Overview
The Family Strengthening Policy Center (FSPC) is an initiative of the National Assembly, an 80-year
old alliance of leading national nonprofit health & human service organizations. Funded by
the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The FSPC is part of the Foundation's Neighborhood Transformation/Family
Development and Making Connections initiatives. The Casey initiatives are intended
to improve outcomes for children and families living in low income, marginalized communities, by advancing
and promoting family strengthening practice.
By leveraging the National Assembly's network of nearly 70 human and health service organizations,
the Center's objective is to influence how family policy is formulated and implemented.
Research shows child outcomes are primarily a result of upbringing and parental involvement.
Universal access to affordable, quality services and support networks are an imperative component to a
family's economic success and general well being. These critical elements are also essential for
positive child and youth outcomes. Family strengthening seeks to incorporate this research
evidence into a model that focuses on the entire family within the context of its community.
Prevailing human service interventions have been problem-specific, fragmented and crisis oriented,
whereas family strengthening gives priority to the delivery of community based, preventative, and
comprehensive services.
The Center aims to leverage the knowledge of service providers, delivering family centered and place
based services by:
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Identifying initiatives that reduce family isolation, increase connections to economic opportunities,
develop sustainable social networks, and improve access to supports and services;
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Disseminating family strengthening information and resources, electronically and at professional
and educational events;
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Building a network of practitioners and policy makers in order to advance evidence-based practice
and a family strengthening public policy agenda;
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Producing a monthly e-newsletter that highlights research, current news in the field, legislative
alerts, organizational profiles, and issue briefs;
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Maintaining a website which serves as a clearinghouse of information and tools dedicated to family
strengthening practices, programs and policy; and
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Developing policy briefs that highlight emerging and evaluated family strengthening practices and
barriers to developing family centered policies for family success.