Family Policy Roles and Approach

Family Policy Integration

Family Policy

I discourse on family policy integration and education including a systematic approach to family policy and overview of the many reasons family integration helps communities prosper. Detailed analysis of why human service organizations benefit more from integration than the current method of providing services to individuals, which is more costly and tends to see families as separate entities.

Family policy integration and education is a systematic approach to family policy that would focus on reducing the need for developing programs and services that target individual adults and children, and focus instead on strengthening and empowering families (Rodriguez, et al., 2011; Westman, 2009). The goals of family policy integration include developing services which allow families to become sustainable, and human services organizations to take charge of programs in a manner that allows them to take ownership of programs that require greater accountability for their results (Westman, 2009). According to Rodriguez et al. (2009), Family Integration and Family-to-Family services are important as "adjunctive services" to traditional care as they improve parent engagement rather than treating family human services as individualized services. Integration contributes to empowerment, self-efficacy, and skills-development within a community oriented environment (Morrow et al., 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2011).

Currently, programs run by human service organizations primarily focus on carrying out mandated programs that dictate what they should do based on court-ordered services for various individuals (Westman, 2009). Funding may be administered by various educational services, or by human and health services and county and state departments. However, using the family science integration model, communities would actually work with private organizations and resources, and with some public resources to help develop programs and work along with agencies to help develop certain programs and goals that will help remove any obstacles that currently prevent community integration of participants in human services programs (Westman, 2009). The ultimate goal of course, is sustainable living, and integration. Families, human service organizations, and the community at large would be accountable for the success of the system, rather than one person alone.

At present, human services agencies serve people, rather than collaborate with families and the community to integrate them into communities. Social problems tend to focus on resources that are available for families, but the focus typically is on individuals (Westman, 2009). Professionals should consider the family as a unit, one that lives within a community; collaboration needs to occur with the state agencies that assist families and contribute to funding and legislative initiatives that are put in place to assist families. Currently there does not exist a structure of resources that educates families to assist in preventing social, educational problems, and health problems. Prevention is the first step toward assisting families and children. Examples of prevention may include employment assistance, childcare, and education which may include education in "responsible citizenry" and "productive workforce" (Westman, 2009) Resources for children and youth may include safety.

Unfortunately children are often treated as separate entities from parents, which prevent family integration into the system; this actually has proven very ineffective in promoting family-sufficiency and community collaboration (Westman, 2009; Rodriguez, 2011; Olin, et al., 2010). Lack of community resources is often a problem that results in a continuing focus on the individual and services provided to individuals rather than collaboration among families and the community and families.

The family integration approach is a particularly viable approach because it causes individuals to think outside the box, and focuses on prevention rather than simply putting out fires (Westman, 2009; Morrow et al., 2010). It encourages empowerment among families, and among communities. This approach is an innovative approach, and it is a role that focuses on children working with parents, as opposed from separate from parents (Behnke & Kelly, 2011) in various communities. A child raised to become a productive citizen is likely to contribute far more to society than one who becomes an independent criminal. A child neglected is much more likely to require mental health and correctional services, costing millions of dollars in care as they grow into an adult (Westman, 2009). Children who are integrated into the new family model structure are much more likely to help maintain and enhance the community infrastructure that is essential to the health and wellness of society as a whole (Westman, 2009). Parents will also benefit by working with this model, as they are more likely to find stable employment and less likely to engage in criminal activity as they realize their households are supported and maintained by the communities in which they live. Neglect and abuse however, are likely to continue to result in pain, correctional problems, and child neglect which again, perpetuates the cycle of law enforcement (Westman, 2009).

Conclusions

Studies by various researchers (Morrow, Mansoor, Hanson et al., 2010; Olin, Hoagwood & Rodriguez, et al., 2010) demonstrate family integration is successful in coordinating and improving access to health services for at risk children and their families (Behnke & Kelly, 2011). Family policy integration in education and in other areas is an ideal approach to expanding the community and helping families become more self-sufficient and productive members of the community, rather than having human service agencies act as organizations that simply put out fires, which is one of many reasons why this field is so attractive.