Police Family Support Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program
Supported by Motorola Solutions Foundation
Policing is a stressful and challenging profession, with higher physical and mental health risks than many other occupations. Family members of police officers may also experience stress due to the realities of the job: long hours of shift work away from the family, safety risks, and exposure to critical and traumatic events.
Engaging family members as active participants in enhancing officer wellness can help mitigate family, work, and personal stressors such as financial strain, relationship challenges, duty-related concerns, and poor work/life balance.
The Police Family Support Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program equips participants with tools and resources to establish and enhance family wellness and support programs within their departments.
Family Wellness Speaker Series
The Family Wellness Speaker Series are virtual presentation on the topic of family support by experts in the fields. These sessions are free on the IACPlearn Platform. If you are interested in viewing them, please register for the session package at the links below:
https://learn.theiacp.org/products/family-wellness-speaker-series#tab-product_tab_overview
Below are the summaries and speakers for each session:
Supporting Family Wellness Through Departmental Policies - Recording Available on IACPlearn
The topic for this session is creating infrastructure and departmental policies that include and support family wellness. This session will be a panel discussion where the speakers will share strategies and approaches, they have taken within their agencies. The panelists are Kimberly Jackson-Luzader, Trauma Counselor, Raleigh (NC) Police Department; Sgt. James Brack, Bellevue (WA) Police Department; and Sgt. Thomas Brengel, Illinois State Police.
Leveraging External Partnerships to Enhance Family Wellness Programs - Recording Available on IACPlearn
The speaker for this session is Caitlyn Brennan, the Chief Executive Officer of 100 Club of Illinois. The topic for this session is leveraging external partnerships to enhance family wellness programs.
Starting a Non-Profit for your Family Support and Wellness Program - Recording Available on IACPlearn
The speaker for this session is Alicia Romero, the founder of Beyond the Badge. Alicia will discuss the reasoning behind creating a family wellness non-profit, as well as the benefits and challenges, and how other agencies can replicate her efforts.
Maintaining Family Support and Wellness through Generational Shifts - Recording Available on IACPlearn
During this session, we will share strategies and approaches for maintaining family support and wellness through generational shifts, where a divide can develop between officers who are close to retirement and newer officers. Agencies should consider different generational needs as they develop their family programming. The speakers for this session are Captain Heather Massey and Police Administrative Assistant Stephanie Smith with the Liberty (MO) Police Department. They are essential members of their agency’s wellness programming who have been proactive in creating innovative approaches to increase family engagement within their agency
Integrating Families in Suicide Prevention Efforts – Recording Available on IACPlearn
The topic for this session is suicide prevention. The session will include a discussion on how agencies can integrate officer families into prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts. The speaker for this session is Dr. Edward Keane, a police psychologist with the Danbury (CT) Police Department and the co-chair of the Suicide Prevention working group for the IACP Officer Safety and Organization Wellness Section.
If you have any questions about the speaker series please email [email protected].
Individual Training and Technical Assistance
The Police Family Support Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program will equip officers, departments, and families with TTA to establish or enhance family wellness, engagement, and support programs. The objectives of this program are to:
Empower law enforcement and families to work together to manage healthy lifestyles
Create a family-centric environment in an agency
- Improve officer retention and job satisfaction
Through tools and resources facilitated by Subject Matter Experts (SME’s), agencies will learn about the importance and benefits of having positive family engagement and how it plays a crucial role in the well-being of officers and their families. Technical assistance will incorporate foundational considerations such as department policies, structure, and format. Targeted TTA will include monthly guidance and training on:
Developing a successful virtual and/or in-person family support program
Creating and maintaining an adequate program budget
Marketing strategies and techniques to engage potential members (policing professionals and their families) and key stakeholders
Navigating pitfalls and challenges when starting a program
Creating a welcoming environment for law enforcement families
The application process for the 2025 Cohort is closed.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].
Family Wellness Resources
Tools and Resources
For Agencies
- Creating an Online Support Group: Digitally Connecting Officer Families
- Emergency Preparedness Considerations Toolkit
- Executive Guide for Developing Family-Friendly Law Enforcement Policies, Procedures, and Culture
- How to Start a Law Enforcement Family Support Group: Insights and Considerations
- If You Build It, Will They Come? Creating Wellness Opportunities for Law Enforcement Families
- Law Enforcement Family Engagement Assessment Tool
- Metrics Matter: Program Tracking and Evaluation
For Officers and Families
- Emergency Preparedness Considerations Toolkit
- Employee and Family Wellness Guide
- How Law Enforcement Parents Can Talk to Their Children about Current Events
- Resilience: Keys to Helping Law Enforcement Children Thrive
- Social Media Safety for Law Enforcement Families
- Supporting Law Enforcement Families in Understanding Trauma
- Supporting Officer Safety Through Family Wellness Infographic Series
Videos and Virtual Events
- Family Wellness Speaker Series
- Law Enforcement Family Wellness During COVID-19 Webinar
- Supporting Officer Safety Through Family Wellness Video Series
Policy Papers
- Employee Mental Health and Wellness
- Family and Medical Leave
(Note: access to most Model Policies is limited to IACP members only)
Officer Resilience Training Program
Officer Safety and Wellness
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
