About the FRP Participants' Voices project:
The Participants' Voices project has brought the voices of Family Resource Program (FRP) participants to the evaluation table. The project goal was to create an evaluation tool based on what users say is valuable about their programs, and to make the tool available to FRPs across Canada.
From September 2002, until Spring 2004 we talked to a diverse sample of over 200 parents, caregivers, and grandparents attending FRPs across the country. The FRP Participants' Voices project has worked closely with a local Steering Committee and a National Advisory Panel, including representatives from MAFRP, OAFRP, FRP Canada, parents, and practitioners from the different regions across Canada. This consultation has ensured that both the project's activities and the evaluation tool reflect the principles of family support, and are relevant to FRPs across Canada.
Excerpts from the report:
The everyday experiences of participating in FRPs reveal cascading levels of engagement, leading to multiple outcomes of value and significance. It is through these experiences, captured in the stories and dialogues voiced by participants, that we come to understand the essence of Family Resource Programs. These stories provide us with an appreciation of the far-reaching outcomes of this inclusive, community-based model of services for children and families.
Over 200 interviews (group and individual) were completed for this study. The interviews were conducted in a manner that closely corresponds to principles of narrative analysis….
The focus groups provide an opportunity for divergent interpretations and experiences to be shared in a group setting. The passages that we present demonstrate the struggles of some participants, particularly in relation to the social differences of class, gender, language, sexual orientation, and age.
Our hope is that as you read these stories you will be able to link these experiences with your own, either as a practitioner or as a participant or as both. This collection of stories provides a "reflective lens", which both suggests and affirms the practices and outcomes most valued by participants.