FAST In London
National Academy for Parenting Practitioners and FAST®
The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners in London, England and Families and Schools Together, Inc. will begin a proposed initiative to train 15 different teams to facilitate the FAST programme in England as a part of the Academy’s training and support programme.
Between October 2008 and July 2009, up to 300 parenting practioner trainees (PPT) will learn to implement the evidence-based parenting programme called FAST. Training for up to twenty PPT at once will occur during a four month long course offered in nine regions fifteen times, using a service development training model. Trainees will receive twelve days of training during the FAST training course and will experience several forms of instruction best suited for adult learning styles. Mixed methods training includes lectures, videos, manuals, role plays; and supervision, direct observation and coaching while implementing the best practice programme in eight weekly family group meetings. Trainees will also learn how to adapt this evidence-based practice to fit local priorities and reflecting upon these processes. As part of the training process, trainees will get feedback on practice performances based on programme integrity checklists. Feedback will be provided by trainers and by service users. In addition, trainees will write a reflective paper, and learn how to read a local outcome evaluation report of the programme with statistical analyses of standardized instruments. The course trains and supports PPT as they learn, practice, reflect, and review an evidence-based parenting group programme. In addition, post training support is provided as part of the training process to PPT via meetings, internet and phone.
FAST Programme Information
Families And Schools Together Inc. is the only organization endorsed by Dr. Lynn McDonald, the programme founder/developer for the replication of the FAST programme. The organization works closely with Dr. Lynn McDonald on FAST programme development. The goal of the organization is three-fold: universally disseminate Families and Schools Together (FAST), evaluate the programme, and ensure that programme implementations are of the highest quality and effectiveness. First, while the international office is located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, the reach of the FAST programme is international. Second, the organization is also responsible for the evaluation of each FAST cycle that is implemented. Quality assurance and assessing programme effectiveness are vital functions of the evaluation. Information is gathered directly from the families, teachers, and team leaders. In addition, the Certified FAST Trainers provide a unique and holistic assessment of the FAST cycle and the team. The evaluation outcomes are used to provide stakeholders with evidence of the program's effectiveness, to be accountable to funders, to give feedback to the team, and to tailor each FAST cycle to the special needs of the families being served. Third, oversight by the Certified FAST Trainers, and continuous feedback on performance ensure that each programme cycle is of the highest quality, and implemented as the programme was meant to be implemented.
FAST is a collaborative prevention and parent involvement programme designed to build relationships and protective factors that address a number of problems: school failure, alcohol and drug abuse, violence, delinquency, and child abuse and neglect. The programme was developed in 1988 by Dr. Lynn McDonald, and has received numerous awards and honours, including becoming a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Model Programme in 2002.
FAST applies family stress theory, family systems theory, social ecological theory of child development, and adult education and community development theory to achieve its four goals:
- Enhance family functioning
- Prevent the target child from experiencing school failure
- Prevent substance abuse by the child and other family members
- Reduce the stress that parents and children experience from daily life situations
Our award-winning programme helps improve parenting skills and connect families to their schools. We bring together local support resources to build protective factors around kids. We are dedicated to helping parents safeguard their families and provision their children for success. We believe that all parents love their children and want what is best for them. We also believe that parents today are faced with enormous challenges to their effectiveness at bringing up children. With the proper guidance and support, all families can act on their desire to do what is best for their children. With our help, parents have the resources, the platform, and the support to act on their hopes and dreams rather than let social interference cause them to surrender.
FAST offers extensive training for parenting practitioners on a regular basis throughout the UK, USA, in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia. Worldwide, we have over 1,000 certified trainers trained to deliver the FAST programme. The headquarters for the organization is located in the USA; however, we have established FAST centres across the world. For example, we have helped Australia to develop 45 programme sites, and Canada develop 80 sites. We are looking forward to helping England develop 15 or more FAST sites under the Academy proposal.
Training to Facilitate the FAST Programme
The FAST training courses will be offered fifteen times in nine regions. The course takes place over a period of four months, with twelve days of training per training course. Up to twenty PPT can participate in each course with a minimum of ten PPT per course. In all, we expect to train a minimum of 300 PPT to deliver the FAST programme. Each enrolled PPT will receive twelve days of training, support, and supervision over the four month course.
Each local group of parent practitioner trainees will include professional and service user/parents and will have space for up to twenty participants/students. Professionals may represent several local agencies serving children, including statutory (however, not the social workers doing safeguarding), charity social workers, schools, local authorities, community centres, health centres, Surestarts, and Children’s centres. Service users or parents of a junior school student should also be included in each group. By including multiple agencies and service users in each course, this training will help to achieve some of the Children’s Workforce Development goals.
The training course will consist of the following training components:
- Phase I Training – The Planning Stage: Two days of face to face instructional training with 10 to 20 other PPT. More than one group of PPT may come together for these two days of training. These two days occur at the beginning of the four month course and include an overview of the programme, the research and theoretical basis of FAST, and specifics of the programme implementation.
- Phase II Training – The Implementation Stage: Three days of supported practice wherein the PPT will receive training one day a week for eight consecutive weeks. The PPT trainer will conduct face to face training on three of these days when he/she will review programme integrity and course participants will complete programme integrity checklists and site visit reports. During these eight weeks, the PPT will adapt the programme, recruit parents to FAST, and facilitate the weekly multi-family group meetings.
The trained team of PPT will host eight weekly meetings at a school, for 2 ˝ hours during extended school hours. Positive parenting is taught experientially, rather than with lectures or demonstrations. Parenting practitioner trainees practice the skills that they learned during the training, including coaching, supporting, and empowering parents. The parents learn the positive parenting strategies through structured experiences organized by the professionals within multi-family group meetings. The trainees support the parents to lead structured activities with their own family: a family meal shared each week, music and singing, doing crafts, family activities and family games; a parent support group, followed by the crucial responsive play time. The parenting practitioner trainees coach the parents to do 15 minutes of parent-child bonding time, in which parents must play by following the child’s lead, and must not boss, criticize, or teach. The PPT ends the group with a final closing circle. The professionals organize the experiential learning using a manual, to provide parents practice sessions in leading their children in family activities, rehearsing compliance requests imbedded in the activities, and practicing responsive play. The team members coach and support parents to experience the benefits of a positive and supportive environment, in which team members are respectful and helpful to them in their parenting efforts. A graduation celebrates the accomplishments of child well-being. The professionals learn that through their efforts and the activities that are repeated during the eight weekly meetings, the parents become networked into small empowered groups that support positive parenting. The eight weekly meetings are then followed by a parent-led programme continuation. FASTWORKS, as the programme continuation is called, consists of monthly meetings for two years. The programme then shifts power to the parents to lead these monthly meetings. The goal of these meetings is to continue the parenting support group and for families to work on community related outcomes. For example, parents get involved in their schools by organizing activities such as tea with the principals, re-activating Parent Teacher organizations, organizing food drives for needy families, and much more. - Phase III – The Review Stage: One day of a structured review of the programme. This final day of the course will be conducted with the trainer and PPT via a conference call and/or web conference. PPT will compose observations and review the outcomes of the programme in their communities. This occurs at the end of the four month course and consists of a review of the programme outcomes and formal evaluation report, a group self-review, formal feedback from a service user panel, and certification.
