New scheme aims to help out problem Galway families
A 14-week programme designed to improve parenting, increase family communication and prevent antisocial behaviour will be rolled out across Galway over the next three years.
The Strengthening Families Programme (SFP) brings together several agencies to work with parents and their teenagers experiencing difficulties.
The programme had been run in the city for several years until 2011 when it fell between the cracks because of the lack of a dedicated coordinator.
A steering committee made up of agencies involved with families and young people, such as the HSE, the Western Regional Drug Task Force (WRDTF), Faróige, the Probation Services and the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) and Empowerment Plus, set about putting in a funding application to the Maureen O’Connell fund of St Vincent de Paul.
They succeeded in getting funding for a development coordinator, using the results of previous programmes to boost their case.
Rachel Browne, who has taken on the new role, said the initiative had been evaluated by the drug task force with research carried out by NUI Galway.
“The evidence shows the programme has extremely positive benefits, which echoes what we see internationally. First off, the retention rate is extremely good for families,” she said.
“We see an increase in family communication, a decrease in drug and alcohol use, an increase in school attendance, a reduction in conflict within the family and more positive relationships with peers.”
Up to 12 families at a time are selected from referrals from a variety of sources – school completion officers, social workers, local youth workers, family support agencies.
They are then invited to meet up once a week for nearly three hours for 14 weeks.
Internationally, the programme is widely used to intervene before things go awry.
Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel