By Chantal Bianchi | Project manager
Families, including single-parent families, represent more than 50% of situations met by Secours Catholique-Caritas France annually, making them our public priority. For 70 years now, Secours Catholique has developed many means to help them, from educational support for children, through workshops, socialization group, to social grocery stores and solidarity shops, not to mention financial aid to those families.
To go even further on this path and with the desire to bring families durably out of precariousness, Secours Catholique, in collaboration with Apprentis d’Auteuil, wants to develop a parenting support system, "Families’ House", whose primary mission is to help parents restore trust and find solutions to their difficulties.
The "Families’ House” principles
The purpose of "Families’ House” is to welcome every family no matter the situation there are in at the moment, without judgment. It is a place that allows parents and children to spend time together, but also to promote exchanges between parents and between children.
The main axis of work of "Families’ House” is parenting and education. The parenting support is understood in a very broad sense. The objectives of the "Families’ House” are :
- To help people in vulnerable situation to overcome the psychological barriers of stigma and guilt,
- To increase the families’ autonomy, both individually and collectively, thus contributing to develop their resistance to the constraints imposed by others,
- To allow families to determine for themselves the ways to focus on their development or, if that is the case, on their fight against vulnerability factors.
The "Families’ House” is an episode in the families’ journey. It should not disconnect them from the social reality they live every day. It must enable them to become aware of their difficulties, that they are not alone to experience problems, that their problems are influenced by life in our society and, therefore, that solutions can be set by acting collectively to get a wellness, a "better life". Given the precariousness overwhelming everyday life, "we dare not to speak." The idea of the "Families’ House” is to create a climate of confidence, an environment that makes it possible for families to talk, express their feelings, ask questions or just make a "pause".... The "Families’ Houses" gives value to the word family.
How does a "Families’ House” works ?
The "Families’ House” offers parents various services: reception, advice, guidance, support and meetings to prevent the occurrence of major difficulties with their children and help them overcome a confrontational or difficult situation. It is a place where parents, professionals and volunteers can communicate and it allows the hatching of skills and knowledge for the participants, parents and children.
Parents are welcomed with their children individually or with other families. They can enjoy a space where they are lead to :
- Express the difficulty and anxiety they feel in their children’s education
- Learn to live together as a family, based on their parenting skills,
- Positively exercise their parental authority,
- Establish a framework for their daily family life,
- Reinvest their parenting role with respect to their children and their family social environment,
- Journey to personal and family development.
The "Families’ House” is under the responsibility of an home manager, helped by an educator and a team of volunteers whose missions are :
- To welcome and accompany families within the structure,
- To create and animate activities,
- To conduct occasional interviews with the families.
The "Families’ House” is usually open to the public 4 days a week; a day being reserved for internal evaluation of the families situations, organizing home, etc. Activities can also be organized through the weekend thanks to the commitment of the volunteers.
Today, there are two "Families’ Houses”, one in Annecy (Haute-Savoie), the other in Auchel (Pas de Calais).
The most recent, "Families’ Houses” of Annecy, opened in April 2016. € 15 000 worth of work have been done before opening this place. The current team consists in two employees and five volunteers. More than twenty families are being helped now.
A third "Families’ House” project is planned in Ermont, Val d'Oise. The location of the house, short distance from sensitive areas but easily accessible by public transport, will concern families from these areas and promote social diversity.
The house provided by the city of Ermont is about 130m² and spreads over 2 levels. It also includes a garage and a garden. Some existing spaces such as the kitchen and the bathroom can be used as it is.
The "Families’ House” is not a social or administrative center; it is necessary to develop it this way to make it beautiful, warm and friendly. Thus, the various dedicated areas such as reception, children's area, multipurpose room (discussion group, workshops etc.) and outside space, have to be fitted. More confidential areas will also be offered to allow face to face interviews.
Work is also to be performed on safety matters in order to meet public buildings standards. The total amount of this work is estimated at € 30,000 including investment to refurbish the house.
We hope to inaugurate this third "Families’ House” by the 2nd quarter of 2017.
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