Family support
Family support is the support of families with a member with a disability, which may include a child, an adult, or even the parent in the family. In the United States, family support neighbors, families, and friends, "paid services" through specialist agencies providing an array of services termed "family support services", school or parent services for special needs such as respite care, specialized child care or peer companions, or cash subsidies, tax deductions or other financial subsidies. Family support has been extended to different population groups in the US and worldwide. Family support services are currently a "community services and funding" stream in New York and the US which has had variable "application" based on disability groups, administrating agencies, and even, regulatory and legislative intent.
History
The late 1970s and early 1980s are considered pivotal times for the development of respite and family support services, particularly through the demands and initiatives of parents of children with disabilities. These initiatives occurred throughout the US concurrent with the formation of activist parent groups in the 1970s, in the state of New Hampshire, for example. Foster care, which involved "substitute care" from birth families, preceded this organization of parents nationally, and together, with group homes, was considered the primary form of community residential services in the US. However, by the 1990s, family support had become an established service reported regularly in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities, and part of the States' and local service systems in the US. Family support services were considered one of the better ways of supporting families and their children, including "building on natural supports" and encouraging the integration of children in the community.Family models and services
By the early 1980s, states such as New York had established family support programs and agencies, New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, and "model programs" were identified nationally which served children and their families in the community. New models of family support services were initiated, including professional models which involved both traditional respites for the families and individual recreation opportunities in generic agencies/sites for the son or daughter. Professional parents sought to have respite places available in group homes, to develop small group respite settings, to hold parent-to-parent support groups and meetings, to establish councils, and to have cash subsidies to meet the extra expenses of raising a "disabled child". By 1983, the State of New York had funded three major demonstration grants and then Governor Mario Cuomo and his wife Matilda held the first Family Support Conference in Albany, New York. New York State indeed by 1988 reported $16,536,000 in discrete family support initiatives which did not include new agency family/cash subsidy demonstrations funded later in 1989–1990 in the state. or agency cash subsidies included as part of family support demonstration programs. In the public policy arena, the respite was often explored in the context of child care for children with disabilities, and additional expenses of raising a child with a disability as especially critical in low income-families.Promotion on behalf of families
In 1985, Syracuse University's Center on was awarded a three-year Community Integration Project from the Federal Government to work with states and communities in the US. The project, based on a national search conducted by the , identified state cash subsidy programs in 21 states in the US. The project, together with a new national Center on Community Integration, prepared information on family support for distribution, including a news bulletin on family support based on the project's research studies, an article on the case for family support for families, bibliographic references, innovative agencies and organizations, and an introduction to family support issues, such as family-centered supports, individualized and flexible supports, empowering families, use of natural, community supports, and permanency planning.Family counseling
The purpose of family counseling
There are some great goals and things that can happen through family counseling or therapy, you can grow your family relationships, enhance communication in the family, talk through problems that create tension in the family, and more. There are many reasons why a family might start seeking help as well, you could be having trouble communicating and connecting with a child, a new adjustment to the family, or divorce. There are many reasons for families to go to counseling. Some of these reasons include coping with a family member that might be suffering from mental health issues, addiction, and the emotions that come with such changes.Family Support Services are dedicated to community outreach, identifying and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, including children in foster care, struggling families, and individuals facing mental health challenges. Through these programs, we can raise awareness, provide essential services, and foster a strong support network to empower and uplift the communities.
What happens during a session
For the first session, there is the consultation, in which the therapist, psychologist, or clinical social worker, will ask about why you are seeking help, get to know you, what you want out of these sessions, and let you ask any question they might have for them. For other sessions though, you will have discussions, develop skills and abilities to problem solve, and express feelings and thoughts in a productive manner. You will explore ways in which your family works, rules, and behaviors, that will help combat conflict. You will also strengthen one another, build trust, and confide in one another.What to expect
When doing these family sessions, you need to make sure the appropriate people are in attendance, those that are directly involved in the issue that you are going to this counseling for. Family helps with coping strategies and working through problems and issues that occur during your life, which counseling can help enhance. Sessions can be a bit time-consuming, 50 min to an hour, and the number of sessions may vary, depending on your issue, and how well the sessions go, so no two family sessions will be the same amount of time, activities, and conversations. The sessions are oftentimes short-term, you would not be in therapy for long periods of time. The amount of time that will be dedicated to these family therapy sessions is decided by the psychologist, clinical social worker, or therapist that is working with you. It does not immediately fix your issues, but when you stick with it, there has been a lot of positive feedback which has helped in learning great skills, and problem-solving.Basis in theories
Family support is based in part on theories related to families, particularly family systems theory, ecological and support theories, community support theories, life-span and life course theories, family psycho-social theories, family empowerment theory, the work-home resources model, and positivistic theories, such as the sociology of acceptance. In relation to services, basic policy concepts have included family-centeredness, capacity-based services, empowerment and participatory decision-making, and individualized services, among others. Between the 1970s and 1990s, family support was developed in the context of community integration, building on the quarter-century work on the physical and social integration of families and their children. It differs from other models of family support developed in the context of employment programs, housing programs, nutrition, transportation, health care, or city emergency programs. These included: the Family Support Services of West Hawaii, Family Support Services|Family Support Services of Amarillo, Family Support Services of Southeastern Pennsylvania, City of Chicago Family and Support Services..Growth in the US
By the 1990s, family support had gained great popularity in the field of intellectual disabilities, especially since 80-90% of children with disabilities continue to live with their families even today. Yet, the Human Services Research Institute determined that only 1.5% of the state budget for developmental disabilities services was used to support these families as of 1990. By 2006, family support spending was reported to be $2,305,149,428 in the US, yet, in FY 2006, it remained at only 5% of total intellectual and developmental disabilities spending of $43.84 billion. In the US, the costs of "family care" for intellectual and developmental disabilities have been studied, including direct financial costs met by families, indirect and opportunity costs, and indirect psychological costs.In related fields, though, family support is still often considered to be "unpaid", "voluntary support" by family members, family-to-family training programs, and self-help groups, often near forms of family interventions by professionals in traumatic brain injury. and in adult mental health. In children's mental health, family support and advocacy organizations are viewed to be increasing at the systems and policy levels, with the late 1980s formation of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health and the reformation of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a strong parent organization from the late 1970s. Family support services today are viewed as important for families with individuals with diverse disabilities with a greater emphasis on choice in support services.