Marines planning overhaul of family services programs

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Marines planning overhaul of family services programs
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, February 12, 2008

IWAKUNI MARINE CORPS AIR STATION, Japan — The Marine Corps said last week it hopes a retooling and major funding hike over the next two years will patch its struggling family services programs.

Recent surveys show many Marines and their families have lost faith that the Corps can support their needs, military and civilian officials with the Marine Corps Family Team Building program said during a visit here Thursday.

The Family Team Building programs were designed to help families connect with their communities and better transition during difficult periods such as changes of station, deployments and even deaths. But family services have suffered in recent years from a lack of funding, insufficient personnel, inconsistency and generation gaps, the Marine Corps found after an analysis and a survey of 9,000 servicemembers and their families.

After two years of work, the Corps said it has a new approach and an increase from $5 million to $40 million in annual funding for the Marine family programs around the world.

The changes will mean full-time family readiness program directors at each Marine Corps base, a new standardized structure and an electronic data and communications system to serve families.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52399