By Sarah Sell, University Communications and Marketing
The Family Study Center at USF St. Petersburg, in collaboration with several community organizations, has secured a $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for an initiative to strengthen families and support parents facing adversity.
The five-year project is designed to reduce family stress and instability by identifying and testing the most effective strategies to strengthen parental relationships and create supportive home environments.
Led by USF psychology professor James McHale, director of the Family Study Center, the coalition includes several community organizations in Pasco and Pinellas counties specializing in assisting families with justice system involvement and families involved in child welfare investigations. Among the parents this coalition serves, the team will work directly with men and women who voluntarily participate in diversion services following reports of child abuse or neglect.
A central component of the initiative is the Within My Reach (WMR) program, an evidence-based curriculum that teaches essential adult relationship and decision-making skills. Research from the Family Study Center highlights the importance of positive family relationships as the most important factor in raising healthy children.
The effort builds on the Family Study Center’s previous HHS-funded work, through the agency’s Administration for Children and Families, which ran from 2020 to 2025.
“Our mission has always been to improve the lives of children and families. The first grant allowed us to reach over 400 families, and now we can help hundreds more,” McHale said. “It’s thrilling to know that this federal investment will let us continue making a difference for families right here in our community.”
The research showed that even during high-stress child protection cases, parents who completed the WMR program benefitted from it. Participants reported better communication, lower stress and stronger parenting skills.
The initiative is a collaboration among Family Enrichment Services, Lutheran Services Florida, People Empowering and Restoring Communities, Gulf Coast JFCS, Safe-At-Home, Family Support Services, Ready for Life, Hispanic Outreach Center, Operation New Hope, the Florida Department of Corrections, Florida HIRES and other community partners. Together, these partners ensure WMR classes are accessible to the families who need them the most.
The initial study found that 95 percent of diversion families kept their children at home six months later, demonstrating the program’s real-world impact.
Director of Family Study Center, James McHale
As part of the expanded effort, the team will continue implementing WMR, an evidence-based curriculum used within the federal Healthy Marriage and Relationship (HMRE) framework. The program is designed to strengthen individual and family well-being by promoting healthy relationship skills, effective communication and informed decision-making. Each year, the classes will reach a minimum of 120 adults that are receiving services related to child welfare, felony probation, community corrections, workforce development, domestic violence intervention and youth transitioning from foster care.
The success of the initiative depends on the strong network of local agencies that work directly with families every day. Among the most centrally involved partners is Family Enrichment Services, the project’s lead agency for delivering the WMR curriculum in the community.
Karin Neville, who oversees the agency’s Connecting Family Paths program, explained that her team works with families referred through child welfare and where safety can still be established at home. She helps parents build stability through case management and counseling.
“We’ve been just shocked at how many times people who complete the curriculum find this to be really new information,” Neville said, reflecting on how many parents have never been exposed to the fundamentals of healthy relationships and communication.
The sense of discovery is something many participants share. One of the participants in the first study, who chose to remain anonymous to protect his family’s privacy, said the WMR classes helped him understand his role as a parent and build stronger relationships with his children.
“I’ve learned more about myself and healthy relationships than I ever have in therapy,” this father said. “This class made me realize how I need to show up for my kids, and that’s the relationship I’m going to focus on.”
Such personal stories highlight how the initiative has and will continue to help families grow stronger and more connected.
The next phase of the initiative will seek to replicate and expand the successes of the prior initiative, exploring not just whether it works but why it works. In seeking to serve an even greater number of families, the initiative will work with both old and newer agency partners, add more facilitators and improve communication with families through regular emails, newsletters and event updates.
The grant includes a mandatory planning period, with full implementation set to begin in February 2026.