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Family Support Coordinator Offers Support to Collaboratives

Family Connection collaboratives now have help in conducting assessments related to family support and family engagement, in analyzing barriers, and identifying critical success factors. Collaboratives also can receive assistance developing, implementing and evaluating a family engagement plan that's relevant to its strategic plan for improving results for children, families and communities.

Lakieshia S. Jones, Family Support coordinator at Family Connection partnership, provides and arranges for technical assistance, support and training to promote family engagement and the practice of family support principles with Family Connection collaboratives and state partners.

Ms. Jones brings to the position professional experience that consists of work in the state government and nonprofit sectors in foster care and adoptions in Florida and Georgia. She also has experience in facilitating parenting groups, providing training to foster parents and adoptive parents, and in providing technical assistance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a contractor.

A member of Family Support America and National Association for Social Workers, Ms. Jones earned a master of science in family support studies from Nova Southeastern University in 2003. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in social work from Tuskegee University in 2000. Ms. Jones is pursuing a Ph.D from Walden University in the area of family studies and intervention strategies.

"Upon my completion of my doctoral studies, which I anticipate will be December 2007," said Ms. Jones, "I would like to continue to contribute to focus on families and communities with goals of continuous contribution to social change for communities."

Born in Zweibrucken, Germany, Ms. Jones, whose father served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, was raised in Germany, Texas, North Carolina, and Alabama. She is married with one child, age 5.