorEditorial AssistantDirector ofPublications

Jacqueline Lalley

Shamara Riley

Kathy Goetz

The Connection is the bimonthly newsletter ofthe Family Resource Coalition. 200 S. Michi-gan Ave.. 16th Floor. Chicago, IL 60604. 312/341-0900. 312/341-9361 (fax). Membership inFRC includes a subscription to the Connection.

Panel Advises STATES InitiativeProviders, Parents, & Trainers Are Experts on Technical Advisory Panel

A group of community-based ser-vice providers, state officials, programparticipants, trainers, and other familysupport experts from across the nationmet July 12 to advise FRC staff on theprogrammatic and strategic issues ofproviding technical assistance (TA) tostates. It was the first meeting for theTechnical Advisory Panel of FRC'sSTATES (State Technical Assistanceand Training for Effective Systems)Initiative. Panel members are PatBalasco-Barr, Charlie Bruner, FredricaHollis, Mary Dudley, Margot Kaplan-Sanoff, Rosa Lara, Cecilia Leong, PeterLeousis, James Mason, Meta Potts,Edwin Cancel Rios, Janice Shafer.Yoland Trevino, Margaret Williams.Mildred Winter, Aaron Worthy, andDuncan Wyse.

The Panel met with STATES staff(including new Senior Training Spe-cialist Brenda Rodriguezsee page 2)and Terry KeenanProgram Officerfor the Robert Wood Johnson Founda-tion, which funds the Initiativetoplan for the tools, networks, and part-nerships that will be crucial to theInitiative's work to improve familysupport collaboration on the state level.

Nation Logs Onfor Family Support

FRC's on-line messages onfamily support and the work ofcommunity-based programshave gained top-ten statusamong readers of the Children,Youth, and Families forum ofHands Net, the computer net-work for the social service field.If you have a computer and amodem, but aren't on line, call408/257-4500 to fmd out howyou can instantly exchangefamily support messages withlike-minded people and pro-grams across the nation for thecost of a local phone call. Con-tact FRC at: our Hands Netaddress, HN4860, with yourideas and feedback.

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In June, staff sent 4,000 brochuresand applications to community-basedfamily support advocates and programs.and to all U.S. governors, inviting themto apply to be one of the states selectedfor intensive TA. Based on the Panel'sadvice, STATES staff will conduct sitevisits to states as part of the selectionprocess. to gauge the diversity of par-ties involved in the collaborations (stateand local, public and private) that ap-ply to participate. States will be chosenin October.

The Panel also discussed the con-tent and format of three TA tools to bepublished. Members agreed to be re-viewers forMaking the Case for FamilySupport, which will provide languagefor community-based program provid-ers to use in advocating for theirservices; an inventory of statewide fam-ily support initiatives; and a manualoffering states options and strategiesfor promoting a family support agenda.

Networks and PartnershipsFRC seeks to develop a strong fam-

ily support network in each of the statesthat participate in the Initiative, and tofoster state-local partnerships that work

for families. Panel members, who rep-resent a wide spectrum of involvementin working with and for families, helpedanswer key questions that have arisenas staff prepare to facilitate successfulnetworks. Panel members said bothlocally based networks that focus onprogram participants and statewidenetworks that are oriented toward pro-viders are needed. While the formerprovide opportunities for leadershipdevelopment and engage parents inlocal programs, the latter bring aboutstaff development. advocacy, program-matic information sharing, andcoordination of financial resources.

The panel of parents. providers, andadministrators offered suggestions onhow to foster state and local partner-ships, covering subjects such as howstates can best allocate money to com-munity-based programs, how to ensurethat services respond to communities,and how to reward front-line staff forinnovation and positive outcomes.STATES staff plan to draw upon thesesuggestions as they work with state-and local-level partners to create waysof working together that follow theprinciple, "The family comes first."

Federal Commission on Family LeaveHears Testimony of FRC Board Member

In May, FRC Board member Elizabeth Carlson testified in Chicagobefore the federal bipartisan Commission on Family and MedicalLeave. The commission is assessing the impact of the federal Familyand Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed in 1993, which grantedemployees of larger companies up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave forthe birth or adoption of a child or to care for family members during

serious illness. The commission's hearings in Chicago, San Francisco, andWashington, D.C.. will culminate in a report due in November.

Carlson has been Director of Human Resources for eight years for the NationalFutures Association (NFA), the self-regulatory organization for the futures indus-try, which employees 234 people in Chicago and 36 in New York. Four NFAemployees also testified. She concluded her testimony with the following words:

-FA's experience with [the FMLA] has been very positive. ... [E]mployeesbenefit ... because it allows them peace of mind without any sense of guilt aboutshirking their job responsibilities at a time when their energies need to be directedtoward their families or personal lives. Management benefits by retaining itstrained and experience staff and from the loyalty and good will that the policyengenders among the employees.

"In my opinion, [the U.S.] and all society benefits by ensuring positive familyexperiences. ... The FMLA is a significant step toward bringing U.S. employmentpolicy into alignment with positive family experiences."

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Intern's Viewby David Sheppard. Public Policy InternTraining & Technical Assistance Team

My internship with theFamily Resource Coali-tion has been aneducational experience.Not only have I gainedgreater knowledge and

depth of understanding about familysupport; I have also become cognizantof what happens when governmentpolicy "hits the pavement"how itimpacts real people daily.

I have learned that an integral aspectof family support is comprehensive as-sistance for families. Problems occurwhen agencies or providers servingfamilies must operate with a singularmission or limited resources, rather thanbeing able to serve families in a com-prehensive way. Consequently,providers have no choice but to "run incircles," unable to help, because it isbeyond their means to address the chal-lenges that a particular family faces. Asa result, children and families withmultiple interrelated problems suffer.

The type of approach needed is onethat brings service providers together toaddress the needs of the specific child orfamily. Establishing a comprehensivestructure of support for children andfamilies that focuses on provider col-laboration seems like a simple idea, butissues of "turf' and other factors oftenprevent collaboration. The current lim-its on vision and resources and theshortage of expertise in this arena pre-cipitate the need for an organizationlike FRC. The Coalition can come inand assist community organizations inestablishing a network of providers tocreate the comprehensive system thatchildren and families require.

The Coalition and other extra-gov-ernmental organizations can play a greatrole as a buffer between the policy andthe "pavement." Unaffected by the bu-reaucracy that inhibits state and federalagencies, these organizations can bringproviders together, assist them in pool-ing their resources towards a commonobjective, and equip them with the toolsto help make such a collaboration suc-cessful. They can make social policyand services work as they were env i-,

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sioned to work.My internship will undeniably af-

fect my future endeavors. If I attain thedream of becoming a public servant, itwill shape how I think policy should beimplemented and created. I will remainaware of the ways in which policy af-fects people. Ensuring that those peoplehave input into the creation of policynow stands out to me as the essentialpart of the policy-making process. I

hope that this view of the policy processcan establish a firm foundation in gov-ernment; it would allow policymakers(including, I hope, me) to create policythat provides comprehensive, supportfor all of the children and families ofour nation, making the job of FRC andorganizations like it that much easier.

I have noticed a theme runningthrough all of the Coalition's work:doing what works best for our nation'schildren and families, for the benefit ofall of us. This may be the idealisticperspective of a novice, but my experi-ence shows me that FRC andorganizations like it contribute to oursociety by strengthening government'sability to work "for the people."

September/October 1995

FRC Publishes Community Assessment Manual:Experience is Backbone of How-To GuideDrawing acclaim from the National Head Start Association, HIPPY, and Kentucky'sFamily Resource/Youth Service Centers, Know Your Community: A Step-by-Step Guide to Community Needs and Resources Assessment is the productofFRC's years of technical assistance and training in communities.

Those who work with familiesknow that in order for theirprograms to be effective, theyhave to match residents' spe-

Community, cific needs and make use oftheir resources. Until recently,identifying these needs and re-sources has been catch-as-

catch-can for community planners. Many wishthey had a way to find the "hidden" strengthsthat, if tapped, could empower the communitywith greater self-sufficiency.

Now, one simple-to-use guide brings plan-ners who are conducting needs and resourcesassessments the methods, strategies, and toolsthey needwith surveys, worksheets, and ex-amples from FRC's work with communities.

Know Your Community: A Step-by-Step Guideto Community Needs and Resources Assessmentstarts at the beginning, with the formulation of aplanning team that represents all who would beaffected by the new or revised services or pro-grams, and guides readers to compile a completeprofile of the community's needs and strengths.

FRC, Communities Live the GuideKnow Your Community brings the Coalition's

technical assistance and training work full circle.Many of its, examples come from the work ofauthors Bryan Samuels, Nilofer Ahsan, and JillGarcia in communities where residents wereleaders on planning committees, participated infocus groups, completed surveys, and spoke outat community meetings. (See page two to find outabout FRC's current technical assistance withcommunity and statewide planning efforts.)

"It's the most thorough tool that I've evercome across for the needs assessment process,"

says Marcia Morganti, Internal Policy AnalystPrincipal of the Kentucky Family Resource/YouthService Centers, who plans to provide Know YourCommunity to applicants for her programs' grants.Miriam Westheimer, Executive Director of theHome Instruction Program for Preschool Young-sters (HIPPY), also looks forward to referringcommunities to the guide.

Hands-on, Strengths-basedA strengths-based guide, Know Your Commu-

nity shows planners how to count each communityasset (whether it's a prenatal education program ora woman who teaches piano lessons for free) as away to meet residents' needs. It describes howcommunity residents and service providers canidentify their own needs and resources, to ensurethat the program will work for those who count.

Know Your Community's spiral binding makesits sample surveys, data-collection worksheets,progress charts, and other tools easy to access. Theguide comes with a diskette, so that Macintosh andIBM users can customize many of the tools to theircommunities. To purchase, specify Mac or IBMformat for the diskette and send $24.95 (FRCmembers) or $32.50 (nonmembers) plus $5.00 forshipping to FRC, 200 S. Michigan Ave., 16thFloor, Chicago, IL 60604, or fax your credit cardorder to 312/341-9361. Call 312/341-0900 forinformation and to find out about bulk discounts.

Inside:; Block GrantsWhat they mean for you amrthefamilies you work with ... and howto take action now.

The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition.

A8

BULLETIN BOARDINFORMATION SOUGHTThe Center for Fathers, Families, and PublicPolicy seeks information on innovative programsand state laws and procedures related to fatherhood.It also seeks individuals in the following states forinterviews on fatherhood issues: CA, GA, MD, IL,and DE. For information, contact Daniel Ash; Centerfor Fathers, Families, and Public Policy; 200 SouthMichigan Avenue, 16th Floor; Chicago, IL 60604;312/341-0900 (phone); 312/341-9361 (fax).

RESOURCECWLA Standards of Excellence for FamilyFoster Care examines each aspect of familyfoster care, details the qualifications forfoster parents and social work staff, specifiesthe caseload size for family foster care socialworkers, and outlines administrative policiesfor quality services. For information, contactthe Child Welfare League of America, c/oCSSC, 300 Raritan Center Parkway, Edison,NJ, 08818-9990.

RESOURCEThe Communities That Care Planning Kit provides step-by-step resource materials that communities can use in organizingaround violence prevention. For information, contact Develop-mental Research and Programs, Inc., 130 Nickerson, Suite 107,Seattle, WA 98109; 800/736-2630 (phone); 206/286-1462 (fax).

CELEBRATE FAMILIES!National Family Week is Nov. 19-25. This year'stheme is "Celebrate Families!" For information, con-tact Family Service America, Inc., 11700 West LakePark Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53224; 414/359-1040(phone); 414/359-1074 (fax).

CONFERENCEThe 10th annual Zero to ThreeNational Training Institute willbe Nov. 30Dec. 3 in Atlanta. Forinformation, contact Zero to Three,2000 14th Street North #380, Ar-lington, VA 22201-2500; 703/356-8300 (phone); 703/790-7237 (fax).

CON FERENCEThe Spirit of '96To Dream, To Dare, To Do willbe held April 10-13, 1996, in Minneapolis. ContactMarilyn Gardner or Erin Macey at the Association ofChildhood Education International, 11501 GeorgiaAve., Ste. 315, Wheaton, MD 20902, 800/423-3563.

PARENT EDUCATIONActive Parenting Publishersoffers one-day Active Parent-ing of Teens Leader TrainingWorkshops in various citiesthat focus on implementingeffective parent educationgroups. For information, call800/825-0060.

CONFERENCEThe 1995 National Symposium on Partnerships inEducation will be Nov. 13-18 in Arlington, Va. Forinformation, contact the National Association ofPartners in Education, Inc., 209 Madison Street,Suite 401, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703/836-6941(phone); 703/549-5623 (fax).

FRC Works With Communities and Statesto Plan Family Support Programs and Systems

One of FRC's best sources of up-to-date information on family support isits technical assistance (TA) to localpractitioners and local and state plan-ners. As staff pass on FRC's knowledgeand tools with TA recipients, they gathernew information to share.

In Columbus, Ind., FRC staff meetregularly with the Lincoln-Central com-munity planning team as they work tocreate a school-based family center.The community used the Know YourCommunity method of assessment (seepage one) and is now planning servicesto meet their top-priority needs: posi-tive youth development, safety,infrastructure, education, childcare,health care, and parental support.

In St. Louis, Mo., the Prince HallFamily Center is on its way to being acentral location for comprehensive fam-ily support. Community residentscompleted surveys (a needs assessmentmethod described in Know Your Com-

munity) to identify eight priority areasthey felt needed to be addressed. FRCstaff are meeting with the Prince HallAdvisory Board to examine staff con-figuration and functions; the Board iscreating an inventory of service pro-viders, to coordinate the community'sservice delivery system.

States Seek FRC KnowledgeStates frequently call upon FRC's

knowledge of local planning efforts inplanning family support initiatives. Atthe request of the Family InvestmentTrust (funded by the Clark Founda-tion), staff are designing a trainingpackage for teachers and administra-tors in 16 Missouri counties in an effortto change the way social services areadministered in cases of potential childabuse. The training may become partof the state's child protection system.

The range of TA available on a fee-for-service basis includes siaggic

planning, consumer involvement, fam-ily resource centers, collaboration, andcommunity assessment.

FRC staff also are preparing to pro-vide TA through an initiative fundedby the Robert Wood Johnson Founda-tion. As application deadlinesapproached this fall, staff prepared toselect up to 10 states to participate inthe STATES (State Technical Assis-tance and Training for EffectiveSystems) Initiative, which will increasestates' capacity to implement broad-based family support agendas.

ConnectionEditorEditorial AssistantDirector ofPublications

Jacqueline LalleyShamara Riley

Kathy Goetz

The Connection is the bimonthly newsletter ofthe Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michi-gan Ave., 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604, 312/341-0900, 312/341-9361 (fax). Membership inFRC includes a subscription to the Connection.

Report from FRCWishingtontlahon Marla Bei-tat/mega=

Block Grants Are ComingHow Can We Turn a Crisis into an Opportunity?

On September 19. the U.S. Senate endorsed a welfare bill that woulddismantle the system that for over 60 years has guaranteed aid for

millions of poor families and children, legal immigrants. and disabledpeople. Although slightly less severe than its House equivalent, the bill

would set a lifetime limit of five years on welfare benefits and reducesocial spending by more than $65 billion over seven yearscripplingor eliminating scores of services and supports. including most commu-nity-based prevention programs. The federal government estimatesthat nearly one-fifth of the children receiving benefits in 1994! 57,000 childrenwould be ineligible for the most basic aid.

Under the guise of "block grants," both bills would make statesresponsible for the social safety net. Differences among states' capaci-

ties to absorb the loss in federal funds could be devastating for children.

youth. and families in the nation's poorer states.

The block grants proposed by Congress are not intended to create better

policy or more flexibility for the states: like past federal funding

mechanisms, they are categorical creatures with plenty of restrictions.They are not intended to create better services: they leave in place the

walls separating the various categories of assistance that poor families

and children depend on.

These block grants are intended to cut states' funding. The proposedblock grants will come with funding cuts of 10 to 20 percent. Theadministrative savings so heralded by their supporters in Congress will

be negligible. With less money available, states' budget-makingprocesses will be politically charged and cold-blooded. Federal cutsmay simply be passed on to counties, cities, and communities.

It is critical that we prepare. How? By askingin our communities,counties, and states"What do we want to accomplish with oursystems for families and children. and how can we use block grants toaccomplish these things?" We will fare better if we work proactivelyfor change, rather than reacting to the demands of block grants.

The most successful approaches will be outcome-based. Rather thanfunding services as an end in and of themselves, they will use statefunds to achieve the outcomes already identified as most important forchildren and families. Many states have begun processes to reform

their child- and family-serving systems. Many have major comprehen-sive initiatives under way. All U.S. states. territories, and Indian tribeshave developed five-year strategic plans for family support andpreservation. These initiatives and plans should guide us in budgeting

with block grants.

Local family support programs are on the frontlines. and will be hithard as more and more families seek essential support. Programs mustmake extraordinary efforts to lead, participate in, and involve consum-

ers in their states' budget decisions. They must advocate staunchly, incoalition with other programs, for a prevention agenda.

The Family Resource Coalition will support local programs in all ofthese efforts. For resources and information on block grants. and howthey could be designed to strengthen and support children, youth. and

families, please contact FRC Washington Liaison Maria Elena Orrego

at 202/371-1565 (phone) or 202/371-1472 (fax).

2

FRC Reportto Feature Culture

The upcoming FRC Report fo-cuses on culture and family-centeredpractice. Mentor and contributor TerryCross is Director of the National IndianChild Welfare Association, and is pri-mary consultant to the NationalResource Center for Family-CenteredPractice. which is sponsoring the issue.Seasoned family support workers, re-searchers, and advocates bring you theirinsights on:

culturally competent assessment

how practice can support culturalidentity development

understanding helping and coun-seling practices as culturally bound

practitioner self-awareness inculture learning

parenting education

storytelling

the practitioner's role in creatingintentional communities

native language and family-centered practice

cultural competence in manage-ment and organizational behaviorA Report subscription is a benefit of

membership in the Coalition. To ordera copy or to join. call 312/341-0900.

Longtime MembersShare Ideas With FRC Staff

FRC staff recently had a rare treat:sitting down with two longtime (since1982) members to learn about theirwork and the role FRC has played in it.

Through training, technical assis-tance, and direct family support servicesSheila Sussman (Executive Director ofthe Center for Family Resources inMineola, N.Y.) and Sandra Feinberg(Director of the Middle Country PublicLibrary in Centereach, N.Y.) have beeninfluential in the family support move-ment in New York state.

The lively exchange of informationand ideas, gave all a better understand-ing of how the Coalition's resources(from publications to conferences) trans-late into enhanced family support at thelocal level, and how FRC's knowledgeis enriched by the experience of mem-ber practitioners and programs. FRC'swelcome mat is out!

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Family Resource Coalition National ConferenceChanging the Way America Works for Families

May 1May 4,1996 Chicago

1996 will be a crucial year for families and those who work with them. Major changes in Washington will impact familiesand family support programs in every community. And the 1996 national elections create the possibility of even more change.

Those who care about families must work together to Change the Way America Works for Families.

The Family Resource Coalition holds the only national family support conference in the U.S. This year, keynote speakers

include Vice President Al Gore, invited speaker at Wednesday's State of the Family Dinner (new this year):

Audrey Rowe, Executive Vice President of the National Urban League; and Roger Rosenblatt, Columbia

Journalism Review Editor-in-Chief & New York Times Magazine essayist. Don't miss special opportunities to network with

others from your state (to form alliances on block grants and other important issues), attend workshops and

seminars covering new topics such as fatherhood and public policy, and connect with those who share your interests. Bring

your colleagues and friendscall FRC to have us send them information. If you got this Connection by mail, watch for an

"early-bird" conference registration brochure. Call 312/341-0900 x 134 if you're not on FRC's mailing list.

FRC's 1994 conference drew 1500 attendees: family support practitioners and advocates, policymakers, andacademics. Listen to what attendees from Maine to Minnesota, from California to North Carolina, had to say afterward:

"Outstanding. All presenters radiated commitment and vision.""An extrememly powerful session. I still find myself talking about it with colleagues and family!""Everyone, regardless of rank or title, who is involved with human services should participate."

"It is a nice feeling to know so many share the same dream about families."

"The FRC Conference is the highlight of my professional life. I can't wait rtwo years to pass until the next one."

Don't wait! Call 312/341-0900 x 134 now for information and to get our early-bird offer.

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November/December 1995

Helping States Build Communities' Capacityto Support Children and FamiliesWith the increasing likelihood of big changes in how states receive federal funding,FRC is in the midst of three technical assistance initiatives to help states maximizetheir commitment to families and the community-based programs that serve them.

From a pool of 36 applicants, FRC has se-lected eight states to receive intensive technicalassistance (TA) through the State Technical As-sistance and Training for Effective Systems(STATES) Initiative, funded by the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation.

FRC also will expand the TA it offers states asa partner in the National Resource Center forFamily-Centered Practice, and will begin pro-viding TA through the new National ResourceCenter on Community-based Family ResourcePrograms. Both Centers are funded by the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The STATES Are ...After a thorough review process that included

reading all 36 applications and conducting inter-views or site visits with 19 applicants, the FamilyResource Coalition selected Colorado, Connecti-cut, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New York,Washington, and West Virginia for participationin the STATES Initiative.

STATES already is linking state governmentsand community-based organizations that areworking to advance a family support agenda."For example, 20 organizations in New Yorkcalled the governor's office to say that theywanted to work cooperatively with the state tohelp advance a family support agenda," saysSTATES Initiative Director Gail Koser. "This isa sign of the partnership between states and localcommunities on family support issues."

To apply, states had to demonstrate collabo-ration: in each state, community-based familysupport advocates, program staff, and governors

1

and government staff together planned how thetechnical assistance would strengthen their jointefforts on behalf of families.

Each state will receive customized TA through-out the multi-year Initiative to build its capacity tosupport families. TA will focus on putting in placeand strengthening networks of county and localfamily support programs, and on strategies tosupport and strengthen families. TA will coverconsumer involvement, cultural competency, fam-ily support definition, local capacity building,networks of family support programs, state/localgovernance, training, responses to block grants,and other areas determined by states' needs.

Two NRCs Offer More TATogether with the University of Iowa School of

Social Work and the National Indian Child Wel-fare Association, FRC will offer even more hoursof TA to states on implementing the federal Fam-ily Preservation and Support Services Program.Through the National Resource Center on Family-Centered Practice, any state can now get up to 10hours of TA per year (up from six last year). Twonew staff members will be added; one will focuson family support programs, and the other willprovide TA on cultural competence issues withinthe family support field. TA will be provided byphone and through site visits.

FRC will provide additional TA through thenew National Resource Center on Community-based Family Resource Programs. With the ChapelHill TrainingOutreach Project, Inc., FRC staffwill provide states with ongoing technical assis-tance on creating networks of family support

continued on next page

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The Connection is published bimonthly as a benefit of membership in the Family Resource Coalition. Preparation of

this issue of the Connection was assisted by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Princeton, New Jersey).

BULLETIN BOARD

RESOURCEThe new Institute for Community

1

Collaborative Studies at CaliforniaState University/Monterey Bay pro-motes integrated human service deliv-ery through training, in-serviceeducation, and research on systemschange. For information, contact Dr.Rae Grad, Director, Institute forCommunity Collaborative Studies,'California State University/MontereyBay, 100 Campus Center, Seaside,CA 93955-8001, 408/393-3624.

Job OpeningsThe National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice

seeks a Family Support Program Specialist to provide on-site TA to states and communities, develop materials, and facili-

tate site visits and linkages to family support programs for childwelfare agencies. For a job description, call FRC at 312/341-0900.

The Family Resource Coalition seeks a Constituency Team Man-ager, to be responsible for the development, management, and mainte-nance of FRC's relationships with members and various groups relatedto family support. For a job description, call 312/341-0900.

CONFERENCEHealing America: Building a Movement toLeave No Child Behind, the Children's DefenseFund's national conference, will be held February8-10, 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Forinformation, contact CDF, 25 E Street NW,Washington, D.C. 20001, 202/662-3540 (fax).

YOU CAN REGISTER VOTERS!For information on how your nonprofitorganization can offer voter registrationservices, contact Enfranchise Americac/o HumanSERVE, 622 West 113 Street,Suite 140, New York, NY, 10025, 212/854-4053 (phone), 212/854-8727 (fax).

RESOURCEEmpowering People publishes books,tapes, and videos on parenting andworking with children, youth, andfamilies, including a Positive Disci-pline series. For information or acatalog, contact them at P.O. Box B,Provo, UT 84603, 800/456-7770.

RESOURCEParentmakingenables parenteducators to helpnew parents learnabout their young-sters' developmentand behavior andtheir own newroles as parents.For information,contact BansterPress, P 0 Box7326, Menlo Park,CA 94026, 415/369-8032.

WORKSHOPThe Psychology and Politics of Parent Involvement, a training workshop for edu-cators, parents, and policymakers who want to increase parent involvement in educa-tion, will be March 25-29, 1996, in Alamo, Calif. For information, contact theCenter for Group Learning, 1894 Granada Drive, Concord, CA 94519.

RESOURCEParent Education Program Pro-files contains information about theoperations, curricula, materials, andparticipants of nearly 100 programsin the U.S. and Canada. For infor-mation, contact the Association ofFamily and Conciliation Courts, 329West Wilson Street, Madison, WI53703, 608/251-4001 (phone), 608/251-2231 (fax).

from page 1programs, constituency and coalitionbuilding, and using site visits and in-formation dissemination to assistregional and state staff in understand-ing family support issues. FRC staffalso will collaborate with other na-tional organizations to foster familysupport perspectives in school readi-ness, childcare, and early education.

As part of the work of the NationalResource Center for Community-basedFamily Resource Programs, FRC staffwill develop publications on:

RESOURCECreative Beginnings, a preschool curriculumfor home visitors, provides materials to helpchildren develop positive values, share ethnictraditions, and express themselves through art,music, and movement. For information, contactInnovative Learning Publications, Dept. DS,200 Middleford Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025,800/552-2259 (phone) or 800/333-3328 (fax).

RESOURCEProceedings features sum-maries of 61 workshoppresentations from theFamilies and Schools: AGlobal Perspective for aMulticultural Society con-ference held in October1994. For information,contact the Center for theStudy of Parent Involve-ment, John F. KennedyUniversity, 370 CaminoPablo, Orinda, CA 94563,510/254-0110 (phone),510/254-4870 (fax).

To submit a Bulletin Board item, send to FRC at 200 S. Michigan, 16th Floor,Chicago, IL 60604, or fax to 312/341-9361. Advertisement of events or resources in theBulletin Board does not imply endorsement by the Family Resource Coalition.

effective procedures for streamlin-ing intake, confidentiality proto-col, and effective interagencylinkage agreements;

long-range planning for familysupport programming; and

building state and local partner-ships (with an emphasis oncoordination and collaboration).

The grant allocates $200,000 to FRCover 17 months.

The Connection will bring you

news as it develops. For informationon either National Resource Center,call the NRC staff at 312/341-0900.

ConnectionEditor Jacqueline LalleyEditorial Assistant Shamara RileyDirector of Kathy GoetzPublications

The Connection is the bimonthly newsletter ofthe Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michi-gan Ave., 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604, 312/341-0900, 312/341-9361 (fax). Membership inFRC includes a subscription to the Connection.

-I Report from FRC Washington Liaison Maria Elena Orrego

Child and Family Services Block Grants:A Threat to Prevention Programs

A block grant proposal that will soon be on the President's deskwould destroy some of the recent gains that have brought federalresources to states and communities to support families and preventchild abuse, family violence, teen pregnancy. welfare dependency. andother problems.

A Congressional conference committee has approved the Child andFamily Services Block Grant Act, which would eliminate the Commu-nity-Based Family Resource Program, the Child Abuse Prevention andTreatment Act (CAPTA), and other programs and replace them with ablock grant to the states for child protection activities.

For FY 1996, $230 million is authorized. Each state's grant wouldbe based on the state's per capita child population.

The stated purposes of the block grant are to: (1) assist states inimproving their child protective service systems: (2) support statenetworks of community-based, family-focused, family resource andsupport programs: (3) eliminate barriers to adoption: and (4) supportactivities to prevent the abandonment of children.

To receive funding from the block grant, a state would have tosubmit a plan to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesevery three years. In their plans, states would have to address 13 areas.including procedures in place for assessing reports of child abuse andprocedures developed for the permanent placement of children whohave been removed from their homes. However, states would not berequired to submit any plans for prevention or family support services.

Unlike CAPTA. the Child and Family Services Block Grant Act isvoid of the following statements of principle: (I) reductions of childabuse and neglect are matters of the highest national priority, (2) allelements of American society share responsibility for responding tothis national emergency. (3) national policy should strengthen families.(4) federal aid for child protection should be distributed with regard tofinancial need of the communities. (5) the federal government shouldensure resources in every community for child protection. and (6)federal leadership should promote coordinated planning and allocateresources to assist states.

Only with a concerted advocacy effort on the part of parents,providers, and others in the family support field will any of these blockgrant funds be spent on prevention. Without distinct requirements thatstates spend a certain portion of their funds on prevention activities oreven include prevention in their state plans. it is most likely that stateswill choose to use their block grant funds to serve children and familiesalready in trouble. And preventive programs. as we have witnessedtime and again in times of financial crisis, will fall by the wayside.

Family support advocates should starting devising strategies now toconvince their state governments to devote resources from this blockgrant for prevention. For more information, call FRC WashingtonLiaison Maria Elena Orrego at 202/371-1565.

TRANSITIONSFRC welcomes two new staff

members! Administrative OperationsManager Kathleen Zamorski comesto FRC from Helene Curtis, Inc., whereshe was a Human Resources/BenefitsSpecialist for eight years. She has a

B.A. in social work from De Paul Uni-versity, volunteers at a shelter forabused women and children, and hasprovided hospice support for familiesof the critically ill. FRC also welcomesAnthony Williams, Community De-

14.

IBM's Workforce DiversityDirector Joins FRC Board

FRC is pleased towelcome J.T. (Ted)Childs. Jr., Director ofWorkforce Diversity forIBM worldwide, as anew member of the

Coalition's Board of Directors. He hassat on the New York State Governor'sAdvisory Council on Child Care andhas co-chaired the National Council ofJewish Women's (NCJW) Work Fam-ily Advisory Board. He has served theAmerican Society on Aging (ASA) as aBoard member and as chair of its Busi-ness Forum. Childs has been nationallyrecognized for his work on behalf offamilies and the aging.

FRC National ConferenceCheck your mailbox for a chance to

register at a special "early-bird" rate forthe Family Resource Coalition nationalconference, Changing the WayAmerica Works for Families, May1-4 in Chicago. Before Feb. 15, FRCmembers can register for $289, andnon-members for $339. After Feb. 15,members register for $339, and non-members for $389. Use the brochure tojoin FRC and to register!

New at the 1996 conference will bea track concentrating on fathers andfamilies. Workshops and seminars willfocus on policy (how laws and pro-grams affect fathers' involvement intheir families), programs (how commu-nity-based programs can involvefathers), and the latest research.

Read your next Connection for athorough preview of the FRC 1996 na-tional conference! The conferencehotline is 312/341-4743 x 888.

velopment Specialist for the STATESInitiative. He has worked for the Cityof New York and the Detroit Mayor'sOffice, and holds a B.A. from YaleUniversity and an M.B.A. from theUniversity of Michigan.

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Caucus Steering Committees MeetFRC Conference Track to Feature Cultural Democracy

The Steering Committees of FRC's African American and Latino Caucuses metin Chicago Nov. 2-4. Steering Committee members took the opportunity to gleanfirst-hand information from staff on FRC projects in the works, and made plans forFRC's national conference, to be held May 1-4, 1996.

The Steering Committee members and Caucus staff are working with confer-

ence coordinator Juju Lien to incorporate cultural democracy issues throughout theconference program. A monograph by African American Caucus SteeringCommit-tee member Makungu Akinyela on cultural democracy and the family supportmovement (to be published by FRC as part of the Best Practices Project) willprovide the basis of a panel discussion. Panelists will include members of theSteering Committees and others; if you have ideas about whom you'd like to hearspeak, call the FRC conference hotline at 312/341-4743, ext. 888.

The Caucus Steering Committees and staff are also working to establish asignificant parents' presence at the conference, including a Parents' Track ofworkshops and seminars that culminates in a Parents' Assembly.

FRC Conference Brochures: Your Networking Tool!We know we'll see you at the FRC conference May 1-4,1996, the only

nationwide gathering on family support in the U.S.but don't you knowothers who should attend? Call FRC to obtain quantities of our conferencebrochure. Send them out with your newsletter or other mailing, or distrib-ute them at your next event. Or get some to hand out to friends andcolleagues. What better place to network than this nationwide gatheringdevoted to those who work with families? 5

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In recent months, the hottest topic inFRC's Prevention & Early Interventionfolder on HandsNet (the computer net-work for social service professionals)was fatherhoodespecially, how to in-clude fathers in program development.

HandsNet users also read FRCpostings on: youth development, cul-tural competency, systems reform,involving communities in initiatives,staff development, and technology is-sues facing nonprofits.

For information on how to get con-nected, or to suggest family supportinformation that you'd like to see postedon HandsNet, contact Shamara Riley at312/341-0900.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OEM)

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

NOTICE

REPRODUCTION BASIS

IERICI

This document is covered by a signed "Reproduction Release(Blanket)" form (on file within the ERIC system), encompassing allor classes of documents from its source organization and, therefore,does not require a "Specific Document" Release form.

This document is Federally-funded, or carries its own permission toreproduce, or is otherwise in the public domain and, therefore, maybe reproduced by ERIC without a signed Reproduction Releaseform (either "Specific Document" or "Blanket").

PS. Das. D2-