City and School District Aimed at Supporting Students, Families and Communities

Earlier this year, the City of San Pablo agreed to provide $60,000 in matching funds for WCCUSD to hire two community school coordinators and one case manager for schools in that city. The agreement makes San Pablo to first city in West Contra Costa County to dedicate funding and staff to implement the school district’s Full Services Community School (FSCS) initiative aimed at achieving better academic and health outcomes for youth and families by better coordinating and aligning partnerships and resources to meet the comprehensive needs of students.

Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support

The Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support were issued by the California Network of Family Strengthening Networks (CNFSN) in 2012, and adopted by the National Network of Family Support and Strengthening Networks in 2013. They are the first and only standards in the country to integrate and operationalize the Principles of Family Support Practice with the Strengthening Families Approach and its research-based evidence-informed 5 Protective Factors. The vision is that their implementation will help ensure that families are supported and strengthened through quality practice.

Standards are designed to be used by all stakeholders–public departments, foundations, community-based organizations, and parents–across different kinds of Family Strengthening and Family Support programs as a tool for planning, providing, and assessing quality practice. The Standards create common language and expectations in the Family Support and Strengthening field across different kinds of programs, such as Family Resource Centers, home visiting programs, and child development programs.

Training is a fundamental strategy for implementing the Standards effectively.

Certification Training: This full-day training is designed for all management and direct service staff, as well as for funders. Each individual who completes the training receives a certificate that is valid for 2 years. This training is provided by the CNFSN, member networks of the CNFSN, and member networks of the National Network of Family Support & Strengthening Networks.