Family Development Foundation

Family Development Foundation in the UK is a Family Development Centre affiliated to the IFFD and its primary role is to provide help to parents in educating their children and to promote the enrichment of their personal and marital life. The support is based on participative methodology, enhancing parents’ educational and decision-making skills regarding their children; knowledge and perfection of marital relations, revitalizing the concept of marriage and the family and preparing all the family members to become free responsible citizens. The Family Enrichment Courses are the fundamental tool used to achieve these objectives.

The courses are for all couples wishing to educate their children, to promote their personal improvement and for those who want to obtain the tools to help them achieve these goals.

The objective of the FDF courses is to make the role of parents more “professional”. By professionalism we mean fostering responsibility, freedom and love, enabling the family to perform its crucial role. In addition to men and women being trained to be better professionals, they must also be trained in parenting. The Family Development programmes provide them with the knowledge and tools to allow them to achieve greater family happiness.

The FDF courses use IFFD’s Family Method* and are structured on the basis of programmes designed in accordance with the various stages of children’s development; the marital love course includes the most important aspects in a marital relationship. They provide knowledge on the main pedagogic frameworks and the basic habits that children must learn. The courses developed in this programme are based on the case study method, a particularly participative methodology in which a small group of couples grouped in teams analyse real cases discussed at general sessions moderated by experts.

* The Family Method is based on the academic Case Study method, adapted to foster effective communications within the family and with other couples in a friendly environment.

Courses take place over 5 sessions, on a monthly basis. Every month a new Case Study is read individually, discussed by the couple, shared in a small team and finally discussed with all participants in a formal general session.

It is fundamental for the husband and wife to take over the responsibility for the educational role, and both must agree to undertake a real commitment for their personal, marital and family happiness. Only then can progress be made if a common goal is sought. This is why the attendance of both spouses is a specific requirement to take part in our courses.

The programmes are coordinated by our experts who are involved in organising the activities to train and support families. The coordinators of the courses are professionals from various sectors trained in course moderating and communication techniques and with a wide knowledge of the contents of each of the programmes. The courses are developed within the scope of a common role: we are parents training parents, families training families.

The main activity of the FDCs is aimed at family educational courses or programmes, but they also develop various other activities such as forums, congresses and conferences related to topics concerning families, collaboration in social programmes with the mass media and institutions to support families and organization of leisure and cultural activities to promote inter-generational solidarity.

Developing these courses implies certain expenses being incurred that must be paid; therefore fees are charged for the Family Enrichment Courses, as determined by each Family Development Centre, taking a large number of factors into account depending on its peculiar circumstances.