Supporting Families

by Stephen Lindsley

Since 1982, Family Support Network (FSN) has worked to strengthen St. Louis-area families through cost-free, master’s level counseling to prevent child maltreatment. FSN therapists work with clients in their homes and schools for six months to a year, focusing on helping parents manage difficult child behaviors, teaching basic behavior modification skills, providing parenting education and skill building, child development information, and teaching stress management skills.

In 1983, FSN created a community- based Board of Inquiry to review all available information about fatal or near-fatal cases of child maltreatment. This research was funded in part by the Department of Health and Human Services, Human Development Services, and the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect. The results indicated that more than half of the fatal or nearfatal injuries to children were either preventable or had risk factors which could have been detected. The Board concluded that a targeted prevention program could easily be highly costeffective if it reached the right group of families.

Project First Step was one of the first programs initiated by FSN. It provides home-based individual and family therapy and counseling, parent education and other resources for families experiencing medium to severe challenges in parenting and family functioning. Services are offered to families with children from birth to age 17, and are typically provided over a period of six to eight months.

Several other programs are offered by FSN as well. The Pathways program supports homeless, parenting teens while they reside at the Olive Branch Shelter. School Links is designed for families experiencing challenges with family or school functioning by providing counseling in conjunction with four area school districts and an elementary school in the St. Louis Public School system. Healthy Start and Project Heal, both established in 2002, provide outreach and medical assessments with registered nurses, addressing chronic healthcare issues that increase a family’s risk for child abuse and neglect.

After more than two decades of providing counseling, education and valuable services for families with children in the St. Louis area, the Family Support Network continues to grow to answer the needs of the community. Part of that effort includes fundraising events, such as the “Every Child Needs a Hero” gala, slated for April 17 at the Missouri Athletic Club. The evening will feature cocktails, silent and oral auctions and entertainment by Gateway City Big Band. For more information about the Family Support Network or to purchase tickets to this event, call 963-1450 or visit www.familysupportnet.org.

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