SAFE HOMES Parent Network Keeps Youth SAFE Franklin County Caring Communities and Rural Partnerships invite all parents and guardians of kids and teens to join the SAFE HOME Parent Network of Franklin County.
The Franklin County SAFE HOMES Parent Network program is based on the national SAFE HOMES substance abuse prevention program developed by parents to support parents. The program has been very successful in reducing youth alcohol and substance use in communities throughout the United States by connecting parents with resources, ideas, and other parents.
Why SAFE HOMES Parent Network?
Our youth face intense societal pressure to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Many young people want to be part of a social “party” scene that is portrayed as glamorous, normal, and a “rite of passage” to adulthood. Family is still the single most powerful influence in a child’s life, and teens tell us that when parents set expectations and enforce boundaries, it helps teens make good decisions and steer clear of dangerous situations.
Are Alcohol and Drugs Really a Problem? The good news is that underage alcohol use has actually dropped significantly between 2o01 and 2011 in Franklin County, but drugs and alcohol are still available, used by kids, and dangerous. About 1 in 5 high-schoolers started drinking before age 13. About 1 in 3 currently drink, more than 1 in 5 smoke marijuana, and 1 in 10 have used a prescription pain reliever without a prescription.
Teen brains are still developing; alcohol and other drugs negatively affect brain development, social wellbeing and academic success. As parents, let’s take a strong and visible stand and help kids make safe and healthy choices about alcohol and other drug use.
SAFE HOMES Parent Network is designed to:
- Protect the safety of youth by educating parents about the impact of adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
- Help parents establish a clear “NO USE” of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs message to their children.
- Encourage parents to openly communicate with one another about parenting concerns.
- Assist parents in establishing reasonable guidelines for their children’s behavior.
- Make parents aware of alternative activities for Franklin County youth.
- Provide a continuing support network for both Franklin County parents and youth.
SAFE HOMES Parent Network Process
- Parents complete their registration, either online or by downloading and printing and returning the SPHN Registration survey.
- Registration information is entered into the Franklin County SAFE HOMES Parent Network Directory. This directory is available online and in print to members only. (Members can choose to publish only their name and town, or even remain anonymous –name and/or contact information not published in the directory –when they register.)
- Parents use the directory information to call each other to make sure their children are supervised at each other’s homes; that families do not allow alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in their homes; and that families follow the same guidelines for youth safety when hosting other youth at their home. Parents who register will be given a password to access the online directory.
- We know that parents have real influence over their children, and that by setting a family policy around alcohol and other drug use and holding their expectations high, they can have an impact on their children’s choices. By joining with other parents for support, they can change community norms.
Are you interested in joining the Safe Home Parent Network? Contact beth@fcccp.org link to our online registration at www.surveymonkey.com/s/safehomesfc to get on board or complete the registration survey in print form and return it to:
SHPN
c/0 Franklin County Caring Communities, 67 Fairfield Street, St. Albans, VT 05478
or by fax to 802 524-3952.
Safe Homes Parent/Guardian Commitment
- I will actively supervise all gatherings of youth in our home or on our property, or ask another responsible adult for help to do so.
- I will not allow the possession of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs by youth in our home or on our property.
- I will set expectations for my children by knowing where they are going, whom they are with, what they are doing, and when they are to return home.
and
(optional)
- I will welcome phone calls or emails about activities taking place in my home and on my property.
The registration survey is attached. You may choose the level of privacy that meets your needs (that is, you can choose to list no identifying information, only your name and town but not your contact information, or your name, town, and contact information). We hope you will consider becoming a “fully transparent” member so that you and other parents can participate in the benefits of being fully networked. Your information will be shared with other network members ONLY.
Welcome to your community prevention coalition’s website.
