The National Family Preservation Network (NFPN) provides resources and services in three areas of the child welfare system: family preservation, reunification, and fatherhood.

In this issue of News Notes, we’ll share information about NFPN’s resources and how they can benefit you and your agency.

NFPN’s mission is to serve as the primary national voice for the preservation of families through Intensive Family Preservation and Reunification Services.

Here’s what we offer:

• Protocols that set guidelines and provide a model for intensive family preservation and intensive reunification services
• Research showing the effectiveness of Intensive Family Preservation Services with high risk families and its cost-effectiveness as compared to other services
• Research-based assessment tools for family preservation and reunification programs; the tools have been found to be valid and reliable and have been successfully field-tested in child welfare agencies
• Self-contained training packages for the assessment tools including database, training video, case example, and instructional guides.
  • Family Preservation Training Package
  • Reunification Training Package

Assessment Tools

The assessment tools can benefit you and your agency because they:

• Assist in meeting federal Child and Family Services Review standards for safely maintaining children in their own homes, reuniting children with their families within 12 months, and preventing re-entry.
• Assist child welfare agencies in preparing and meeting Program Improvement Plans.
• Are compatible with other assessment tools including risk and safety.
• Are self-contained and thus can be used for successive training of workers.
• Are in use and highly rated by over three dozen agencies nationwide and in several foreign countries; overall rate of satisfaction for the training packages is 4.2 on a five-point scale.
• Are endorsed by the Child Welfare League of America in its Research to Practice Initiative (“commendable practice” issued to reunification assessment tool).

Fatherhood Resources

In the area of fatherhood, NFPN offers:

• First-of-its-kind Fatherhood Training Curriculum for practitioners.
• Self-contained Fatherhood Training Package with curriculum, training script with four hours of training, and video.
• Supplement that includes tips for engaging fathers, activities for fathers and children, hand-out for moms on the benefits of involving the father in the child’s life, and protective factors for male involvement.

The fatherhood resources benefit you and your agency because they are:

• Focused on practitioners—most curricula focus on fathers and thus are limited in assisting those who work with fathers.
• Successfully field-tested nationwide; training on the fatherhood curriculum has an overall satisfaction rating of 4.2 on a five-point scale.
• Assisting child welfare agencies to meet standards for engaging and involving fathers as described in Program Improvement Plans.

Services

NFPN will perform on-site assessments for agencies in any of these areas and make recommendations to improve services. On-site training is also available.

For more detailed information on these resources, call Priscilla Martens, Executive Director, at 888-498-9047.