Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center)

At A Glance Update

The CFC Center under the aegis of the College of Social Work (CSW) was created with the support of the Stoops Foundation, Inc. in 2017. The purpose of the CFC Center is to generate and sustain transformational knowledge for the development of effective policies, services, and usable research.

This summer the CFC Center has worked with Save the Children to offer support to the children and communities of the Florida Panhandle impacted by Hurricane Michael.

Partnerships with Save the Children: Training Social Work Students to Lead

A part of the partnership between Save the Children and the CFC Center includes the involvement of FSU College of Social Work students.

This summer, BSW students Avory Billman and Lacey Risley spent a portion of their field placement with Disc Village, a community-based behavioral health agency, on child welfare. MSW students Rachel Thompson and Savannah Smith worked with the FSU Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Testing Center (MDC) working on assessments and evaluations for at-risk children.

All four students also spent a portion of their field placement, with the support of Save the Children, in schools facilitating small groups for middle school-aged children. The social work students spent time at different sites during the summer, cultivating their clinical skills, putting into practice the knowledge learned in the classroom and exploring their own strengths.

“I found myself learning just as much from the children we worked with this summer,” remarked MSW Student Savannah Smith. “Children are so bright and resilient whatever their age. They do not always need to be taught something new. What they needed was someone to support and empower them to use the strengths and abilities they already had.”

BSW Student Lacey Risley learned firsthand the skills she learned from her “Groups and Community” class the previous semester. From the classroom into practice, she and the other students were now running groups as facilitators. The experience also taught them something about themselves.

“It really taught me that my presence in a clinical setting affects those I’m working with and I just need to be present,” stressed Rachel Thompson, MSW student. “I was so nervous in the beginning and the kids could see it. As I became less nervous and just let myself be a part of the experience, I relaxed and the children really responded to that. The more comfortable and relaxed I became, the more they felt comfortable opening up and sharing.”

FSU College of Social Work Field Education Director Katrina Boone emphasizes the importance of field education experience as a cornerstone of their social work education as it prepares them for the work with clients they will be doing as social workers.

Implementing Save the Children Programming in Panama City

The CFC Center received funding from Save the Children to respond to mental health needs of children, families, teachers and community providers experiencing trauma as a result of Hurricane Michael. Save the Children, a non-governmental international organization focuses on children and operates in more than 120 countries around the world. The partnership with FSU is building a local capacity to support children over the long term in the Florida Panhandle.

To implement the program, the CFC Center turned to its affiliate, the FSU Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Testing Center (MDC), which provides services in 18 rural school districts in the Florida Panhandle (established 1983). MDC provides diagnostic evaluations and school-based mental health services for children identified as having complex medical, educational, emotional and/or behavioral problems. The MDC also provides consultation, technical assistance, and pre-service and in-service training for families, teachers, and school district personnel concerning these at-risk children.

Since Hurricane Michael hit the panhandle in 2018, the school districts in the panhandle served by the MDC are facing even greater challenges. MDC Director Dr. Anne Selvey and Assistant Director Joann Milford joined FSU staff on a tour of Panama City in April of 2019, hosted by Bay County school district. Milford noted how shocked they were at the level of devastation that still existed, along with the uncertainty for those living in the area.

“Many families and school personnel are also worried about the summer,” explained Milford. “Gone are the camps, childcare, and sports activities. When the final school bell rings for the year, where will kids to go?”

Together with the MDC, CFC Center and Save the Children stepped in to offer middle school students in Bay County, “Journey of Hope,” an 8-week, evidence-based program. The program was offered at Century Community Learning Center in Everitt, Florida and at Jinks Middle School in Panama City, Florida. MDC Assistant Director Joann Milford took the lead on outreach and logistics, with support from the FSU College of Social Work’s Director of Field Education and Assistant Teaching Professor Katrina Boone. Boone identified four social work students to serve as the program’s facilitators, supervised by Adjunct Professor Sharon Ross-Donaldson.

The student facilitators implemented the program with fifty-five middle school children, which focused on emotions and healthy ways to express them.  Participating children developed positive coping strategies to deal with their emotions, build inner strength to develop positive coping mechanisms, and instilled a sense of hope and empowerment for each child.

“We were able to create an environment where these kids could open up,” explained Savannah Smith, MSW student and Journey of Hope facilitator.

Smith noted how transformative everyday objects could be when used in activities. One of the most impactful activities was the use of a balloon. A facilitator would add air to a balloon each time a child shared anxiety, sadness or fear, visually explaining that if they did not release some of that pressure, the balloon would eventually burst. The children and facilitators shared healthy techniques and skills to release that pressure.

“We created a safe space and taught them the tools. It took them a little time, but soon they began to open up and talk,” shared Rachel Thompson, another MSW students, and Journey of Hope facilitator. “Many of them told us they never knew it was okay to talk about how they were feeling.”

“Journey of Hope is a tried and true program that improves lives,” concluded Ellen Piekalkiewicz, CFC Center director. “We had the privilege to journey and experience it right alongside those impacted by Hurricane Michael.”

Participating FSU faculty and students will receive training and experience in developing psychosocial group programming while providing critical aid to children, youth and caregivers in the affected communities. This fall, students and faculty will continue their efforts in other areas of Florida, touring Gadsden and Calhoun school districts before offering psychosocial groups for caregivers as well as providing services to local children. The CFC Center and Save the Children also plan to hold a community resiliency and awareness event in October 2019 in these counties, addressing the importance of community resilience and children’s mental health needs before and after disasters.

Get Ready, Get Safe!

Since 2005 and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Save the Children has been on the ground not only assisting children and families during and after a disaster but helping them to prepare before disasters strike. By assisting with disaster preparation, Save the Children is preventing families from suffering many of the long-term effects of a disaster. Research indicates that children are especially vulnerable during a disaster and are likely to experience long-term developmental, physical, and psychological setbacks after experiencing a disaster. 

During a disaster, adults are forced to focus on many things at once while experiencing high levels of stress, noted Kassandra Starrine of Save the Children during the “Prep Rally” training for FSU facilitators on July 18. Children often get overlooked because of their age, even though they experience the same fears and anxieties of the unknown, she added.

On July 24, 2019, FSU’s College of Social Work and Center for Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children, Save the Children partnered with the City of Tallahassee and Leon County for the first-ever “Prep Rally” in Tallahassee, to give local children the knowledge and tools to be prepared and to stay safe with their families. At the Jack McClean Community Center, almost one hundred children from ages 4 to 12 gathered to learn what a disaster is and how to they can be prepared.  Through readings, cheering, and playing “Get Prepped” games, the children came away energized and educated about what to do in case they encounter another disaster like Hurricane Michael.

“Children are curious, and children are smart. They want to know things and they ask a billion and one questions.” said BSW student Lacey Risley, one of the facilitators at the “Prep Rally.” 

The “Prep Rally” gave the children attending ample opportunity to ask questions and feel prepared, giving them knowledge and ownership of their experiences and feelings. The children at the prep rally drew pictures of what made them feel safe and discussed what to pack in a “go bag” so that they felt prepared. Each child received a workbook to take home and use with their family to think through what they will do. They also each received their own “go bag” filled with supplies discussed at the Rally including a flashlight, water bottle, notebook, safety identification bracelet, and teddy bear. Reverberations of each child’s excitement could be felt at the Center as the children all chanted, “Get Ready! Get Safe! Get Ready! Stay Safe!”

“It is so amazing to see all these children jumping up and down because they are so excited to talk about what makes them feel safe or what they would do to stay safe in a disaster,” reflected Rachel Thompson, an MSW student and co-facilitator at the Prep Rally.

The program will continue to offer services through the Fall 2019 semester in Gadsden County to children impacted by Hurricane Michael.