In November 2018, PFSA embarked on a journey to provide family service professionals the opportunity to enrich their existing skills set with tools and new approaches for supporting caregivers and parents who are in recovery from substance use disorder. The Families in Recovery Program was piloted statewide in Pennsylvania by family educators and support staff at 10 Family Centers throughout the commonwealth.

The success of last year’s parent education and support groups paved the way for additional opportunities and statewide growth in 2019 and 2020! Recently we had the good fortune, thanks to ongoing support from Department of Human Services Office of Child Development & Early Learning -to add an additional 11 agencies to the pilot cohort.

Families in Recovery program facilitators and agency staff from the collective 21 sites came together in Harrisburg in October 2019 for the second program facilitator workshop. All participants are now prepared to conduct the 7-week Families in Recovery education and support program in their communities. The training commenced with a panel discussion that provided family service providers the rare and valuable opportunity to hear messages of experience, strength, and hope from individuals living, parenting, and thriving in recovery from substance use disorder. The panel also informed participants about best practices and approaches for families with SUD challenges, learning to balance parenting and recovery roles.

As we move into 2020, the 21 pilot sites will provide year-round support to program participants in Pa communities through the Families in Recovery program. PFSA will maintain comprehensive connections with the partner agencies, providing ongoing technical support, program coaching, rigorous research and data collection, site visits and group observations, as well as interviews with parents who complete the program.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to expand Families in Recovery programming across Pa neighborhoods. Together, we are building brave spaces for resilient and persevering parents and families. Together, we continue to grow resources to #ProtectPAKids.