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What is a Family Resource Center?

A welcoming hub of supports, services, and opportunities to ensure families thrive.​

Key characteristics:

  • Reflects and is responsive to community needs and interests

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  • Designed as a place that families feel comfortable to access without stigma

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  • Typically coordinated by a non-governmental organization or school

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  • Utilizes a family-centered, multi-generational, strengths-based, community development approach

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  • Provides services at no or low cost for participants

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  • Builds communities of peer support for families to connect with each other

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Who are FRCs designed for?

  • The general population within urban, suburban, or rural areas​

  • Specific populations, such as families who are indigenous, refugees, immigrants, teen parents, or have children with special needs

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FRCs co-locate multiple services and supports in one convenient setting

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What do FRCs do?

  • Foster the healthy development and well-being of children, youth, and families

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  • Engage multiple family members important in children’s lives, such as mothers, fathers, grandparents, relatives, and other caregivers

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  • Enhance parenting skills

  • Connect families to resources

  • Reduce parental isolation and stress

  • Prevent child abuse and neglect

  • Increase school readiness

  • Support healthy marital and couples relationships

  • Promote family economic success

  • Develop parent and community leadership

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What outcomes do FRCs achieve?

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  • US$4.93 Social Return on Investment for every dollar invested. [1]​​

  • US$3.65 savings for the child protection system for every dollar invested.[2]

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  • 63% reduction of child maltreatment cases.[3]

  • 50% reduction of child removal.[4]

  • 26% lower rates of community-level child maltreatment investigations.[5]

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  • Gains in economic self sufficiency, health, social support, family functioning and resiliency, and caregiver-child nurturing and attachment.[6]

  • Increased educational achievement of children, with benefits lasting at least until age 16.[7]

Why are FRCs a good investment?

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Low
Cost
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Readily replicated
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Highly adaptable for various communities
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Demonstrated successful outcomes
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Popular with families
Family Resource Center Overviews
What is a Family Resource Center?

This document developed by the IAFSN in multiple langauges defines and describes Family Resource Centers and summarizes their value and demonstarted successful outcomes.

Family Resource Centers: Vehicles for Change

This booklet developed by the State of California explains the history, key characteristics, activities, and functions of Family Resource Centers.

Sources

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  1. Community Services Analysis LLC. (2014). Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers: Social return on investment analysis.

  2. OMNI Institute (2021). Return on Investment of a Family Resource Center to the Child Welfare System: Westminster Family Resource Center, Orange County, CA.

  3. OMNI Institute (2021). Return on Investment of a Family Resource Center to the Child Welfare System: Community Partnership Family Resource Center, Teller County, CO.

  4. Colorado State University Social Work Research Center (2018). Colorado Community Response Evaluation Findings 2014-2018.

  5. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (2018). Do Family Support Centers Reduce Maltreatment Investigations? Evidence from Allegheny County.

  6. OMNI Institute (2019). Family Pathways & CFSA 2.0 Evaluation Report

  7. Institute for Fiscal Studies (2024). The short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on educational outcomes.

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