Information for Steering Committees
The SFP Steering Committee
The first step in planning a Strengthening Families Programme in an area is to form a Steering Committee. Steering Committees comprise of a group of interested professionals that have come together and decided to plan, deliver and evaluate a Strengthening Families Programme in their area. This should be populated by a number of relevant agencies who currently work with families on a caring basis, ideally with reference to families with teenagers. Steering Committee members should bring enthusiasm, commitment to good practice, solution focused skills, a child centered ethos & positivity to delivering the programme successfully. The steering committee will be the means to address any issues which arise throughout the programme.
The SFP Information Pack
The Information Pack below has been developed as an accompaniment tool for Steering Committees who are receiving funding through the Le Chéile SFP Funding Form to run the Strengthening Families Programme. It is intended as a resource for practitioners to use in addition to the existing Strengthening Families Programme (12-16 yrs) 2006 cd-rom materials as available directly from the US Developers of the programme.
The information pack in no way supersedes or replaces any of the official Lutra and/or SFP guidance manuals but is intended to assist Irish SFP programmes as it has been compiled through feedback from Irish Strengthening Family Programmes ran to date and it is hoped that the information, policies and paperwork contained within this information pack can be used to ensure each Strengthening Families Programme is run in a best practice manner.
In developing this Information Pack, please note that Le Cheile have taken information directly from the Lutra website, the Lutra cd-rom materials (2006) and from Lutra evaluation reports. Lutra Group are the outright owners of the Strengthening Families Programme (12-16).
SFP Information Pack
The SFP Funding Form
If funding is available, Le Chéile may be able to commit some funds to a SFP if certain conditions are met. These include the programme having a certain level of Young Persons Probation (YPP) referrals and a commitment from the Steering Committee to evaluate the programme. The funding form below is available for Steering Committees to complete if seeking funding assistance. Before completing this form please liaise with the Le Chéile Co-ordinator in your region regarding your funding request and ensure that the Senior Probation Officer for the area has been notified of your expression of Interest. The funding form should be completed and signed off by the Steering Committee of the proposed Strengthening Families Programmes and returned at least 16 weeks before the proposed start date of programme.
The funding form should assist steering committees with their assessment of need for a SFP; the proposed timescale of the programme; identify resources available and/or required (including funding) and highlights the terms and conditions of funding.
