Families and Schools Together (FAST) is a schools-based intervention for families with a primary school-aged child. Parents and children attend eight weekly, after-school sessions delivered a trained, multi-agency team of educators, members of the community and parents. During these sessions, parents and children participate together in activities aimed at strengthening family relationships, promoting positive child behaviour, and improving children’s academic success.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
5 to 9 years old
Primary school
Families and Schools Together (FAST) is an after-school curriculum designed to reduce the risks to children’s development associated with community disadvantage. The offer is universal in primary schools – so is open to all families regardless of the parent and child characteristics and participation is voluntary.
FAST consists of eight weekly sessions, each lasting 2.5 hours. The initial FAST weekly sessions are led by a trained, multi-agency team of professionals from health, education, and social care, with parents from the participating school as partners. The team must be culturally representative of the families being served in the groups.
Families recruited into FAST meet in groups of up to ten called ‘hubs’. Each hub meets separately and engages in activities aimed at building stronger relationships between the parent and child, the parents as a couple (if couples attend), families and the school and families and the community. Family learning is promoted through ‘table-based coaching’ whereby practitioners pass all instructions for children and other family members through the parent.
Each session is structured by the following six elements:
1. A meal shared as a family unit
2. Family communication games played at a family table
3. Peer time for couples or buddies
4. A self-help parent group
5. One-to-one parent–child time
6. A fixed family hamper that allows every family to win once.
After the eight weekly sessions, the families who have participated in six sessions or more attend a graduation ceremony.
Parents are partners at every level of the FAST intervention – planning, training, and implementation and post-graduation – and are supported to set their own agenda for multi-family group meetings, called FASTWORKS. The ongoing meetings sustain the relationships which have been built during the eight weekly sessions.
With team support, parents design the FASTWORKS agenda to maintain FAST family networks and identify community development goals. All FAST models include FASTWORKS as a voluntary component.
Children attending primary school, aged 4 to 10 years old.
Schools in disadvantaged communities
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Children growing up in disadvantaged communities are at greater risk of poor school engagement and behavioural problems as they develop.
Science-based assumption
Strong relationships between the parent and child, family and school, and school and community can protect children from the risks associated with community disadvantage.
Science-based assumption
Schools are well placed to strengthen positive relationships between children and parents, parents and schools, and schools and communities.
Intervention
Children and parents attend 8 weekly after-school sessions.
At these sessions, parents and children engage in activities aimed at promoting:
Parent–child communication
Positive relationships between parents
Improved engagement between parents and the school
Improved parental engagement with the community.
Short-term
The parent–child relationship is strengthened
Parents and children experience greater self-efficacy
Parents and children feel more connected to their schools.
Medium-term
Children feel better about themselves as a learner
Children are more likely to feel positively about their schools and community
Children engage more positively with others at school
Children’s behaviour improves.
Long-term
Children are more likely to achieve academic success at school
Children are at less risk of behavioural problems when they grow older.
Parents with a child aged 4 to 10 years old.
FAST is delivered in eight sessions of 2.5 hours’ duration each by a trained, multi-agency team of professionals from education, community, and parents from the school as partners, to groups of children after school.
A series of structured family activities take place to promote positive communication, listening skills, turn-taking, community-building, meal-sharing, and relationship-building.
Family learning is promoted through ‘table-based coaching’ whereby practitioners pass all instructions for children and other family members through the parent.
Each session is structured by the following six elements:
1. A meal shared as a family unit
2. Family communication games played at a family table
3. Peer time for couples or buddies
4. A self-help parent group
5. One-to-one parent–child time
6. A fixed family hamper that allows every family to win once.
FAST is delivered by a trained, multi-agency team of school staff, community partners, at least two parents with a child attending the school. The team must be culturally representative of the families being served by the intervention.
The practitioners have 25 hours of intervention training each. Booster training of practitioners is not required.
FAST facilitators are trained to coach and support parents through each activity.
It is recommended that practitioners are supervised by one host-agency supervisor with 77 hours of programme training.
Email address: answers@familiesandschools.org
Website: www.familiesandschools.org
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
FAST’s most rigorous evidence comes from two RCTs consistence with Foundations’ Level 2+ evidence strength criteria. One of these studies was conducted in the United States and the other was conducted in the UK.
The US study identified statistically significant improvements in teacher ratings of FAST children’s academic performance compared to children not receiving the intervention, two years after FAST was completed.
The UK study did not observe improvements in FAST children’s academic performance. However, improvements in FAST children’s behaviour were reported by teachers immediately after the intervention had concluded.
Level 2+ evidence means that FAST has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the intervention caused the improvement.
| Identified in search | 7 |
| Studies reviewed | 2 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 2 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 0 |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | United States |
| Sample characteristics | 473 children and their families from urban schools in the vicinity of Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities |
|
| Population risk factors | Two-thirds of the families were living below the poverty line. 58% of the children scored at or about the clinical threshold for behaviour problems |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes |
|
| Other outcomes | Post-intervention Increased parental engagement in school (Parent report) Two-year follow-up Reduced social support (Parent report) |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Moberg, D. P., McDonald, L., Posner, J. K., Burke, M. L. & Brown, R. L. (2007) Randomized trial of Families and Schools Together (FAST): Final report on NIDA Grant R01-10067. |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | 7,207 children between 5 and 7 years old attending 158 state schools in England. |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | Not reported |
| Population risk factors | Schools on the basis of 20% of pupils or more being eligible for free school meals |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes | Post-intervention
Year 2 follow-up
|
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Lord, P., Styles, B., Morrison, J., White, R., Andrade, J., Bamford, S., Lushey, C., Lucas, M. & Smith R. (2018) Families and Schools Together (FAST) Evaluation report and executive summary. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Crozier, M., Rokutani, L., Russett, J. L., Godwin, E. & Banks, G. E. (2010) A multisite program evaluation of families and schools together (FAST): Continued evidence of a successful multifamily community-based prevention program. School Community Journal. 20 (1), 187–207. This reference refers to a pre-post study, conducted in the USA.
Knox, L., Guerra, N. G., Williams, K. R. & Toro, R. (2011) Preventing children’s aggression in immigrant Latino families: A mixed methods evaluation of the Families and Schools Together program. American Journal of Community Psychology. 48 (1–2), 65–76. This reference refers to a randomised control trial, conducted in the USA.
Kratochwill, T. R., McDonald, L., Levin, J. R., Scalia, P. A. & Coover, G. (2009) Families and schools together: An experimental study of multi-family support groups for children at risk. Journal of School Psychology. 47 (4), 245–265. This reference refers to a quasi-experimental design, conducted in the USA.
Kratochwill, T. R., McDonald, L., Levin, J. R., Bear-Tibbetts, H. Y. & Demaray M. K. (2004) Families and schools together: An experimental analysis of a parent-mediated multi-family group program for American Indian children. Journal of School Psychology. 42 (5), 359–383. This reference refers to a randomised control trial, conducted in the USA.
McDonald, L. & Fitzroy, S. (2010) Families and Schools Together (FAST): Aggregate FASTUK evaluation report of 15 schools in 15 local education authorities (LEAs) across the UK.
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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