Family Hui
About This Program
Target Population: Parents of children birth to five years old
For parents/caregivers of children ages: 0 – 5
Program Overview
Family Hui is a peer-led, trauma-informed positive parenting program for parents with at least one child from birth to five years old. The program is designed to build a community of support among parents. The primary content of the program is conveyed through an initial 12-week period of weekly meetings, and participants are encouraged to continue their hui relationships thereafter (i.e., through joint activities among some or all participants). The program is built around the five protective factors identified by Strengthening Families as well as responding to potential impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Program Goals
The goals of Family Hui are:
- Understand the impact of trauma on their lives
- Understand how their trauma might be affecting their parenting
- Develop resiliency in themselves and their children
- Understand various stages of child development and how that affects approaches to parenting
- Understand basic parenting skills and how that contributes to providing a safe, nurturing environment for their children
- Learn how to connect with other programs and resources which can assist you
- Decrease the likelihood of abusing or neglecting their children
- Become leaders in their families and communities
Logic Model
The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Family Hui.
Essential Components
The essential components of Family Hui include:
- Family Hui establishes hui (groups) comprised of 6-10 families who meet initially for 12 weeks to cover basic trauma-informed positive parenting concepts and skills.
- Each hui is peer-led.
- Family Hui staff and program partners identify two parents who might serve effectively as group leaders for each hui, and then Family Hui trains the parent leaders on how to facilitate their group.
- Training for group leaders is comprised of two sessions totaling six hours; each group leader receives a training manual which outlines the skills needed as a group leader, their primary goals, the topics and the agenda for each weekly session.
- Each participant family in the hui receives a participant notebook.
- The two group leaders guide participants through the initial 12-week curriculum, and are supported by Family Hui staff to make sure each hui operates and functions in keeping with Family Hui principles.
- Hui typically meet in community centers, libraries, or homes, depending on the group.
- Each of the initial 12 meetings is designed to be about 1.5 hours in duration.
- Family Hui staff uses tools such as mSurvey (a mobile phone based survey tool to convey messages and obtain feedback) to track progress and receive regular feedback from group leaders.
- Family Hui staff oversees the collection of preparticipation and postparticipation surveys completed by each participant.
- Family Hui delivers a curriculum that helps participants identify personal trauma (and strengths) and focuses on breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse.
- The Family Hui framework encourages healthy relationships and community engagement that extends beyond the initial program.
Program Delivery
Parent/Caregiver Services
Family Hui directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:
- Multitude of challenges which parents of young children might face: own past trauma; own childhood experiences; poor approach to parenting; and lack of knowledge about nutrition, discipline, appropriate response to various stages of development, safety, media, and school readiness
Services Involve Family/Support Structures:
This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: As part of a hui, participants are encouraged to engage other caregivers using the information and skills obtained in the program. The Family Hui program also helps participants understand what agencies and resources are available to them in their community to provide additional supports as needed.
Recommended Intensity:
1.5- to 2-hour group session once a week
Recommended Duration:
The program begins with 12 weekly group sessions, after which hui participants decide how and what frequency they will stay connected. The program staff connects with hui group leaders regularly during the initial 12-week period, and intermittently thereafter.
Delivery Settings
This program is typically conducted in a(n):
- Birth Family Home
- Community Daily Living Setting
- Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
- School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)
Homework
Family Hui includes a homework component:
Moments of Empathy and Engagement are suggestions for real life applications of the information learned in each chapter of the curriculum and are expected to be practiced at home.
Languages
Family Hui has materials available in languages other than English:
Farsi, Spanish
For information on which materials are available in these languages, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).
Resources Needed to Run Program
The typical resources for implementing the program are:
- Space meet and for childcare
- An open heart
Manuals and Training
Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications
Family Hui staff ensures that group leaders are sufficiently trained and qualified to lead a hui. Education levels varying depending on the community being served. Family Hui staff has expertise and professional backgrounds in education, community engagement, capacity building, leadership, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. Staff is always available to support the providers.
Manual Information
There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.
Program Manual(s)
For more information, contact Lucy Morse Roberts at lroberts@familyhui.org.
Training Information
There is training available for this program.
Training Contact:
- Greg Bourne, MS
gbourne@lead4tomorrow.org
phone: (916) 214-5481
Training Type/Location:
The program is only implemented by Family Hui staff or group leaders that have successfully completed training by Family Hui staff.
Number of days/hours:
Six hours of total training, typically divided into two three-hour sessions
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research
The following studies were not included in rating Family Hui on the Scientific Rating Scale...
Zhuang, W., Yonehiro, J. N., Roberts, L. M., Lopez, M., & Munakata, Y. (2023). It takes a Hui: Evaluating outcomes of Family Hui, a peer-led parenting program. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 2309–2321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02580-6
The purpose of the pretest-posttest study with a nonequivalent control group study was to evaluate Lead4Tomorrow’s Family Hui 12-week program, a peer-led parenting program, before and after the addition of ACEs and resilience materials. Parents participated in one of two versions of Family Hui programming: The pre-ACEs version of the program, [the original curriculum (original Family Hui)], or the ACEs version of the program, the Bloom curriculum. Measures utilized include study-developed measures that assessed feelings of connection, confidence, skills as a parent, as well as parent engagement in specific parenting activities with their child or community. Results indicate that in post-participation ratings of program participants, parents who completed the Bloom curriculum program that included ACEs and resilience materials reported overall better learning outcomes and program ratings than those who completed the original Family Hui program before these materials were added. Importantly, non-English speaking parents (those who were administered the Farsi or Spanish versions of the curriculum) benefited as much as, if not more, than English-speaking parents. Limitations include lack of direct comparison group for each of the two Hui programs, use of non-validated measures, and lack of follow-up. Note: This research article was not used for reviewing Family Hui due to lack of valid measures.
Additional References
Ternus-Bellamy, A. (2015, January 22). Family Hui comes to Yolo County. Enterprise. https://www.davisenterprise.com/archives/family-hui-comes-to-yolo-county/article_799ca43f-aa87-591a-9e3e-0c4734bbae02.html
Ternus-Bellamy, A. (2016, September 9). Family Hui becomes key local tool in fighting cycle of abuse. Enterprise. https://www.davisenterprise.com/features/family-hui-becomes-key-local-tool-in-fighting-cycle-of-abuse/article_ae4a89eb-7621-5d21-aa85-6a2cadab1a37.html
Udesky, L. (2021, January 26). Family Hui parenting groups highlight ACEs science, love and empowerment. PACEs Connection. https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/family-hui-parenting-groups-highlight-aces-science-love-and-empowerment
Contact Information
- Greg Bourne, MS
- Title: Executive Director
- Agency/Affiliation: Lead4Tomorrow
- Website: www.familyhui.org
- Email: gbourne@lead4tomorrow.org
- Phone: (916) 214-5481
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: July 2023
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: February 2022
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: October 2018
