Strengthening Connections Conference Archive This conference highlighted the unique parenting challenges among families affected by substance abuse, HIV and/or incarceration, and the importance of the parent-child relationship in a child’s development. More...
Call for Articles The Resource Center is soliciting
articles for the fall 2008 issue of The Source, which
will focus on interventions that improve the physical,
educational, and psychosocial well-being of infants and young children from families affected by HIV and/or
substance abuse. [PDF]
2008 Teleconference Training Series The Resource Center will host six trainings beginning in April 2008. The topics include the effects of methamphetamine, mental health services for women living with HIV and their children, and working with Latino families. More...
Assessing and Supporting Parenting in Families
Affected by Substance Abuse or HIV (2007)
This guidebook provides
practitioners and administrators with guidance in assessing, supporting, and strengthening parenting skills
and parent-child relationships. [PDF]
National Abandoned Infants
Assistance Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley
1950 Addison Street, Suite 104 # 7402
Berkeley, CA 94720-7402
Phone: (510) 643-8390
Fax: (510) 643-7019
E-mail: aia@berkeley.edu
Shared Family Care An Alternative to Conventional Services
for Children and Families At Risk
Shared Family Care (SFC) refers to a situation in which an
entire family is temporarily placed in the home of a host
family. The host family is trained to mentor and support the
parents as they develop skills and supports necessary to care
for their child(ren) and move toward independent living. SFC
can be used for prevention--making it unnecessary to separate
a parent from her or his child, for reunification--providing
a safe environment in which to reunite a family that has been
separated, or to help parents make the decision to relinquish
their parental rights.
Currently, several shared family care programs exist in the
United States. The SFC program operated by FamiliesFirst,
Inc. in Contra Costa County, CA, serves families in the child
welfare system who are at risk of having their children removed
or in the process of reunifying with them. Growing Home in
St. Paul, MN has a Whole Family Placement Program, recently
restructured to serve adolescent mothers with severe emotional
disturbances and their children. Crime Prevention Association
operates A New Life program for drug-addicted mothers and
their children in Philadelphia, PA. CHINS UP, Inc. in Colorado
Springs, CO has a small SFC program for families who are involved
or at risk of involvement in the child welfare system.
The following video, Shared Family Care: Creating Families through Community Partners (2003), is a 7.5 minute video produced by Athletes United for Peace Media in conjunction with the AIA Resource Center.
The video, designed for child welfare and private agency
directors, provides a brief overview of the key elements of
shared family care (SFC). Highlighting the FamiliesFirst Shared
Family Care program in Contra Costa County, California, the
video includes VIP testimonials about the benefits and cost-effectiveness
of SFC. It also illustrates how SFC fits into California's
overall child welfare redesign plan, sharing common elements
such as: community partnerships, engaging families, and use
of teams in decision making.
For more information, download
our powerpoint presentation, which highlights key elements,
outcome findings, and start-up information about shared family
care.
Humankind
Public Radio:
This is the fascinating story of two people from sharply
different backgrounds who came together for a powerful purpose.
In a living arrangement known as "shared family care,"
a woman with a troubled past moved in for six months with
her young child to the Antioch, California home of a mentor
and her children, for what amounted to a round-the-clock
course in parenting.
Join the Shared Family Care Email List:
The mailing list provides a forum for continuing discussion
and education about whole family programs. The mailing list
is open to anyone, and all members are encouraged to ask
and respond to questions, share success stories, or post
information that will be of interest to others.
To join, send email to majordomo@listlink.berkeley.edu,
with "subscribe healinghavens_sharedfamilycare"
(without the "s) in the body of the email.
