Established in 1990, The Family Learning Centre strengthens and stabilises families who are attempting to overcome difficulties. The programme offers a unique combination of clinical and therapeutic services that wrap around and ultimately strengthen the family unit: Clinical services such as individual and family counselling, therapeutic groups, home-based counselling and case management.

Educational services such as testing, assessments, tutorial and academic groups.

Activity services such as working with elders, animal care, agricultural activities, environmental clean-ups and co-operative games.

TFLC are committed to being an open door resource. If a client requires specialist services not covered by FLC programme, FLC's goal is to refer them on to an alternative source of help.

Who they serve FLC efforts are focused on families with at least one child between the ages of five and 12 who is facing emotional, behavioural or developmental difficulties. Parent/guardian participation is mandatory and the services are extended to the entire family.

How clients are referred Children and families are referred to FLC by many sources, such as schools, doctors, counsellors, friends and families. A parent meets with an intake worker to begin the process of creating an individual plan for the family. The goal of this plan is to design a combination of services that will alleviate the crisis and strengthen the family.

Affordable services FLC is committed to ensuring services are affordable for any family requiring them. It believes families should participate in covering the cost of quality care at a rate that they can afford. The fees for individual services are set at reasonable rates and subsidies are available on request.

How it is funded FLC believes in the importance of maintaining diversified funding streams and are continuing to develop new initiatives to achieve this goal. Corporate donations are currently its largest source of funding. Special events such as our annual Cup Match Tag Day and the Children's Walk-a-thon, help to raise funds and involve the broader community. Additional revenue can also be received from insurance reimbursements for clinical services. Funding arrangements with Government are expected to be an increasing source of revenue in the coming years, as is financial support from international foundations that support children, family perservation and research.

Commitment to quality care FLC is staffed by highly trained professionals and is involved in a continuous quality review achieved on a daily basis through clinical supervision by a Clinical Director. Formal staff training is ongoing and mandatory and the Centre is preparing for internationally recognised accreditation to increase accountability and demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards.

Demonstrating effectiveness Each year the FLC works with hundreds of individuals struggling with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Its commitment to each family is total; their individual programme only comes to an end when the family members demonstrate their ability to move forward independently. All programme outcomes are evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Working in partnership The FLC works with other child service agencies. It is a founding member of the Inter-Agency Committee which coordinates services to ensure that these are targeted effectively to meet community need. It also offers support to angencies seeking to develop higher standards of care.

Achieving lasting solutions Because its programme is so comprehensive, the solutions provided are long-lasting, both for the families served and the community as a whole. By investing in the FLC, you are helping to make a difference to the lives of children today and contributing to the health and vitality of Bermuda's community for generations to come.