Family activation management

The FamilienAktivierungsManagement (FAM) is an outpatient form of youth and family assistance on the basis of §§ 27ff SGB ​​VIII .

It is an offer for families who are in a serious crisis and who are faced with the question of whether one or more children or young people need to be accommodated outside the family. The form of help is specially tailored to the educational needs of the target group mentioned and can also be modified according to the requirements of the individual case. FAM is accordingly a case-by-case measure for families with children and adolescents under 18 years of age who are entitled to assistance in accordance with the above. legal basis.

Pedagogical basics

FAM is based on a paradigm that is consistently based on resource and solution orientation , which is supported by an attitude that is characterized by appreciation, esteem and respect.

FAM assumes that people are ready to change, especially in times of crisis. A goal-oriented methodical approach, the safeguarding framework of 24-hour availability and a clear technical support system for the FAM specialists should avoid the placement of individual family members outside the home, provided this serves the best interests of the child. In a 6-week assignment in the family household, the abilities and strengths of all family members are identified, named and used to jointly define new goals and initiate a stabilization process. The differentiated methodology of FAM is essentially geared towards activating those abilities and strengths of the family that are buried in their current situation. The focus is always on the safety and protection of children and young people.

The family is involved in supporting structures in the environment, which guarantee stability and progress beyond the time of the support from FAM. FAM support is limited to six weeks. This means that the family itself has to take the initiative and does not remain dependent on the helpers in the long term. The working approach practiced in FAM assumes a positive attitude of the employees involved towards the family.

History and development of the FAM

The origin of FAM goes back to the American “Family Preservation Services”, which u. a. With the “Homebuilders Model” (Kinney, J./Haapala, D./Booth, C.) developed a form of help for families in which deprivation of custody and thus out-of-home care seemed to be immediately necessary.

With the crisis intervention program , the family should be supported quickly and inexpensively in order to ensure that the children can stay in the parents' household. It is characteristic of all these approaches that they place less emphasis on the foundation of the working principles through scientific theories. On the other hand, beliefs based on experience are formulated, which define certain values ​​as basic principles of work. In the beliefs based on the positive image of man in humanistic psychology , the conviction is represented that people are active creators of their lives and assume that people can always change. The attitude postulated in the FAM is thus in a tradition of " helping people to help themselves " and is primarily aimed at personal responsibility.

The "families first program", which works according to similar principles, has split off from the "Homebuilders Model". The "families first program" is used across the board in Michigan in particular.

1994 was the first visit of employees of the youth welfare organization Stiftung Hospital St. Wendel in Saarland to facilities of the “families first program” in the Netherlands, which carried out the program in cooperation with the institute “Behavior and Science” in Seattle. The further practical experience on site in the "Department of social services" and in the institute "families first program Michigan" as well as the accompanying support by American trainers resulted in this program in the Federal Republic of Germany under the name "FAM-FamilienAktivierungsManagement" by the Hospital St. Wendel Foundation was transferred, tested and further developed to German conditions.

In 1996 the first trained employees worked with the FAM - Family Activation Management in Families on behalf of the youth welfare offices of the districts of St. Wendel, the Saar-Palatinate district and Neunkirchen. The introduction of the crisis intervention program was supported and promoted by funding as a model project from the Federal Ministry for Family. The scientific accompaniment by the PETRA planning group qualified the work with interim reports and supported the expansion of the behavioral foundations mainly to be found in the American approaches by the systemic approaches that are increasingly establishing themselves in the local youth welfare landscape as well as elements of solution orientation and de Encouraging (encouragement) integrate. In particular, the "solution-oriented approach" developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg from the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , has significantly influenced the method of the "families first program".

At the time, the St. Wendel Hospital Foundation was authorized by the Michigan families first program to distribute the program in the Federal Republic of Germany true to the model. Twelve founding members from all over Germany joined forces in 1998 to establish an umbrella association for family activation in order to promote and support the development of FAM family activation management, its implementation and quality assurance.

Formation and further development

The activating work that characterizes the FAM is - in addition to the attitude towards the families on the part of the specialists - characterized by a framework of method-oriented actions. An activating attitude in this sense is based on a consistent strength orientation. Based on this understanding, the crisis intervention program has developed a wide range of additional aids that complement the spectrum of youth welfare.

FAM clearing

The aim of FAM clearing is to collect and assess a wide range of information about the family to arrive at a joint recommendation from the youth welfare office, family and FAM specialist with regard to the precise use of any further assistance. The information that is obtained in the clarification process is used to plan further help for the family. When planning assistance, existing offers such as outpatient , inpatient or partial inpatient measures are taken into account as well as forms of assistance specially adapted to the family.

Family stabilizing programs FSP / FSU

FSP (Family Stabilization Program) and FSU (Family Stabilizing Support) were specially developed to help families in an acute crisis to (re) regain their own stability. The programs are therefore limited in time to 6 months, success-controlled and the goals and forms of help are determined by the family. They are designed to protect a family from overprotective permanent assistance. In terms of their design, FSP / FSU are a more intensive form of help than SPFH (socio-educational family aid ) . They are used both as a follow-up aid to the FAM in order to stabilize the changes developed there, but can also be carried out as an independent form of help.

FAM (Family Activation Management) in residential form

As part of the FAM in Wohnform, families can relax and receive support in coping with their problems. The processing of a variety of problems is initiated and accompanied process-based and with high intensity, also by means of a temporary change in the center of life. At the same time, further family cohesion should be made possible at the same time. The measures are timed to last up to 6 months . In explicit training apartments, in addition to activating and stabilizing the family system, various interventions are used on social work, educational and therapeutic levels.

Flexible activating aids

Flexible activating aids are time-limited, goal and solution-oriented measures that are tailored to the needs of the family in consultation with the cost bearer. Their offer is aimed primarily at families for whom other forms of youth welfare are out of the question or are excluded or required in addition by a diagnosis. As part of this help, work is carried out on a specific order situation with goals and solutions. The aids last as long as necessary and are as short as possible.

FAM - return escort

As a temporary support for families whose children are returning to the family from out-of-home care or care or as a temporary clarification of the current development of aid and the possibility of repatriation with the accommodating institution, the child and the system of origin.

Guidelines and goals of the FAM

The FAM specialists act according to the following principles:

• Children can best grow up in a family
• The safety of the child in the family is the most important point of help
• Eliminating the hazard instead of removing the child
• In every family there are opportunities for change, even in families that are considered "hopeless" or "multiproblematic"
• Helping people to help themselves by activating positive forces within and around the family
• Respect for the norms and values ​​of the family and the importance of parents and children as "partners".
• Family members have the will to change - a crisis offers special opportunities to do so
• Wrong or inappropriate help can injure people, e.g. B. by people feeling devalued by "help"!

The overriding goal is to avoid third-party placement, provided this serves the well-being of the young person. Outsourcing is in many cases

• protective
• therapeutically intervening through the change of context
• a prerequisite for individual growth
• relieving the family system

However, outsourcing can also mean to manifest the symptom carrier, to tolerate relieving and thus solution-inhibiting accusations or to initiate them and thus to prevent an argument and a search process for hidden resources or forgotten, but existing resources. In each individual case, it must therefore be examined together with the youth welfare office, the family and the institution which instrument from the complex forms of social assistance is appropriate in this situation at this point in time. The family activation management is an offer in the wide range of family and youth welfare services. There is no generalized use of the FAM. The individual wishes of those affected and the respective realities are relevant to the decision. Other goals include:

• acute conflict mitigation
• the stabilization and reconstruction of the family in order to remove the acute endangerment of the children and the family system
• to promote children's development
• make social and material support available to the family
• imparting skills for alternative behavior
• mediating between the interests and goals of individual family members
• developing common objectives and storylines

Quality standards

The family activation management is committed to clear quality standards. The skilled workers employed are trained and certified as part of an extra-occupational qualification. The following quality standards are taken into account:

Frame and structure

The program is characterized by the standardized time limit and its structured implementation in 3 phases: diagnostics and target development - training and guidance - stabilization and networking.

documentation

The work process is documented, transparency of the work results for family and payers are aimed for. The final report will include a. A resource and risk profile is drawn up. In addition to the assessments of the specialists, divergent views of the family are taken into account.

Training and professional qualifications

The specialists working in FAM are trained as part of nationwide standardized advanced training .

Accompanying case advice

At the level of case processing, weekly reflections and target reviews are generally established as a standard on site by FAM consultants with additional qualifications. Accompanying case counseling is also professionally supported by regular supervisory inspections by FAM trainers.

Methodical handout

The specialists use a broad repertoire of different methods from relevant specialist disciplines.

Evaluation

FAM has been evaluated nationwide for its effectiveness. As part of the federal model project "Models of family-oriented educational assistance in youth welfare" of the Federal Ministry for Families, Seniors, Women and Youth and with the support of the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate state governments, the implementation of the families first program in Germany under the term FAM - FamilienAktivierungsManagement in September Started in 1996. The work in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate was scientifically accompanied by the PETRA planning group during the three-year project period.

After 3 years of project support for FAM work in the St. Wendel Hospital Foundation, the FOREG University of Trier set up scientific support throughout Germany in 2000. The results of the cases evaluated between 1999 and 2004 were published in 2007 by M. Schenk.

In addition, GISS and C. Erzberger evaluated the local offers of family crisis assistance in the Bremen social area in the period from April 2001 to August 2003 . Family-activating aids from the member institutions are currently being evaluated by the umbrella organization FAM.

literature

• Berg, IK, Kelly, S. (2001): Child protection and solution orientation. Dortmund.
• BMFSFJ: Social educational family aid in the Federal Republic of Germany.
• (Online publication www.bmfsfj.de/doku/Publikationen/spfh/16-Benachbearte-arbeitsansaetze/16-3-hilfe-fuer-familien-in-krisensituationen.html, 02/07/2013)
• Erzberger, C. (2004): Evaluation of the Bremer Familienkrisenhilfe, Internet publication: gissev.de/pdf/EndberichtFamilienkrisenhilfeHB.pdf. Bremen.
• Kinney, J. Haapala, Booth, C. (1991): Keeping Families Together. The Homebuilders Model. New York.
• Klein, E., Römisch, K. (1997): Family activation management FAM. First practical experience of implementation in Germany by the St. Wendel Hospital Foundation in: Our Youth 4/1997, pp. 148–155.
• Koch, G., Lambach, R. (1999): What do “Families-First” programs do? Results of the scientific monitoring of four family-oriented crisis intervention projects, in: Forum Erziehungshilfe 5 (5), 1999, pp. 301–304.
• Pieper, R. (2013): Workbook Family Activation Management: Methods of Family Activation and Crisis Intervention, Pro Business, ISBN 978-3-86386-576-4 .
• Pieper, R. (2014): Praxishandbuch FamilienAktivierungsManagement: Working materials for family activation and crisis intervention, Pro Business, ISBN 978-3-86386-652-5 .
• Schenk, M., Brandhorst, K., Köhl-Bandhorst, T. (2001): Implementation of a family- and resource-supporting training according to the FAM (ffp) approach in the Euroregion Saar-Lor-Lux Rhineland-Palatinate. Final report of the scientific support. Trier.
• Schoenaker, T. (2000): Courage is good for you - Encouraging training. ISBN 978-3932708152 .
• Hospital St. Wendel Foundation (2007): From Criticism to Acceptance - Ten Years of Family Activation in the Hospital Foundation's Youth Welfare Service. St. Wendel, ISBN 978-3-00-021679-4 .
• Pieper, Rüdiger (2018): 20 years of DV. What was - what is - what will ... (Lecture on the anniversary of the umbrella organization), Dormagen.

Web links

• Website of the umbrella association Familienaktivierung eV

Individual evidence

1. ↑ (Models of family-oriented support for education in youth welfare, Oberursel November 3rd and 4th 1999, conference documentation, planning group PETRA eV, Schlüchtern)