Contents

Resources

Parent/Family Support Programs

Research points to the protective functions of close parental bonding, healthy parent-child communication, and effective family functioning in reducing risks for a range of child and youth mental health problems.27 Such findings also suggest that parent education and support programs, which are designed to improve parents’ overall problem-solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills, can make an important contribution in the overall youth suicide prevention effort. Social support for parents, may in itself, be an important factor in promoting parental effectiveness.

In a review of effective positive youth development programs, 60 percent of the effective programs used family or parent strategies, combined with other school or community-based strategies, to promote positive youth development. 28 Parent strategies included direct parent training or education strategies, many of which were implemented at the school, as well as home-based strategies designed to enhance the youth's acquisition of new skills and learning. Many of the effective programs combined school-based and family-focused strategies, e.g. while students are learning new skills at school, parents are frequently the target of efforts designed to promote family competence and enhance parent self-effectiveness.

One family skills training program that has been found to significantly reduce problem behaviors, conflict with the law, and alcohol and drug abuse in children and to improve social competencies and school performance (each of which are relevant to the prevention of youth suicide) is the Strengthening Families Program.

In First Nations communities, the well-being of youth is inextricably tied to the healthy functioning of parents, extended family members, and the community as a whole. A recent review of the literature 29 on promoting mental health among First Nations children and youth found that the most promising approaches had the following elements in common:

  • Models and approaches are comprehensive and consider activities that strengthen cultural identity.
  • They identify and promote existing and traditional sources of strength with First Nations communities.
  • They incorporate traditional healing methods.
  • They rely on local control and are self-directed by First nations communities.

Guided by these observations, and operating from a perspective which reflects Aboriginal beliefs and views (i.e. holistic, interconnected, respects the laws of nature, recognizes the role of the Creator), strategies which are designed to strengthen extended family networks, which promote healing across generations, and which enable parents and families to support and nurture their own children are considered the most promising.

Implementation Ideas and Tools

One family skills training program that has been found to significantly reduce problem behaviours, conflict with the law, and alcohol and drug abuse in children and to improve social competencies and school performance (each of which are relevant to the prevention of youth suicide) is the Strengthening Families Program (SFP).

Information on Strengthening Families for the Future, a Canadian program modeled after the Strengthening Families Program, is available at: http://www.camh.net/Publications. Go to: Resources for Professionals and scroll down to Strengthening Families for the Future.

For a 7-session outline of SFP for Parents and Youth 10-14 go to SFP for Parents and Youth 10-14.

For a list of resources relevant to parent education and family support, click here.