The Family Advocacy Program (FAP) strives to provide the
USSOUTHCOM community with a comprehensive prevention education and awareness
program as well as an effective social work response through prompt
intervention, assessment and treatment of reports of alleged spouse and/or child
abuse/child neglect. The program is dedicated to enhancing individual
coping skills and alleviating the underlying causes of stress associated with
family violence. Prevention services provided through the Family Support Center
(FSC) include but are not limited to the following:
Community
Education. Designed to increase community awareness of the existence
of domestic violence in the local area, the importance of reporting it and the
method how and where to seek assistance if necessary. Commemoration of Child
Abuse Prevention Month in April and Domestic Violence Prevention Month in
October is held annually. Information on where to report alleged
incidents of spouse and/or child abuse/child neglect is published on in the
Bugle Boy as well as posted on the USSOUTHCOM portal. The Family
Support Center webpage also contains listings of locally available community
support services. The FAP Manager (FAPM) also keeps
important referral information in her office including where to contact the
major battered women's' shelters in the area, i.e., Women in Distress of Broward
County and Safespace North and South in Dade and Monroe
Counties. This information is also distributed on a regular basis at
meetings of the zip code groups, the equivalent of Family Support or Family
Readiness Groups (FRGs) of larger installations.
Unit
commander/director/work supervisor. Designed to brief chain of
command on the nature of spouse and child abuse, how to report it, the
importance of FAP policies and procedures and available FAP services to include
the existence of parenting classes, treatment services, etc. and command
responsibilities for identification, reporting and involvement with the Case
Review Committee (CRC). Such individuals will be briefed within 45
days of assuming a command post.
Service member (Troop)/Federal Employee
Education. Designed to educate service members and federal civilian
employees on the family dynamics of spouse and child abuse, availability of
prevention and treatment services and DoD policies regarding family violence in
mandatory briefings held annually. Those attending are instructed
that incidents of alleged child abuse are also referred to local units of the
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) for further
investigaton. Everyone attending is strongly encouraged to avail
themselves of prevention services availalbe through the FAPM, local community
hospitals and agencies, TRICARE providers or by way of the Military One
Source.
Newcomers Orientation. Held monthly to orient newly
arrived personnel on the nature and purpose of the FAP on the installation and
the various supportive services available in assisting a newly relocated family
in adjusting to the local area.
Parenting
Classes. Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) classes
offered for parents of children in three age groups. Parents of
children are the under age of 5 are availed the Early Childhood STEP series,
parents of children 5-12, the Basic STEP, and the parents of teenaged children,
the STEP Teen parenting series. These are taught several times a year on a
rotating basis. For those who are unable to attend, information on parenting
classes in the local community are posted on the USSOUTHCOM portal and/or
available directly from the FAPM. This includes but is not limited to
information about New Parent Support classes available in two local
hospitals. Pamphlets, booklets and flyers are
available.
Family Life Education. Designed to help
community members cope with relocation, workplace and family related stress
these classes have included but not been limited to Stress Relaxation for Busy
Women, Helping Families of Deployed Service members, Workplace Stress
Management, Coping with Aggressive Drivers/Managing Road Rage, Anger Management
and Coping with Holiday Traffic.
Crisis
Intervention. The Family Advocacy Program may provide up to three
sessions on an emergency basis before an appropriate referral for longer term is
implemented. Domestic violence may or may not be an area of concern
for those seeking such assistance. Every effort is made to provide
customers with as many possible choices from which to choose longer term
intervention should they be required.
The Report Point of
Contact (RPOC) for suspected cases of child and/or spouse abuse is the Family
Advocacy social worker at the Family Counseling Center at (305) 437-3072.
Call (305) 437-2734 to contact the Family Advocacy Program Manager.