Parent support networks, the natural supports and practical ideas they provide to parents— and the possibilities they present as platforms for creating services— make these networks a vital part of the continuum of FASD intervention.
Over the past 15 years, a vibrant and important parent support/advocacy network has been established, in the U.S., Canada, and in many other countries. These have taken several forms. There are Internet mail lists and listservs, such as FAS Link (based in Canada). There are grassroots family organizations, such as the FAS Family Resource Institute (FAS*FRI) in the state of Washington, the Family Empowerment Network in Wisconsin, and the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS). There are key family advocates—individuals who are pioneers in the field of FASD— and organizations— who have worked in a variety of ways to raise community awareness, offer parent support, and mobilize FASD intervention, in many states, provinces, and countries. Indeed, there is now a national family support/advocacy organization in the U.S., called NOFAS, that is well on its way to assembling a network state affiliate family organizations.
Parents have been the source of a great deal of clinical wisdom in the field of FASD, and parents have also collaborated with professionals interested in FASD. Clinical wisdom can be found in newsletters (such as Iceberg, produced in Washington state, or FENPEN, produced in Minnesota), books (such as the Fantastic Antone series edited by Kleinfeld, and many other books), and videos (such as the series produced by Vida Communications). Family support/advocacy organizations have also created useful curricula, such as the Tools for Success juvenile justice resource guide, produced by the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Families can and do provide natural supports and practical ideas for each other. Family support organizations offer important training and intervention through community gatherings (such as those for International FASD Awareness Days), parent groups, parent retreats, family retreats and summer camps, youth social skills groups, parent mentoring, and more.
• Continue to organize and promote non-profit FASD parent support/advocacy efforts, including linking groups together to provide momentum, ideas, and opportunities to access funding. Start these support/advocacy efforts in locations where none exist.
• Link family groups with FASD training, diagnosis, and intervention efforts provided by professional organizations. The expertise of families is essential. For example, include family advocates as a member of an FASD diagnostic team, or consult ongoing with family advocacy organizations when developing or implementing FASD intervention programs.
• Systematically evaluate the impact of parent and family participation in parent support/advocacy programs (parent groups, summer camps) as a form of FASD intervention.