FRG Overview
According to the Army's Guide to Establishing Family Support Groups, FRG's are a time honored institution of people helping people. Being a member of the Army family is not very different from being a member of any family in that each day brings challenges that are best met with the support of one another. The Army life presents many opportunities and many challenges that are best shared with other family members, as they have the experience and understanding to help you get through the day.
WHAT FRGs ARE NOT:
A friendship club, or any other kind of "club"
A union for family members
A loan or social welfare agency
A taxi service
A philanthropic or entertainment group
A religious activity
A babysitting service
An answering service
The Army in their FRG Guidebook outlines the benefits FRGs present in this way:
1. For the family member: Unit FRGs foster a sense of belonging to the unit and community and provide a vehicle for families to develop friendships while they gain information about the unit and community. In addition, they provide information, referral, and share support during deployments. Through successful FRG efforts, many spouses have developed a more positive attitude toward themselves, a better understanding of why deployments are necessary and the Army mission to maintain readiness.
2. For the soldier: FRG's provide support that communicates command caring, integrity of care and, as open and honest communication as possible. This allows soldiers to trust in that care, which enables them to concentrate on the mission at hand, and have the emotional readiness to carry out that mission. FRG's help develop a confidence in soldiers that family members will receive a reliable and friendly support when the soldier is away. This can be a meaningful stabilizer for soldier performance in the unit and an enhancer of training and psychological readiness to fight.
3. For the Unit Command: FRGs and the resources they have available to them in the command structure can assist in developing resilient families that are better able to cope and function in times of separation and or crisis. A unit FRG affords increased levels of confidence, commitment, and a sense of well-being among soldiers and family members, and the potential for fewer training distracters. The FRG can contribute to unit cohesion and soldier readiness. Through prevention and education programs and family activities, FRGs can help families overcome problems that are likely to impact adversely on soldier performance. A well functioning FRG can minimize family distracters conserving the unit commanders' time and resources (psychological, social and budgetary) for military purposes.
4. For the Active Duty Installation: Through information and proactive education and prevention programs, unit FRG's can provide early identification of serious family problems and provide information and referral at an earlier stage. This can reduce the amount of trauma the family experiences and the level of demand placed on installation or community agencies. FRGs are able to supply information and referral services to family members concerning military and civilian community resources and opportunities and can foster interdependence and family member resiliency. The FRG can contribute to other Army family programs that enhance the overall quality of community life, such as sponsorship of newly arrived families to the unit, post, armory or Reserve center, outreach programs for off-post and geographically separated families, prevention of social-psychological isolation among junior enlisted families, rumor control, and support of family members experiencing undue stress during deployment.