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- What are Family Impact Seminars?
- History of Local Family Impact Seminars in Wisconsin
- Importance of a Family Perspective in Policymaking
What are Family Impact Seminars?
Family Impact Seminars are educational programs designed to provide state-of-the-art research on current family issues. The half-day seminars include 3 to 4 presentations on current research, social programs, or policy options from across the political spectrum. A participant discussion period usually follows the presentations.An accompanying briefing report provides an easy-to-understand synthesis of the presentations and additional resources on the specified topic. Participants are invited by letter, and target local policymakers such as city council members, county board supervisors and department heads, state legislators or their assistants, school board members, law enforcement officials, human services providers, judiciary members, religious leaders, educators, and business leaders. Invitations may vary by the seminar topic.
Family Impact Seminars are unique in a couple of ways. Rather than analyzing issues from an individual perspective, Family Impact Seminars aim to analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families. The seminars do not lobby for particular policies but provide, objective, nonpartisan information on current issues.
Local Family Impact Seminars in Wisconsin are coordinated by county UW-Extension family living faculty with the help of local advisory committees and state Extension specialists.
Seminar Goals:
- Inform Policymakers — Expose local policymakers to objective, nonpartisan and research-based information on current family issues.
- Foster a Family Perspective in Policymaking— Encourage policymakers to consider family well-being when making policy and program decisions.
- Improve Communication — Facilitate communication of policy options among local policymakers, community-based organizations, and family professionals.
- Encourage Networking— Establish linkages among policymakers, family professionals, and UW-Extension educators that will provide a foundation for continuing dialogue, policy analysis, and policy change.
- Promote Continuity— Provide a forum for continuing discussion and action regarding family issues.
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History
of Local Family Impact Seminars in Wisconsin
The local seminars are based on successful national and state models.
The concept of family-oriented education for policymakers originated with
the Family Impact Seminar (FIS), founded in 1976. FIS was an independent,
nonpartisan policy institute headquartered in Washington, DC. More
than forty seminars have been held for federal policymakers. In 1999,
the federal FIS changed administration and location. It is now called
the Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars, and is located in Madison,
Wisconsin under the direction of Dr. Karen Bogenschneider, UW-Extension
Family Policy Specialist and UW-Madison Associate Professor of Child and
Family Studies.
Because a number of policies that impact families are established at the state level of government, the federal FIS model has been extended to several states, including Wisconsin. Since March 1993, Wisconsin State Family Impact Seminars have been held on topics as varied as child support, welfare reform, single parenthood, juvenile crime prevention, and long-term care.
A groundswell of interest from Extension Family Living Educators interested
in teaching public policy prompted the expansion of seminars to the county
level. Between 1995 and 2000, 19 seminars were implemented in ten counties.
In 1998, UW-Extension Family Living Programs hired a Local Family Impact
Seminar (LFIS) coordinator to provide state-level support to counties implementing
the seminars. [This position ended in July 2000]. Roberta Riportella-Muller,
Health Policy Specialist, provides state specialist support for the local
seminars.
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Importance
of a Family Perspective in Policymaking
One of the best ways to help individuals is to strengthen their families.
The family is said to be the most powerful, humane, and economical system
for building competenece and character in children and adults. Yet, policymaking
often focuses on individuals without assessing the impact on the wellbeing
of families. For example, policies and programs usually focus on the specific
needs of children, youth, the elderly, or the poor with little or no attention
to the families in which these individuals live.
However, there is evidence that policies may be more successful if we put families first. For example, early childhood intervention programs have resulted in significant, long-lasting and positive results in childrens' school success, employment, and self-sufficiency. The long-term success of these programs is due, not only to the high quality of the preschool component, but also because the program enables parents to function better.
An essential first step in bringing a family perspective to policy-making is asking the right questions. For a usful tool to help you assess the intended and unintended consquences a policy or program may have on family stability, family relationships, and family responsibilities, CLICK HERE.
Source: Bogenschneider, Karen. March 1993. "Building
Policies that Put Families First: A Wisconsin Perspective." Wisconsin Family
Impact Seminars Briefing Report.
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