Family Resources receives government funding that places specific requirements on the agency and the services we provide. All services are provided at no cost to the participants.

We are required by federal and state funding to provide Child Abuse Prevention services through evidence-based parenting curricula.

We are required to provide literacy services by Smart Start and the North Carolina Partnership for Children.

We are required to collaborate with other service providers to prevent duplication of services and to enhance availability of services for families and children.

Child Abuse Prevention:

We use the Nurturing Parenting Curriculum developed by Dr. Stephen J. Bavolek. The Nurturing Parenting Programs are a family-centered initiative designed to build nurturing parenting skills as an alternative to abusive and neglecting parenting and child-rearing practices.  The long term goals are to prevent recidivism in families receiving social services, lower the rate of multiparent teenage pregnancies, reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency and alcohol abuse, and stop the intergenerational cycle of child abuse by teaching positive parenting behaviors.

The foundation of the Nurturing Parenting Programs® is that parenting is learned. The programs are based on the following six assumptions:

• The family is a system. Involvement of all family members is essential to change the system. Parents and children in the Programs participate together in group or home-based interventions.
• Empathy is the single most desirable quality in nurturing parenting. Empathy is the ability to be aware of the needs of others and to value those needs. When empathy is high among family members, abuse is low. The two are essentially incompatible. The Programs seek to develop empathy in all family members.
• Parenting exists on a continuum. To some degree, all families experience healthy and unhealthy interactions. Building positive, healthy interactions between family members is an important key to reducing family violence.
• Learning is both cognitive and affective. To be effective, education or intervention must engage the learner on both the cognitive (knowledge) level and the affective (feeling) level.
• Children who feel good about themselves are more likely to become nurturing parents. Children who feel good about themselves are more capable of being nurturing sons and daughters and of becoming nurturing parents than children with low self-worth. A major goal of the Programs is to help both parents and children increase their self-esteem and develop positive self-concepts.
• No one truly prefers abusive interactions. Given a choice, all families would rather engage in happy, healthy interactions than abusive, problematic ones such as belittling, hitting, and shaming.

Collaborations in the community:

We collaborate with every service agency in the community in order to provide the best service, resources and information to families in the area. We also work closely with many churches, formal and informal groups and clubs and individual volunteers to help meet the needs of families and children. Below is a list of some of our collaborating partners:

• Cherokee County Government
• Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department
• Town of Murphy – Town Council, Police Department, Public Works Department
• Murphy Public Library
• Chamber of Commerce
• Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA)
• Cherokee County Health Department
• Murphy Medical Center
• Cherokee County Department of Social Services
• Cherokee County Schools
• The Learning Center Charter School
• Southwestern Child Development
• Headstart – Murphy and Andrews
• Private Child Care Providers
• Murphy Ministerial Association
• Andrews Ministerial Association
• St. Williams Catholic Church (Catholic Social Services)
• Wilscott Baptist Church
• Mt. Liberty Baptist Church
• First Baptist Church
• The Sparrow’s Nest – First Baptist Church
• Murphy Presbyterian Church
• Little Brasstown Baptist Church
• Cherokee County United Methodist Men
• Seed of Abraham, Christian Motorcycle Group
• Various other community churches
• Cherokee County Sharing Center Food Bank
• Andrews Food Bank
• Murphy First Baptist Food Bank
• Morehouse Ministries
• Riverside Ministries
• MANNA
• Samaritan’s Promise
• Murphy Housing Authority
• Andrews Housing Authority
• Four Square/HUD
• Office of Economic Opportunity
• Hinton Rural Life Center
• House raising Volunteers
• Toys for Tots
• Smart Start
• Friendship House
• Tri County Community College
• REACH, Inc.
• Meridian Behavioral Health Services
• Private Mental Health Providers
• Various volunteer groups and individuals who provide services such as:
  • Food for family emergency needs
  • Food vouchers for holiday meals at Christmas and Thanksgiving
  • Clothing for needy children at Christmas
  • Sponsorship of needy families at Christmas
  • Financial assistance for families in crisis
  • Hands-on assistance for families in crisis (ex- car repairs, home repairs)
  • Coats and blankets for families in the winter season
  • Tickets for children to attend events such as Breakfast with Santa or Breakfast with the Easter Bunny or rides at the Kids Fair
  • School Supplies
  • Diapers, wipes, diaper rash medicines, OTC medicines
  • Handmade baby quilts and blankets
  • Baby furniture and equipment
  • Children’s clothing and some adult clothing
  • Office duties to assist staff with busy times
  • Santa and Mrs. Clause (and some elves)
• Local Businesses:
  • McDonalds Week of the Young Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month
  • First Citizens Bank; Community Bank – sponsorship of Kids Fair
  • State Farm Insurance – shoes for children in need
  • McDonalds, Wendys, Sonic, Arbys – toys to hand out to children who visit with Santa at the Christmas party
  • United Grocery Outlet - diapers when the package is damaged