A qualitative study of family resource centers in rural East Tennessee

This qualitative study explored the programs and services of five family resource centers (PRCs) in rural East Tennessee. The PRC concept is Tennessee's way of locating human service and education together in a collaborative effort that makes it easier for families to access the resources they need. A total of ten interviews, five with directors and five with clients, were conducted and audiotaped, using a semi-structured interview guide. The purpose was threefold: to provide a glimpse into the day-to day operations of rural PRCs; to describe the many roles of the PRC director; and to analyze the ability of these centers to meet the statewide goals for PRCs: (1) networking services and resources, and (2) giving guidance, counseling, and skill building that will assist families in working to solve chronic problems. Those centers selected for study were among the original 31 funded centers, and each had a single director who had served continuously since the center opened. The goal of this study was to gather a pool of data about a virtually unexplored subject (rural PRCs in East Tennessee) and, from it, to derive patterns and sensible constructs. The method used in this study was modified analytic induction, which involved collecting data from typical cases; analyzing the data for patterns; developing constructs, or a general working theory, to fit the data; and testing those findings continually in a looping or iterative fashion as additional data were collected. Iteration continued until no new cases appeared that demanded theory refinement, the point of theory saturation. The three major themes discussed are: (1) FRC directors as direct service providers and networkers rather than administrators; (2) clients as specialists, choosing those FRC services which best meet their needs; and (3) the concept of center as director and director as center, which emerged strongly in this study. A serendipitous finding was the use of the word "it" to refer to one's child, objectification that is characteristic of the rural Appalachian South. It was found that these FRGs are important resources in their rural communities because the directors use networking, counseling, and parenting education to give parents the resources, confidence, and skills they need to solve problems that affect the family unit. The ideology of stoicism, restraint, and pride that is typical of rural Appalachia do not make it an ideal setting for the establishment of family resource centers. However, the five centers studied have flourished during the first 2 years of operation. Their success is largely due to the directors' knowledge of the communities and the residents, and to their skills as networkers and direct service providers.