Families and Schools Together: Building Relationships

• NCJ Number: 173423
• Author(s): Lynn McDonald Ph.D.; Heather E. Frey
• Date Published: November 1999
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Family Strengthening Series
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

Using parent-professional collaborative teams, the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention systematically reaches out to entire families and organizes multifamily groups to increase parent involvement with at-risk youth.

Abstract

The overall goal of the FAST program is to intervene early to help at-risk youth succeed in the community, at home, and in school and thus avoid problems related to delinquency, violence, addiction, and dropping out of school. The program uses the existing strengths of families, schools, and communities in creative partnerships. It offers youth structured opportunities for involvement in repeated, relationship-building interactions with the primary care-giving parent, other family members, peers, school personnel, and community representatives. The FAST curriculum is described, and program costs are identified. Risk and protective factors considered in the FAST program are examined, as are the family system, parent-to-parent support, parent self-help groups, and parent empowerment training. The process used to research and evaluate the FAST program is described, with examples given, and policy implications of the program are discussed. 72 references, 5 tables, 2 figures, and 3 photographs