Bethany, IDCFS expand Nurturing Parenting Program

Bethany for Children & Families and the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) are teaming up to teach more parents how to care for their children.

Bethany is expanding its Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP), which teaches healthy parenting skills as an alternative to abusive or neglectful practices. In the past, Bethany has provided NPP to parents who have an allegation or charge of abuse or neglect but still have custody of their children. The new contract with the IDCFS lets the group expand programming to parents who have had their children removed from the home and placed in foster care.

“For us to return kids to parents who haven’t been re-educated didn’t make sense,” said Bill Steinhauser, president and CEO of Bethany for Children & Families. “We worked with DCFS and explained this is a very valuable tool to develop in western Illinois.”

The curriculum is a family-centered, evidence-based and trauma-informed intervention. The programming is the same for intact families and those whose children are in foster care. Currently, 30 intact families are served at any given time. The new contract will allow 30 additional families whose children are in foster care to be served.

“The curriculum covers such topics as emotional regulation, self-care, personal and family values, developing empathy, child development and keeping kids free from drugs and alcohol,” said Wendy Walljasper, Director of Bethany’s Community Services Division.

The NPP’s long-term goals are preventing recidivism in families receiving social services, lowering the rate of multi-parent teenage pregnancies, reducing the rate of juvenile delinquency and alcohol abuse and stopping the intergenerational cycle of child abuse by teaching positive parenting behaviors.

Bethany began offering parenting programming after the Family First Act was passed in 2018. It works to improve the well-being of children and families involved in the child welfare system. Under the law, states can receive federal funding for various services, such as parenting skills education.

Click here for more on Bethany and its programming.

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