The Healthy Families Program Essays

The Healthy Families Program Essays The Healthy Families Program Essay The Healthy Families Program Essay An ideal life for the average person consists of great health, vivacity, overly full of love and care, and respectable people who create a support system throughout it. These elements are usually attributed with the foundation and roots at which a person is born. A family is expected to supply a life like this for children, but what happens when an ideal life is unpleasantly replaced with a nightmare, when parents are no longer parents but perpetrators, either consciously or unconsciously? Families can be (and should be) the most supportive unit in a child’s life, but when the reality is the opposite family abuse can be the most damaging to a person’s future. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, and mental abuse are far too common in our world. Luckily there are programs designed to not only help the recovery for victims of these circumstances, but there are wonderful programs to attempt to prevent the actions from happening to begin with. La Frontera Arizona is an organization that has three smaller programs named Healthy Families, Pasos Adelantes, and Family Passages. The Healthy Families Program works with families who are at risk for child abuse and neglect, those suffering from a lot of stressors in their family. They specialize in categories preventing a harmful future for people all around the world. The Pasos Adelantes Program works with families whose children are enrolled in treatment. The last program Family Passages, works with families that are refugees newly resettled to Tucson. These programs target multiple types of populations, ages, and ethnicities. La Frontera Arizona is currently working with Russians, Africans, Bhutanese, Mexicans, and Iraqi’s. This diversity is inspiring to me because it exemplifies their dedication and passion to preventing this abuse. They do not center their attention on a certain group or type of people. They care so much about preventing these issues they extend their services to people from all over the world. After interviewing with Jeaninne Solomon I had many new insights into a topic beyond relevant in our society. She explained to me the angle that her program attempts to attackdiscontinuing a damaging future for children and families through means of preventing family distress. She xplained that most of her cases deal with entire families, not solely children, usually impoverished ones suffering in destitution. These families seem to have the most issues because their lives in poverty increase stressors in life. Jeaninne’s position in the programs is, to put it simply, the foundation and the backbone of the program. She manages all of the programs and the staff, writes grants, identifies new partners in the community, convenes collision meetings, writes reports, seeks funding, basically managing her program in the most professional and well run manor possible. She works at the community level, having first hand experience with the families she is involved with. Although Jeannine holds major responsibility, she has the aid of her co-workers without whom the program could not succeed. The Family Support Specialists (the people who work with the families directly) must learn the curriculum, plan and deliver lessons faithfully following the curriculum, find resources for families to use, collect evaluation information, and debrief their classes while simultaneously hoping to create relationship with the students peers. Their job is tactful and sensitive to the individuals and hugely important for the reason that they are relaying the information necessary for improvement. Another position, the supervisor. holds a very influential one. The supervisor’s job is to attend the meetings with the families that the program recommends they attend. They are the observers and reporters, the superiority, and the mentors. They provide a safe haven for the families and a reassurance that this program is right for them. These positions are crucial to the programs, obviously making the prerequisites mandatory. In order to obtain a career in these programs, the conditions to do so vary with each one. Each takes a certain type of training ranging quite differently. If interested in Jeaninne’s position one must have a Masters Degree and/or a Bachelor Degree. One thing that caught my attention however, was the level of experience one needed in order to become a Family Support Specialist. During my interview I learned that in order to do so one must have a minimum of a high school diploma. Although they do look and prefer people with Bachelors degree, it isn’t necessary. This was surprising to me, and to be quite honest, somewhat off-putting. I was so excited to learn about these programs because I think they stand for such a wonderful cause, however I would hope that the prerequisites were a bit more esteemed. After learning about these programs I developed a belief in them. I think these programs are some of the most important in the world, for they are shaping the future of our generations by providing help and guidance to those suffering. It left me with an uneasy feeling that someone who graduated high school, never has taken an upper level course, or read subject matter about these issues more complex than a senior year in high school, was eligible to counsel these families. Some of the children may be more educated than the Support Specialist, in which case, seems entirely incongruous. Not to sound arrogant by any means, however I think the importance of these jobs lies in the educating of the troubled, and I don’t understand how those who are not fully educated are able to do so. I think this may be where problems with the social care system for families like this come from. Programs like these are not funded adequately, when they should take priority over many other careers (i. e. professional sports). This isn’t a fun game for these families, this is the harshest reality they have to live through at the time, and without programs like these there would be zero chance of them ever stopping. I think it is important to have employees educated profoundly on these matters so there will be little room for error. Like any job, the employees have their favorite aspects and least favorite aspects they deal with. In the course of my interview I learned that some of the best moments the workers receive is when their outcomes are positive. This response seems obvious, for any company loves when their outcomes are positive, however in a field like this the reward is personal. When families are showing they are learning, using the tactics they were taught, and becoming creative in difficult situations rather than violent or neglectful, the workers of La Frontera can see it is a job well done. Their entire purpose is being served, and applied for a brighter future for the families they care about. One of the aspects I admired most about these programs were how humble and dedicated they were. I would naturally assume that their favorite part of their work would derive from the positive results of their families, however each time Jeannine mentioned the progress she would always mention her other favorite part- learning from the families herself, permitting her to improve the programs. This was truly admirable in my opinion. These programs not only pride themselves on their success rates, but are fully determined to improve themselves as well. The families are truly in good hands, for the people taking care of them genuinely care. It is of no wonder why their least favorite parts of the job include tedious paperwork, reoccurring no-shows of families, and working late evenings. Although these factors would be least enjoyable for most people, it was still motivating to me. These people dedicate their lives, late hours, and missed time with their families to help others. The tedious paper work must be done, and although no one wants to do it, they all do without complaints. I am certain that these commitments are what result in their success. La Frontera Arizona is an organization comprised of three inner programs, each different, yet effective. Healthy Families recently had a national site visit and the scores they received throughout Pima County were the highest scores ever reported on a site visit. Not only does this indicate the sustainability of these programs, but illustrates the value these families hold as well. They are following their recommended service plans, getting their children immunized, not being referred to Child Protective Services, and maintaining a healthier family dynamic. On a satisfaction survey, the number one being the lowest and number seven being the highest, Jeannine reported that her programs usually receive a 6. 5. These numbers are truly remarkable and confirm the productivity of these prevention programs. Pasos Adelante, does not specifically measure outcomes, for their purpose is designed for the parents to achieve their goal on the treatment plan. These accomplishments are measured differently, making the results more difficult to obtain. These results are exceptionally powerful, however do not come at an easy pace. There are models, strategies, and prevention principles, which these programs adamantly follow in order to succeed, as well as they do. Most of these programs are based on what Jeannine called, â€Å"Risk and Protective Factor Theory†. This theory is designed to access the level of risk and protective factors within families and after doing so, target the services to increase the protective factors in order to reduce the risk. They use evidence-based models, some based off Karol Kumpfer in Utah because it is the most highly evaluated program existing right now they apply toward two different programs. Another evidence-based curriculum goes by the name of Growing Great Kids. Among the other strategies is a comprehensive set of strategies dealing with five domains in prevention. Each of those five domains encompasses its own set of strategies: individual, peer, family, institutional, and community domain. The more services they provide in each of those regions the better the outcome. There is an emphasis on community just as much as family work, which creates a lively and active community, hopefully influencing each other for the greater good. These tactics were intriguing to me for the purpose they serve- to enhance the community in hopes of a ripple effect into the homes of the individual difficult family. After interviewing, observing, and learning about this career I have a world of insight into this career path. It is one of the most admirable, important, and life-changing careers I have learned about throughout my life. It is extremely commendable the work these people do, for the effort they put in does not show its worth in a salary. It is a low paying job (monetarily), but the reward these employees receives goes beyond a paycheck. This is a job pertaining to being a hero, and helping people altar their lives from a tragic one to a hopefully happy ending. These staff members work long hours with difficult situations, and yet remain completely faithful. This is the job of a social worker- to dedicate their lives to the savings of others. It may not take quite the prestigious resume to obtain a job in this field, but it does take a remarkable heart. This career choice is a selfless one, and should be more publicly recognized for its great doings. It should not be overlooked by the government, but rather applauded regularly. The funding for these projects is entirely too low and I can only hope that in the future of our generations more attention will paid to the teachers in our lives who literally mold and nurture our futures. The staff of these three particular programs within this organization has remained for the last 20 years, and after speaking with Jeannine she assured me that the dedication of these people is nothing close to short and she wouldn’t be surprised to see them still on board for the next 20 years. I hope for myself that I find a profession that I am just as passionate about as the people who work in this career field are. They are not just social workers they are heroes. They are role models, and friends. They are a support ystem and a new family for those whose at home life seems temporarily broken. Occupations like this are the hope for our society, nation, and world. La Frontera Arizona is an admirable organization that should receive proper recognition for its greatness, as well as the rest of prevention programs existing. We are the future of the world, and we cannot forget to pay attention to those that need a little bit more than us. We are all each others neighbors, and a s a human being we should help the next. For if we do, our world can only progress into wonderful, marvelous things.