In February, 2019, Strive trainer, Kimberlee Shoecraft, Laura Orlando, Project Director of Strive, and Susan Barkan, Associate Director of Research at Partners for Our Children travelled to San Francisco to train 22 staff from San Francisco County Human Services Agency, Seneca Family of Agencies, and Family Resource Centers to deliver the Strive Supervised Visitation Program as Strive Visit Navigators.
Six additional staff were trained to become trainers of other Visit Navigators. The first day of the Strive training also included a broader orientation for 50 staff on the Strive program and strategies for generally supporting parents in their visits with their children. San Francisco County Human Services Agency is translating the Strive curriculum and materials into both Spanish and Chinese which will greatly expand the reach of the program.
Strive is a parent education and support program that aims to engage parents in the visitation process, assist parents in preparing for high quality visits with their children, and promote child safety. The program aims to humanize the way that parents visit with their children in foster care by helping them navigate the system and maintain or build strong bonds with their children. Parents are matched with a Visit Navigator who meets with them for five one-on-one sessions each week before visiting with their child.
