Families First - Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan

True Story

Alisha canoed, camped and went to the beach with her three children this past summer. "We just had a blast. You have no idea how good it felt to enjoy life with my kids and not have to worry about where we were going to live, whether I'd be able to feed them, whether they'd have coats and boots," the 27-year old mother shared.

A few months earlier, Alisha had taken steps to surrender her parental rights and give up her children. The family was homeless, penniless and she couldn't see any other way to protect her children. She decided she wasn't much of a mother. "I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't bear to see my children hurt. I don't want them to live like this," she said. "Take them. Give them a better life than I can give them."

Instead, Alisha was helped through LCFS of Michigan's family preservation program. Families First provides intensive one-to-one intervention, counseling, teaching and financial assistance aimed at making families independent. With the agency's help, Alisha now has a full-time job, her children are enrolled in school and they're living in a modest home. "Everything I'd been looking for all those years - its right here," she said. "The love of a child is so pure, so untainted, and I almost missed it. I'm so grateful to the people who gave me this chance."

Families First
Families First is an intensive, strength-based, in-home family preservation service. LCFS of Michigan has 13 Families First teams across the state with 11 site offices. During 2005 and 2006, LCFS served 780 families through the Families First program. Families are referred to the program through contracting agencies.

Families First teams provide a range of services for families including:
- Domestic violence education
- Parenting Skills
- Substance Abuse Education
- Relocation assistance
- Child development
- Home management skills
- Aftercare Planning
Interventions last an average of 28 days and are designed around the family's needs. Safety concerns are the main priority and level of risk to the children is continually monitored. In conjunction with the referring worker's concerns, the family establishes their goals for the intervention. Families First teams spend an average of 10 hours per week with a family, assisting them in accomplishing their goals.