Promising Practice

Families in Recovery

State/Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Setting: Community
Population: Adolescents & Young Adults Children Families & Caregivers Infant Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Safe and Connected Communities Family & Youth Engagement Health Promotion & Communication Mental Health & Substance Use
NPMs:

Recognizing the significant gap in parenting interventions for parents with SUD, the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA) nonprofit developed the Families in Recovery (FIR) program. PFSA was established in Pennsylvania 40 years ago with a child abuse prevention mission, providing education, support, and training programs to make Pennsylvania safe for children. PFSA operates with a statewide governing board with broad-based representation throughout both public and private sectors. Program services are directed and delivered to individual communities, and supporting and educating families- all families - remains a cornerstone of PFSA.

FIR is a community-based, comprehensive experiential and educational program that attends to a variety of challenges and experiences common to parents in recovery. It is designed to enhance recovery by reducing stigma and parenting stress while increasing social connectedness, quality of life, parent-child relationships, and community support. Informed by individuals in long-term recovery, mutual help philosophy, the Strengthening Families Approach, and Protective Factors Framework (PFF), FIR employs a holistic, strengths, and needs-based approach to support caregivers in recovery. Understanding that child welfare involvement and termination of parental rights are factors that increase the chance of relapses, FIR targets modifiable risk and protective factors for individual and family well-being to promote recovery, develop knowledge and skills related to child development and positive parenting styles, enhance peer networks and support, and increase understanding of participants’ parenting roles.

The FIR theory of change involves caregivers actively building protective factors, practical knowledge, resources, and skills to better manage challenges associated with parenting children during recovery. Foundational knowledge and skills help caregivers limit risk factors while also building capacity for healthy relationships. Additionally, participating in a peer group and building a network of support helps increase caregivers’ awareness, empowerment, and accountability in their own recovery and role as a parent.

The Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Implementation & Policy Hub project is supported by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) and Perigee Fund. The content presented is the responsibility of the featured practices and policies and does not necessarily reflect the views of FORE, Perigee Fund, or AMCHP.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance
Justin Donofrio
jdonofrio@pafsa.org

Practice Website


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