Family Support Collaborative

The Family Support Collaborative (FSC), formerly of ALSO-Cornerstone, is a joint effort with the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis (CCCC). The program provides supportive housing, case management and parent education services to at-risk families. Participating families include parents diagnosed with a mental illness, a substance abuse problem and/or a cognitive impairment. Participants must also either have their children in their custody or be in the process of reunification within three months of the admission date.

The goal of the Family Support Collaborative is to stabilize and strengthen client families, thereby lowering their risk of homelessness and incidence of child abuse. This program is both preventive and rehabilitative in its impact. It focuses on strengthening the assets each family member brings to their situation and helps them establish permanent housing and independence in the community.

Program Expectations:
  • FSC clients are expected to meet with case managers and parent educators at least once a week
  • Families are expected to participate in weekly group activities
  • All clients are expected to seek clinical treatment
  • Clients are expected to help and participate in a three-month treatment-planning meeting
  • Clients are expected to help and participate in a six-month master Treatment Meeting
  • Clients are expected to abide by all requirements and rules
  • Clients are expected to maintain a drug-free lifestyle
  • Clients are expected to pay back all security loans in the agreed-upon time frame
 

Services provided include:
  • One-to-one counseling
  • Assistance in finding and setting up safe, affordable housing
  • Assistance in accessing entitlements, vocational training, employment support services, and educational services
  • Supervision of psychiatric medication regimens and symptom management
  • Instruction on daily living skills, such as transportation and developing a natural social support network


Parent educators:
  • Make home visits on an as-needed basis
  • Educate parents about child development, child care, limit setting, behavior management, child safety, and other related skill building
  • Act as role models and mentors
  • Increase parental self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Provide support to decrease parental isolation and link families to other needed services.


For more information on the Family Support Collaborative, please Samantha Batson, Program Manager, at (203) 624-3634, or via email at sbatson@theconnectioninc.org.
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