Strive Program
Partners for Our Children (P4C) has been working in close collaboration, since 2014, with the Washington State Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF to develop, test, and implement training to support parents and children in the context of family time. P4C aims to change systems and promote child safety, positive family functioning, and reduce trauma for parents and children in this context.
We see family time as an opportunity to engage parents. We started by developing the Strive Supervised Family Time ProgramTM to increase the quality of visits between parents and their children, reduce trauma, and increase the likelihood of successful reunification.
The program’s strengths-based approach improves the family time experience by building trusted relationships between parents and the professionals involved in their family time, fostering a sense of hope. This helps parents engage more fully in family time and ultimately, creates positive emotional connections with their children that are healing and reduce trauma.
The Strive program uses a five-week in-person model for delivery.
Online Learning
Our most recent addition to Strive programming is an eLearning series that provides affordable, accessible, and tailored training based on the tested and proven Strive Supervised Family Time Program.TM
This online option allows for self-directed learning and provides a cost effective option to standardize family time provider training more broadly, especially when the in-person program is not feasible. We will add a complimentary course for parents in Fall 2024.
The training has three main components, each taking anywhere from 2-5 hours to complete:
Foundational Learning
Provides foundational information about parents and children involved with foster care, the importance of engaging these parents & strategies to do so, how to be trauma-informed during transport and family time.
Supporting Parents
Provides information & practical skills for working with parents and children in the context of family time. Covers topics related to orientating parent to family time, helping families to set-up family time routines, supporting parents in nurturing their children, creating safety during family time, effective communication strategies and the value of play, particularly child-directed play.
Rapid Learning Library
A series of 10 brief learning topics including: Intimate Partner Violence and Awareness, Using Trauma-Informed Language with Families, Supporting Neurodiverse Parents and Children, and Working with Racially and Ethnically Diverse Families.
