STAR Family Connection
- Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m.
- Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Click here to view STAR staff
contact information
What is STAR Family Connection?
Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR) is a FREE counseling program for the
families of youth ages 0-17 who are running away, truant, experiencing
family conflict or misdemeanor behavior. The program is funded by the
STAR grant from Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and
the United Way of Grayson County.
The goal of the STAR program is to reduce risk for, and prevent the
occurrence of abuse and neglect, running away, truancy, abandonment,
family conflict, and delinquent behavior by providing timely and
appropriate services to eligible children, youth and families.
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Who can participate?
Youth age 0-17 and their families, who are experiencing
family conflict, truancy, runaway, or misdemeanor behavior, qualify for
the free service. North Texas Youth Connection does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender,
religion, age, disability or ability to pay.
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How does the program help?
The STAR program provides the assistance and support high-risk
children, youth and families need to improve functioning and reduce the
risk of negative childhood and adolescent outcomes. The program
helps youth and their families:
- Builds self-esteem and confidence
- Develop strategies for school participation
- Learn how to manage anger
- Develop communication skills
- Learn consequences of behavior
- Take responsibility
- Encourage self-respect
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How does it work?
Family Counseling – Our six-week counseling program uses brief
therapy to effect change in the family and provide tools to change
behaviors. Once per week, the family attends an individual
counseling session with a licensed professional counselor. This allows
the family to experience time that is tailored to their specific needs
and focus on their strengths. Each week the youth and family set a goal
that is specific and attainable within the next week.
Parent Support – We involve the parents and guardians in our program
through a support group that meets weekly. This group focuses on
problems parents face when trying to handle a youth who is acting out.
By sharing with other group members, they get a sense that they are not
alone. The facilitator helps the group generate useful ideas that have
worked for others.
Youth Life Skills – While the parents are meeting, the youth are in
another room in our life skills group. Here, the facilitator
incorporates group activities and videos along with discussion to make
the groups more interesting and a “hands on” learning experience. Topics
such as consequences of behavior, conflict resolution, making good
decisions, alcohol/drug abuse are discussed in a peer setting.
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What happens after counseling ends?
After care and follow up is offered for continued support and
encouragement of the youth and family. Referrals to health, education,
legal, employment and other services are made available to families with
additional needs.
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What other services are available?
Crisis Intervention – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
by calling any of the phone numbers found on the website.
Temporary Shelter - available for youth
who do not have a safe place to stay. STAR Family Connection places a
high priority on keeping youth with their families and believes even
short-term separations can create barriers that are difficult to
overcome; therefore, the shelter is used only as a last resort.
Click here to visit the shelter page.
Truancy Court - staff and counselors are working with area judges
to decrease truancy problems, one youth at a time. The program offers
opportunities to explore the reasons and remedies for youth experiencing
truancy problems and provides judges an alternative to simply fining the
families who, in many cases, are already financially stretched. Youth
and families can resolve issues and learn skills needed to get the youth
back in school on a regular basis.
Universal Child Abuse Prevention Services
- through the use of community meetings, educational materials,
referrals, counseling and groups, we offer a support system to the
community at large to increase knowledge and awareness of child abuse
and to promote positive parenting.
Click here
for information including dates, time and locations.
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Does it work?
For most families, the answer is yes! Three months after services are
completed, our staff contacts each family to follow up and check on how
things are going. Over 90% of the families report that their situation has improved.
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How do I know it works?
Of the families contacted for follow up each year:
- 25% of the families enrolled in STAR are mandated for truancy.
85% successfully complete the program with 95% of these experiencing
no more truancy.
- Of the families entering the program due to family conflict, 91%
at closure reported their situation to be better.
- Non-adjudicated youth in the program experienced an 88% success
rate in having no more offenses three months after services.
- Over 80% who had been running away had not run away again.
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