A young, overwhelmed single mother struggles to manage a home and three small children on less than a thousand dollars a month. The child of a young mother herself, she has never learned good parenting skills. She doesn’t understand the food pyramid, or know that letting the kids watch TV all day is not a great idea. She often goes out at night, leaving the pre-schoolers home alone. While she tries hard, her patience is limited and there are frequent angry, violent outbursts. Her abusive boyfriend comes and goes, adding another level of stress to the home. Neighbors have reported neglect and abuse.
The case is reported to the State Central Registry. The Administration for Children’s Services then assigns it to Family Consultation Service of the Diocese of Long Island’s General Preventive Service Program.
To keep the children out of foster care and in the home.
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The Strategy Individual and family therapy, lessons in parenting, help with practical matters, and regular supervision to ensure the safety of the family as it evolves and moves forward. “We teach parents how to be parents,” one social worker says. That means everything from lessons in how to (and how not to) discipline to how to help kids succeed in school. Often it means dealing with the cultural clashes that arise between immigrant parents and their “all-American” kids. The social workers also help kids wrestle with their own problems, using play therapy as a means to determine and work through issues. |
Preventive Services provides home visits, advocacy to help parents and families get the help that is available to them, educational support, and parenting skills training While understanding and dealing with the issues that put the family at risk is the heart of the program, Preventive Services also aids with practical hands-on solutions. That may mean providing vocational assessments to help parents find work; giving lessons in budgeting and goal setting; finding an affordable apartment for an at-risk family; helping with emergency food and clothing; or organizing “Family Day” activities that bring some lighthearted fun into family life. |
