Families Count

 Purpose

Families Count exists for the purpose of family restoration and preservation. They accomplish this goal through six weeks of church-led classes. According to Families Count, they target “parents who are at-risk for having their children removed from their homes and placed into foster care, and parents who have lost custody of their children and are working toward reunification.”

Families Count works towards restoration through a relational, Gospel-centered curriculum, which is accompanied by an optional mentoring program. 

 Pricing Overview (subject to change)

Start-up costs for a church: $129 per individual class co-leader and ministry coordinator for two days of live, in-person training PLUS travel and lodging costs.

An annual licensing fee will be assessed for implementing churches. 

Costs for participants: $0. Families Count offers this program free of charge to participants as a way to advance Gospel-centered reunification of broken families. In fact, churches must sign an agreement that no fee will be charged for class participation.

 Perspective

Lifeline Children’s Services, the founder of Families Count, believes that the Gospel brings hope to vulnerable children. Families Count’s approach is distinctly Christ-centered and biblically-focused. Their curriculum is based on the following three principles: 

• Every family is created and ordained by God with unique attributes for His Glory. 
• Families need Christ to be successful. 
• Families need a connection to the Body of Christ for ongoing support and belonging.

 Structure

The Families Count curriculum contains six lessons that center on the biblical view of family. Lessons contain topics such as family success, functioning as a team, families of origin, the purpose of family, families thrive with discipline, and restoration through Christ. Each lesson is philosophically and biblically focused, but also contains a practical element.  For instance, lesson three’s title is “Families Thrive with Discipline.” Therein, parents learn the biblical purpose for discipline, work together to differentiate discipline from punishment, and create a practical plan for their own home. Overall, Families Count believes that true restoration comes through a new heart in Jesus Christ and takes a practical look at what Scripture says concerning the family. 

The program was developed to be delivered through the local church via face-to-face instruction. Families are taken through six classes, or “Counts,” led by a husband and wife team, known as co-leaders. Each Count is structured to allow for at least two hours of lesson time, which includes both lecture and discussion.

 Best For

Families Count is designed for parents whose children are at risk of entering the foster care system or those whose children are already in the system. Often, many of the participants have been issued court-mandated parenting classes in order to reunite with their children. Families Count fulfills that requirement. 

It emphasizes utilizing the resources of the local church to temporarily remove barriers to attendance that many impoverished families face such as childcare, transportation, and a balanced, family meal.

The primary coursework is designed for parents who are willing to invest a solid amount of time (2 hours a week) into training. During the Counts, children of all ages will also be walked through accompanying material. 

Due to adaptability of the program, churches of any size could teach this course. For instance, a smaller volunteer base would simply partner with less families than a larger church might. With accessibility to training and program materials through Families Count, the only possible restraint is volunteer availability.

 Evidence That It Works

A recent pilot study, Efficacy of the Parenting Program, Families Count, published in the Southwestern D6 Family Ministry Journal, Vol. 7, conducted with a sampling of parents who completed the Families Count program, concluded the program significantly improved parents' resilience, social support, child development knowledge, nurturing skills, and attachment, enabling the local church to effectively minister to families and guide parents in raising their children. The study also found the program empowers the church to offer a strong family restoration initiative, potentially enhancing other community programs.

Families Count has an 83% completion rate. 

 Cost and Resources

Families Count's two-day, in-person training, including coordinator and class co-leader (husband and wife team) costs $129 per individual.  Church staff and co-leaders must travel in order to attend one of these training sessions, held regionally. Families Count will connect new church partners with a trained network of churches who are already participating in Families Count. 

After going through initial training, a church meets with Families Count leadership to sign a doctrinal statement and licensing agreement.

In addition to providing class co-leaders and a ministry coordinator, the church also needs a strong volunteer force to serve as mentors, transporters (often mentors), childcare workers, and meal preparers/servers. Since the mentorship program is optional and based on participant preference, the number of mentors will vary based on need.

 How to order:

To sign-up for the initial, two-day training, visit lifelinechild.org/families-count and choose Enroll in a Church Training. Once trained and licensed, Families Count provides curriculum access to licensees. For further information, Families Count Program Manager is Melissa Kowieski, melissa.kowieski@lifelinechild.org. Lifeline’s phone number is (205) 967-0811.

 What We Love

Research shows that “religious institutions play an important role in shaping the quality and stability of marriage in the United States.” 

 Considerations

A large component of Families Count is building relationships with the participants to allow for true, transformative experiences. It is recommended that participants take part in a mentoring relationship in coordination with the six-week course. In many cases, these relationships will continue after graduation. Therefore, the prospective church partner should take stock to ensure that they have the volunteer base needed to develop social capital among participants. 

Additionally, many organizations find that charging a small fee for other types of classes increases buy-in and attendance rates. While this program prohibits such a practice, it probably shouldn’t.

Links Reviewed 6/24/24