Family Support Groups

Family Support Groups - An organization of family members, volunteers, and soldiers/civilian employees belonging to a unit/organization that together provide an avenue of mutual support and assistance and a network of communication among the family members, the chain of command and community resources.

So, what does that mean? It means FSGs help families establish a system for receiving information, assistance solving problems, and support during times of stress. Each unit commander is responsible for developing the unit's FSG; therefore each FSG will be organized and operated differently. Some are group oriented and some more individually oriented. Some group ideas include: Family Day at the unit, briefings the family members are invited to, or spouse get-togethers. Some more individual efforts include: spouse welcome packets, newsletters, or phone trees.

The activities your FSG plans will vary on the participation and enthusiasm in your group. You could have short "briefings" once a month to pass out information, or a theme party during the month, or even just a newsletter. There are four main areas of activities that are critical tot he success of the FSG.

Outreach - You probably have families in the unit who have had no contact with the unit and have little or no experience with the military. You should contact these people and welcome them to your unit and let them know you are hear for them. Invite them to your next meeting. This would be a great time to have a welcome packet for them, filled with information about the unit, the post, and maybe a list of important phone numbers. If new to the military, invite family members to take AFTB classes.
Sponsorship - New soldiers regularly will join the unit and should be formally sponsored by a member of the unit - someone to help them become aquatinted with the area. Be sure the family members are not overlooked. Having a spouse send the new spouse a welcome letter can make all the difference. Develop a "Welcome Wagon" of sorts within your unit to introduce new spouses and family members to the community. This could just be a phone call, a letter or a visit. This is an excellent way to recruit volunteers for your family support group!
Command Letter - Your group could be a reserve unit with members scattered all over several states, and regular get-togethers are almost impossible. Regardless of where they live, everyone wants to keep informed on what is happening in the unit. A command letter might be the best way to accomplish this. Your command letter must contain official information as determined by the commander.
Telephone Tree -- A phone tree is a system through which you can quickly get information out to your group. A telephone tree can also serve as rumor control, by getting accurate information distributed quickly. A telephone tree works like this - the group leader receives information from the unit POC and then calls two or three other designated people. Those people are then responsible for calling a certain three or four others, and so on until everyone has been contacted. **Important note - the names and numbers on your phone tree list are for FSG purposes only, and not to be given out without the individual's permission first!!

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