New program will provide resources to parents of children with Serious Emotional Disorders (SED)

St. Louis, MO -  Area non-profit agency Family Resource Center (FRC) has announced the addition Parent Partners, a new program that will provide resources to parents of children with Serious Emotional Disorders (SED).

Parents of children with SED often struggle to understand what services their children are eligible to receive and how best to advocate for them.  The new Parent Partners (PP) program is designed to assist these families in securing services from the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the Division of Children's Services.

Parent Partners has four trained, paraprofessional staff members who have personal experience successfully negotiating the systems of care upon which SED families depend. Parent Partners provide individualized, strength-based mentoring to these families, empowering them to achieve the best possible outcomes in the following areas:  parenting skills development, family health care, child development, social support finding and self-advocacy.  Parent Partners staff members offer information, support and guidance during critical moments in the parent's interaction with the child welfare system such as court hearings and team decision making meetings when plans and judgments about an SED child's care and treatment are made.  

"We are just delighted to host this new program because it adds a proven parent empowerment service model to the agency's rich variety of mental health and child welfare practices," stated FRC Chief Executive Officer, Greg Echele. "There is every reason to believe PP can sometimes achieve outcomes for children that cannot happen as quickly or at all through traditional therapy services.  Such has been our experience, for example, with the evidence-based Parents Anonymous^® Program for which FRC is the sole provider in Missouri.  Sometimes there is nothing as powerful and effective as a parent with new found skills who advocates personally and directly for care of their child."

Funding for this program is provided by the Missouri Department of Mental Health through a 6-7 year federal grant called Systems of Care - Youth in Transition.

About Family Resource Center
Family Resource Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is one of Missouri's largest family counseling agencies dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse and neglect and strengthening families. Established in 1974, the accredited agency has served more than 100,000 St. Louis-area children and family members. In 2008, FRC served nearly 10,000 children and parents, strengthening families through family-centered therapeutic, educational, mentoring and support services. Additionally, Family Resource Center offers consultation and training for social service professionals who work with families and children, as well as support groups through Parents Anonymous®, a nationally recognized model to help nurture confident, effective parents. For more information or to make donations, visit http://www.frcmo.org/.  Family Resource Center, a Better Business Bureau accredited charity, is headquartered at 3309 South Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63139-1101.