A Family Empowerment Intervention for families of juvenile offenders

This paper presents a summary of the Family Empowerment Intervention (FEI), a family systems intervention delivered in the home by well-trained, nontherapists. The effectiveness of this service-based intervention is being evaluated in a randomized trial of 720 families of juvenile offenders in Tampa, Florida. Beside the intensive intervention period of three weekly family visits over 10 weeks, FEI includes monthly phone contact and a standardized protocol for further interventions being delivered by telephone or at home, plus an extensive service linkage component. We discuss the theoretical framework of this intervention, its goals, stages, and phases of implementation. Staff selection, training, and supervision are addressed, as well as are crisis intervention and staff safety issues.