Family Resource Centers
Find Your Local Family Resource Center
Select your county or Tribe to find your local Family Resource Center
Family Resource Centers are welcoming local organizations that have services and opportunities designed to strengthen all families. Their activities and programs are typically provided at no or low cost to participants. They reflect and are responsive to the specific needs, cultures, and interests of the communities they are in.
FRCs can offer….
Each FRC offers different programming, so we recommend you contact the FRCs in your area to ask what each provides.
Family navigation:
Referrals to local resources and community programs, public benefits, transportation assistance, etc.
Universal Parent Education Programming:
Groups, classes, or workshops for parents/caregivers. This could include:
• Nurturing Parenting Program
• Triple P – Positive Parenting Program
• Parent Cafés
• Strengthening Families Program
• ACT Raising Safe Kids Program
• Raising a Thinking Child
Home Visiting for families
Home Visiting programs provide regular in-home visits from early childhood professionals to support parents and children. The focus of the Home Visits can include a wide range of subjects, including prenatal care, child health and wellbeing, school preparedness, child behavior, familial trauma, and more.
• Find a Home Visiting Program (download)
• Learn about the different models
Child play groups and/or drop-in programs:
These opportunities help build social connections for both children and adults
Parenting helplines:
These “warmlines” offer parents/caregivers someone to call when they need support
Supervised visitations or safe-exchange programs
Concrete supports and basic needs:
Many FRCs have diaper banks or distribute other essential supplies for families with young children (children’s winter clothes, formula, school supplies, etc.)
Safety and Health programs:
This could include:
• Conducting car seat safety checks,
• Safe sleep
• Access to technology
Advocacy in the local community:
FRCs represent and speak on behalf of the needs of parents, families, young children, and community members
Spotlight on: Parent Cafés
Parent Cafés are opportunities for local parents/caregivers to come together in small groups to learn and share authentic conversations about the challenges they face. The Cafés guide parents through the Strengthening Families Protective Factors, which encourage real-world ways for every family to focus on their strengths and build resiliency. Parent Cafés are an excellent way to build a community while learning to proactively respond to challenging situations. Contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency or Family Resource Center to see where cafés are happening near you.
The Protective Factors are a foundational framework of resources and qualities that families need to be strong and healthy. FRC programming is grounded in these Factors.
The framework was developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy utilizing best evidence from research and professional expertise.
Five for Families (from the Wisconsin Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board) is a family-friendly campaign to strengthen these Protective Factors.
Levels of Prevention
Services offered at FRCs are categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary levels of child abuse and neglect prevention. Learn more about each below.
FRCs offer many Primary and Secondary Level services, which also generally promote family strengths as well as child and parent health and well-bring. These services provide a wide range of benefits to families and individuals of all kinds, including many families with no indicators or concerns of child abuse and neglect.
Note that these levels of prevention are used only as classifications for types of FRC services, they are NOT labels for families or anyone accessing services.
Primary Prevention
- Address root causes of child abuse and neglect before it occurs
- Build Protective Factors which act as buffers against adversity
- Promote the optimal development of children.
Secondary Prevention
- May focus on building Protective Factors
- May focus on addressing risk factors a family faces
Tertiary Prevention
- Aim to prevent reoccurrence of maltreatment
- Aim to prevent long-term negative consequences of maltreatment
Visit the Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board for additional information on Wisconsin Family Resource Centers, programming, and funding opportunities.
As Wisconsin’s statewide Family Resource Center Network, SFTA is proud to represent Wisconsin FRCs at the national level as a member of the National Family Support Network.