WHO BENEFITS FROM FAMILY READINESS?
The Family Member. Unit Family Readiness Groups (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 and referral, and share support 24/7.
The Guardsmen. FRGs provide support that communicates command caring, genuine care, and as open and honest communication as possible. This allows Guardsmen to trust in that care, which enables them to concentrate on the mission at hand, and have the emotional readiness to carry out the mission. FRGs help develop a confidence in Guardsmen that Family members will receive reliable and friendly support when they are away performing missions within the state or deployed overseas. This can be a meaningful stabilizer for a Guardsmen’s performance in the unit and an enhancer of training and psychological readiness to fight.
The Unit Commander. 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 Guardsmen and Family members, and the potential for fewer training distractors. The FRG contributes to unit cohesion and Guard readiness. A well functioning FRG can minimize Family distractors conserving a commanders’ time and resources (psychological, social, and budgetary) for military purposes by making referral to other agencies. Through prevention and education programs and Family activities, FRGs can help Families overcome problems that are likely to impact adversely on a Guardsmen’s performance.