Informing & Advancing the Field

The National Family Preservation Network (NFPN) is pursuing a goal in 2010 to inform and advance the field in the areas of family preservation, reunification, and father-involvement.

Here's how we intend to do that and how you can get involved:


Providing More Online Information and Resources on Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS)
State child welfare agencies are looking for ways to cut costs but still provide effective services. For every dollar invested in IFPS, states save $2.54 in out-of-home placement costs and children safely remain with their families. To further achieve the mission of serving as the primary national voice for the preservation of families, NFPN will provide assistance for strengthening and expanding IFPS by restructuring our Web site (nfpn.org) to provide more easily obtainable information and resources about IFPS. We will also offer a list of contacts in strong IFPS states.

How You Can Get Involved: Please e-mail recent (within past two years) reports and articles on strong IFPS programs to NFPN (director@nfpn.org). If you work in a strong IFPS state and would like to serve as a resource person, please e-mail your contact information (name, title, agency name, e-mail, phone number, mailing address).


Identifying Core Elements of Reunification Programs
Research and findings on reunification programs (including intensive reunification services) lag behind the research and findings that have resulted in effective intensive family preservation services programs. Twelve years following the implementation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), reunifications have declined while guardianships and adoptions have increased. In addition, there have been no improvements in the likelihood, rapidity, or safety of reunifications. Because child welfare agencies still intend to reunify at least half of the children in out-of-home placement, it is essential to again focus research, resources, and funding on reunification.

NFPN is embarking on a project with multiple researchers and sites to identify the common core elements of effective reunification programs. We will be targeting programs that use the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale for Reunification (NCFAS-R) in order to have a common measurement tool.

How You Can Get Involved: Please e-mail recent (within past two years) reports on reunification programs (both effective and ineffective programs) to NFPN (director@nfpn.org). The greatest need is for data and findings on reunification programs using the NCFAS-R.

To view the complete report on the impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, visit:
http://www.urban.org/publications/1001351.html


Three Online Courses Now Available on Father-Involvement
In cooperation with Essential Learning, NFPN has converted the Basic and Advanced Fatherhood Training Curricula into three online courses. The courses include a full array of training on father involvement with 8 CEU credits available upon completion of all three courses. Not familiar with online training? Watch for details on an upcoming webinar in April on father-involvement that will include a demonstration of the online training. To access the fatherhood courses, visit:
http://www.cequick.com/nfpn


NFPN Offers Top-Ranked Assessment Tools
NFPN offers 4 assessment tools in the area of family functioning. The tools have been reviewed and approved by the Bay Area Social Services Consortium Research Team at Berkeley, CWLA Research to Practice Initiative, and the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. Over 500 agencies nationwide and in Canada and Australia use the tools in the child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, behavioral health, public school, and other systems. The assessment tools are compatible with a variety of other tools including risk/safety, structured decision making, and specific assessments for substance abuse, mental health, etc.

For more information about the tools, please visit:
http://nfpn.org/tools-and-training

For a price quote, complete the online pricing inquiry form at:http://www.nfpn.org/ncfasrg-price-quote