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True Story

One of our Saginaw families who worked with the Family Reunification Program over one year ago was honored in August at the State Family Preservation conference as a graduate family. The family was nominated by their FRP worker Amy Bartels. Alanda Reid and her three children, Larone, age 14, Destinie, age 12 and Darvelle, age 7, along with Alanda's mother Theresa packed their bags for a three day trip to the Holiday Inn in Lansing. The family was honored at a banquet the second evening of the conference. The qualifications for this honor were: successful completion of FRP and that they have remained intact as a family for a year since the time of reunification.

 

In her nomination, Amy wrote about the family’s history and her experience working with the family: "I began working with the family on March 28, 2005. This case is very unique and the uniqeness speaks to this mother's commitment to her children. Alanda was a lifelong drug abuser. Alanda would leave the children in the car for long periods of time, unsupervised when she would go into drug houses. The children were aware that she was going into buy drugs and that she was carrying a knife with her.

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  • Family Reunification

  • Family Reunification (FRP) is a program designed to assist families during the transitional period when children return from out-of-home placement/foster care. This program takes a strength-based, family-centered, and solution-focused approach with families, working with them in their homes. Families receive services from a team, comprised of a team leader and a family worker. The team leader provides assistance with clinical goals while the family worker focuses on concrete needs as well as reinforcing positive behavioral changes and skill building. The FRP team establishes goals and action steps with the family, creating an individualized plan for each family. Some of the areas the FRP team may assist with include:

     

    ·       Parenting skills

    ·       Communication skills

    ·       Substance Abuse education

    ·       Home Management skills

    ·       Domestic Violence education

    ·       Budgeting skills

    ·       Employment skills and search

     

    Each Family Reunification intervention lasts between four and six months. The FRP team provides a minimum of four hours per week to families, with more intensive hours during the two week period following the children's return.

     

    In addition to the in-home services provided, each family is extended an invitation to a parenting class, as well as to quarterly workshops and family recreational activities. These services are designed to offer parents further education in an informal setting with others who have had similar experiences. 

     

     

    There are four FRP teams currently in operation through LCFS of Michigan in three contracts serving Wayne, Genesee, and Saginaw/Shiawassee counties. During the 2005-06 contract year, the Family Reunification program served 186 families.

 
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