The mission of the TFSN is to promote positive outcomes for all children, families, and communities by leveraging the collective impact of communities and championing quality Family Support and Strengthening practices and policies.
The vision of the TFSN is a state in which every family is thriving and every community in Texas has a strong and effective Family Support and Strengthening Network.
The Texas Family Support Network (TFSN) is the state-level member network of the National Family Support Network (NFSN). NFSN advances positive outcomes for all children, families, and communities by leveraging the collective impact of state networks and championing quality family support and strengthening practices and policies. NFSN promotes and provides the Certification Training on the nationally-adopted Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support.
Across the country, Family Support and Strengthening organizations work with families in a multi-generational, strengths-based, family-centered approach to enhance parenting skills, foster the healthy development and wellbeing of children, youth, and families, prevent child abuse, increase school readiness, connect families to resources, develop parent and community leadership, engage males and fathers, support healthy marital and couples relationships, and promote family economic success.
The TFSN was founded in 2018 by the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Division of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. The first goal of the Network was to integrate and operationalize the Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support into services for youth. The Network has developed to include 14 Family and Youth Success Program providers and a growing number of other PEI-funded programs who commit to working with the Standards. In 2022, PEI awarded funding to seven sites to implement Family Resource Centers, the most typical kind of Family Support and Strengthening programs. Beginning in 2022, leadership t of the Texas Family Support Network transitioned from PEI to the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies. With the ongoing support and partnership of PEI, The Center is expanding the use of the Standards within grantees to increase the quality supports for families across Texas. The Center will coordinate all Standards trainings, build and support a network of certified Texas trainers, represent Texas in all NFSN member meetings and events, and maintain and share resources, information, and expertise with the TFSN.
Through this partnership, The Center is excited to expand the applicability of the Standards to even more agencies serving Texas families and promote common quality practices across the different programs serving families statewide.