Global Perspectives on Family Life Education by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783319775890
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Challenges to Implementation

While a growing and promising field, family life education still faces a number of challenges to widespread recognition, understanding, and value. Obstacles include the diversity of settings in which FLE takes place due to the broad range of issues addressed, lack of identity as a discipline, unstable funding of FLE programs, and a perceived stigma regarding pursuing help for personal issues (Darling & Cassidy, 2014).

The variety of employment settings, coupled with the fact that family life educators practice under a wide range of job titles (e.g., Military Family Support, parent educator, marriage educator, substance abuse prevention coordinator, prevention specialist, family advocate, family resource director, early childhood resource specialist, family outreach specialist), can make it difficult to narrow down the employment settings in which to promote family life educators as qualified providers. Additionally, the lack of a consistent discipline name interferes with employer recognition. The director of a family resource center may be unaware of the existence and relevancy of a Family Science degree as appropriate preparation for their employees. Efforts to unify the family discipline under the title of Family Science, along with better efforts to prepare family life educators to effectively promote themselves as appropriate and qualified to serve families, will help to move the field forward.

As reflected in the NCFR FLE job analysis (SMT, 2014), the lack of consistent funding sources for FLE programs contributes to difficulty in achieving widespread consumption. Services provided through government-funded programs may more likely target at-risk populations or focus on providing intervention efforts. Health insurance providers do not currently include funding for FLE services although there are efforts underway to cover preventive services that demonstrated to reduce the incidence of and repercussions from adverse childhood experiences (Cassidy, 2017). And despite a preventative, educational, and strength-based approach, many people are hesitant to pursue family life education services for fear that seeking such assistance may be seen as admitting weakness or a lack of ability. Efforts to normalize the pursuit of FLE services can increase the belief that everyone needs information regarding how to be a good parent and have healthy and successful relationships and overall positive well-being.

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