Family Preservation programs by definition are short term, intensive, crisis intervention services provided primarily in the family’s home or community. Catawba County provides three Family Preservation services: Intensive Family Preservation, Family Preservation and Restoring Families.

FAMILY PRESERVATION MISSION

Families receiving Family Preservation Services will be given the opportunity to sustain themselves so that parent(s) and children can remain together in a safe environment.

FAMILY PRESERVATION OBJECTIVES

• Stabilize the crisis that put the child at imminent risk.
• Keep the child, family, and community safe by defusing the potential for violence (physical, sexual, emotional/verbal abuse)
• Help families develop the skills, competencies, and resources they need to handle future crisis situations more effectively.

FAMILY PRESERVATION BELIEFS AND VALUES

• Safety of the children is our first concern.
• Children have a right to remain with their families.
• The family is the fundamental resource for the nurturing of children.
• Parents should be supported in their efforts to care for their children.
• Families are diverse and have a right to be respected for their special cultural, racial, ethic and religious traditions; children can flourish in different types of families.
• A crisis is an opportunity for change.
• Inappropriate intervention can do no harm.
• Families that seem hopeless can grow and change.
• Family members are our colleagues.
• It is our job to instill hope.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAMS

Shared Characteristics of the Three Programs

• Services are home based - at least half the time a social worker spends providing services to a family involves face to face contact in the families home and community.
• Family Preservation social workers are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Services are both therapeutic (intensive counseling) and concrete (arranging for housing and transportation, etc.).
• Services are provided in a culturally competent manner with understanding of and respect for cultural and ethnic diversity.
• Services focus on promoting family competence - building on the family’s strengths and resources,
• Family preservation social workers receive specialized training and support.

Unique Characteristics of Intensive Family Preservation

• Serves children who are at imminent risk of coming into the legal custody of the Department of Social Services. The primary goal is to prevent children from being removed from their families.
• Maximum caseload of 4 families who are served up to 6 weeks.

Unique Characteristics of Family Preservation

• Assists a family in dealing with a child’s behavioral problems so that the child can remain at home.
• Assists child’s transition from a foster or group home setting back to a home environment
• Caseloads consist of 4 to 6 families who are served up to 3 months.

Unique Characteristics of Restoring Families

• Substance abuse must be the primary factor for the children having been removed from their parent’s care and the parents must be willing to participate in substance abuse treatment.
• Facilitates the transition of a child in foster care safely back to his or her parents.
• Maximum caseload of 4 families/8 children who are served up to 6 months.

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