Family Development Credential

The History of Family Development Credential

What is FDC?

The FDC program is a professional development course and credentialing program established in 1996 at Cornell University for family workers.  In 2010, Temple University Harrisburg became the national coordinator for FDC.  The FDC curriculum provides workers with the skills and competencies needed to empower families to attain a healthy self reliance and involvement with their communities. Workers learn and practice strength based skills to use when working with people of all ages, situations, and backgrounds.  

To earn the nationally recognized and respected FDC credential, a worker must

• Successfully complete 90 hours of classroom activities and portfolio advisement based on the Empowerment Skills for Family Workers curriculum;
• prepare a Skills Portfolio with the support of a portfolio advisor; and
• pass a state credentialing exam
• College credit is also available

Why is the FDC necessary?

For too long, services have been available only when a family is in crisis or about to disintegrate. Public interventions have focused on "rescuing and fixing" families rather than helping families develop their capacity to solve problems and achieve long-lasting self-reliance.

Now on both state and national levels, families, service providers and policy makers are joining together to reorient the way services are delivered toward a more family-focused and strengths-based approach.

The FDC is critical to achieving this goal, because it can ensure that Family Workers across all systems are using the same highly effective approach to helping families. The FDC will provide all state and local agencies with accessible, high quality training resources.

Who is the FDC training for?                            

FDC provides Family Workers with the skills and competencies they need to empower families to attain a healthy self reliance and interdependence with their communities. The interagency training and credentialing program is available to Family Workers from a wide range of government, private, non-profit and educational agencies and institutions such as: family support staff, home visitors, social welfare and community actions workers, nurses, probations officers, teachers, Head Start family workers, office for aging staff, youth workers, child care workers, police offices, community health, child protective services workers, and program volunteers. 

About the FDC Course

·       Interactive instruction and portfolio advisement, based on the text, Empowerment Skills for Family Workers, a strengths-based family support curriculum developed by Cornell University.

·       Classes offered by community-based instructors trained and supported by the PA FDC system.

·       An experiential and supportive adult learning environment that promotes discussion and reflection.

·       Development of a Skills Portfolio documenting knowledge and skills with guidance of a trained portfolio advisor.

FDC Instructors

In Pennsylvania, FDC courses are offered through interagency partnerships by community based instructors and portfolio advisors who are trained by the Cornell affiliate:  the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania.  

Locally the Union-Snyder Integrated family Services Council serves in an advisory capacity.  The certified instructors for 2010 are the Union-Snyder CAA Assistant Director, Family Literacy Director, and Parent Education Coordinator, and the Snyder County Children and Youth Program Specialist. They have diverse backgrounds to present effective classroom facilitation. 

What Happens When Agencies use Family Development Principles?

1.    Families develop a partnership with a family development worker.

2.    A family development worker helps each family assess its needs and strengths-an ongoing process.

3.    Each family sets its own major goal and smaller goals working toward the major goal and identifies ideas for reaching them.

4.    The family development worker helps the family make a written plan for pursuing goals with some tasks being the responsibility of the family member and some of the worker’s.

5.    The family learns and practices skills needed to become self-reliant.

6.    The family uses services as stepping stones to reach their goals.

7.    The family’s sense of responsibility is restored. The family (and each individual within the family) is strengthened by the family development process so they are better able to handle future challenges.

Session Schedule and Cost

Classes will begin in fall 2010 and end in late spring 2011. Dates and schedule will be announced in summer 2010. The cost for participation will be at a reduced rate of $500, which includes the FDC certification fee. College credit is also available at an additional fee.

How to apply to the Family Development Credential Training Program at Union-Snyder CAA.

  Union-Snyder CAA
  Family Development Credential
  Jeanne Trego
  713 Bridge Street, Suite 10
  Selinsgrove, PA 17870
  Phone: 570-374-0181
                1-877-497-1257
  FAX: 570-374-2330
  Email: jtrego@union-snydercaa.org  

Additional information can be found on the FDC-PA website at www.fdc-pa.org.

Select the MS Word format if you are going to be submitting a typed document using MS Word.
Activities to Extend Learning Form (doc)
Skills Practice Plan (doc)
Skills Practice Reflection (doc)

Select the PDF format if you are going to be submitting a handwritten form.
Activities to Extend Learning Form (pdf)
Skills Practice Plan (pdf)
Skills Practice Reflection (pdf)