Family Resources

“Family” refers to the bedrock, fundamental social relationships from which Marines draw strength, and cumulatively make a stronger Corps. The challenges of military life require families to be resilient like the Marines they support. The Family resource page contains information on maintaining and strengthening family relationships, from marriage and parenting to family readiness.

 

 

 

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Relocation

  • Information, Referral and Relocation
    • The Information and Referral program provides information and referral functions designed to meet the challenges of the mobile military lifestyle. Individuals with unresolved information needs are referred to the source or resource that can best address those needs. This program is the central connector between military and community resources. Information and Referral specialists maintain a database of installation, Department of Defense, community, and national resources.  The Information and Referral program oversees all relocation service functions to assist Marines and families with Permanent Change of Duty Station, both stateside and overseas and provides Settling-In Services when they arrive on a new installation.
  • Military Iinstallations.dod.mil
    • This is website if the official DoD source for installation and state resources available to active duty, guard, and reserve service members and their families.
  • Military OneSource: Moving Resource Page
    • Is it time to move again?  MilitaryOneSource has complied a resource to make your move less stressful with our tips and planning tools. Pass time by exploring information about your new locale
  • Casualty Assistance
    • The loss of a Marine is always difficult, especially for the family.  Families expect to be informed of the cause and circumstances surrounding the loss of their loved one as soon as it is known.  The Casualty Assistance Program is committed to ensuring the families of our fallen Marines are always treated with the utmost compassion, dignity, and honor.  We actively seek to improve survivor assistance and have a demonstrated record of quick, effective action.

Family Team Building Resources

  • Marine Corps Family Team Building
    • Marine Corps Family Team Building reinforces and sustains a state of personal and family readiness to provide Marines and families with tools and resources needed to successfully meet the challenges of the military lifestyle and enhance mission readiness by providing preventative education that is offered across the life cycle of a Marine.
  • MCCS Forward: DEERS
    • The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) implements DEERS and Real Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) policies for eligibility and issuance of identification cards within the Marine Corps. RAPIDS is a network of microcomputers linking the Uniformed Services Personnel Offices to the DEERS database to provide on-line update of dependent information to the DEERS database.
  • Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO)
    • Chaplain Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO) provides regionally based religious ministry designed to assist the Marine Corps community in developing the personal, relational, and spiritual resources necessary to increase the personal resilience of Marines and their families, and enhance mission readiness. CREDO was established in 1971, helping improve job performance and enhancing overall quality of life for active-duty service members and their families. There are 11 CREDO locations worldwide.
  • Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP)
    • PREP is a research-based approach to teach couples (premarital and marital) how to communicate effectively, work as a team to solve problems, manage conflicts without damaging closeness, and preserve and enhance commitment and friendship. PREP is a fresh approach based on 20 years of research in the field of marital health. PREP is delivered by qualified and appropriately PREP-trained personnel.  Contact your local MCCS to learn more about PREP.
  • Readiness and Deployment Support
    • Readiness & Deployment Support is a collection of trainings/briefs designed to educate and prepare military personnel and their families to cope with the changes and challenges of all types of deployments and family separations. Designed specifically for Marines, families and extended family members, these programs increase awareness of relevant readiness issues, while offering individual creative solutions to build a healthier family and ensure all are aware of the vast resources available to them as Marine Corps families. Additionally, briefs provide an opportunity for Marines and their families to meet the Command team members, and the Family Readiness Officer, who all provide support to Marines and Families throughout any type of deployment.
  • Family Advocacy
    • The Family Advocacy Program (FAP) is a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary resource that is designed to address child abuse and domestic abuse within the Marine Corps community through prevention, intervention, and treatment.
  • Community Counseling Program (CCP)
    • Using an integrated community health approach, the Community Counseling Program (CCP) equips Marines and families with the skills to address life’s challenges before there is significant impact to performance in their duties and relationships.  The CCP assists Marines and families in accomplishing their personal goals through short-term solution focused counseling, skill enhancement, education and referrals to other helping resources.
  • MCCS Forward:  Lifestyle Resource Page
    • The Lifestyle Resource Page of the MCCS Forward website is a comprehensive collection of articles, resources, and information about lifestyle in the Marine Corps, and more broadly as a service member in the U.S. Armed Forces.   What every Marine needs to know is that MCCS can provide every Marine and his or her family with a significant amount of assistance in making healthy life choices, and mainting an optimal state of social relationships with health and overall wellbeing, to include one-on-one counseling on a myriad of subjects.  Marines should use this resource to discover what tools they can use to improve themselves, their Marines, and familiies
  • Unit, Personal, and Family Readiness Program (UPFRP)
    • The Corps’ most valuable resource is the individual Marine and his or her family.  It is imperative to the success of the Marine Corps enterprise that Commanders advocate and promote the UPFRP by acknowledging the link that exists between personal and family readiness and operational unit readiness.  The desired outcome of the UPFRP is a ready and resilient Marine.  This is defined as a Marine whose unit, family, significant other, or any other individual associated with the Marine that the Marine depicts as a contact, are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully meet the challenges of military life.  Unit, Personal, and Family Readiness directly impacts making Marines and winning battles by building commitment, raising morale, and increasing unit readiness.
  • TriCare
    • Learn more about health care for your family at TriCare.mil.
  • RelayHealth.com
    • Contact your doctors and those for your family members directly via email using the RelayHealth.com portal.  RelayHealth is an invaluable resource for Marines and Sailors to use to contact their Health care providers directly and without delay - no waiting for working hours or waiting on hold via telephone.
  • DEERS
    • The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) implements DEERS and Real Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) policies for eligibility and issuance of identification cards within the Marine Corps. RAPIDS is a network of microcomputers linking the Uniformed Services Personnel Offices to the DEERS database to provide on-line update of dependent information to the DEERS database.
  • Military OneSource
    • Along with resources provided at the duty station, such as counselors, chaplains, and other advisors, Military OneSource can also support Service members and their families.

      Military OneSource, https://www.militaryonesource.mil/, is your connection to information, answers, and support when Marine Corps life happens. We can help you overcome challenges, reach your goals, and thrive.

      Military OneSource is a free service to Marines (active duty, veteran, wounded/ill/injured), attached sailors, family, and naval personnel supporting Marine Units. The Military OneSource Line is a confidential phone and chat support service that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

      The goal of the Military OneSource confidential support services is to help callers manage stress in all forms, ranging from relationship and career issues, to deployment and financial problems, and develop the necessary skills required to cope with the widely-varying challenges of life in the Corps.

      A few of the types of help available:

      Relationship counseling
      Non-medical counseling for stress relief
      Financial counseling
      Document translation
      Spouse scholarships, education and career benefits
      Child care options
      Permanent change of station moves

  • Suicide Prevention Program
    • Saving lives requires vigilance. Each tragic loss to suicide has far reaching impact on families, friends, and Marines left behind. At the unit level, suicide effects morale, unit cohesion, and ultimately unit effectiveness and readiness of Marines. Our prevention programs are designed to help Marines who are thinking about suicide or engaging in suicidal behavior, and those who may be at risk for suicide because of a mental disorder, or because they belong to a group with higher rates of suicide attempts or deaths.
  • Substance Abuse
    • The Substance Abuse Program utilizes evidence-based programming and practices, including prevention education, early intervention initiatives, counseling, and drug and alcohol deterent activities in order to promote overall health and mission readiness.
  • Child and Youth Programs
    • Child and Youth Programs (CYP) provide high quality child care programs and services that support eligible families.  Child Development Programs, available for children six weeks through 12 years of age, include Child Development Centers, School Age Care and Family Child Care which offer full day and part time child care and in some locations hourly child care. Youth Programs, serving children ages 6 to 18, are offered at many installation locations.  All programs are designed to enrich your child’s social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth and development. CYP Professionals work in partnership with parents to meet each individual child's needs in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment.
  • Exceptional Family Member Program
    • The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) supports the continuum of care for all eligible sponsors and their family member in order to improve the quality of life for families that support a member with special medical and/or educational needs. EFMP staff and families work together to inform, educate and empower individuals to be the best advocate for themselves and/or their family member(s).  The EFMP is a DOD-mandated enrollment program designed to support individual, family and unit readiness.
  • School Liaison Program
    • The School Liaison Program (SLP) builds community capacity by creating an installation-community network of military families, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools, commanders, installation programs and community services. The SLP supports children during transitions related to the mobile-military lifestyle by providing information and assistance to all service members and their families.
  • MilitaryOneSource:  Parenting Resource Page
    • MilitaryOneSource provides a comprehensive list of articles and information addressing all aspects of family life in the military environment, to include confidential counseling.  Learn more by visiting the site at the link provided.
  • MiltiaryOneSource:  Marriage and Family Resource Page
    • MilitaryOneSource provides a comprehensive list of articles and information addressing all aspects of parenting in the military environment, to include confidential counseling.  Learn more by visiting the site at the link provided.
  • Family Matters courses on MarineNet
    • MarineNet (CAC Protected) maintains a comprehensive list of courses that address often-encountered issues relating to the family.  These include:  Personal Financial Management (MCIZ3420GZ), Basic Pay and Allowances (MCIZ3422CZ), Conflict Management (MFZLSCCMT0), Interpersonal Communications (MFZLSCIPC0), Social Networking Safety (MFZLSCSNS0), Safe & Sound at Home (MFZLSISSH0), Building Lasting Relationships (MFZLSRBLR0), Developing Health Blended Famillies (MFZLSRDHF0), Aging Parents & Elder Care (MFZLSWAPC0), Basic Stress Management (MFZLSWBSM0), Emergency Preparedness (MFZLSWEPP0), Return and Reunion:  Parents and Extended Family (MFZRDSRPF0), Stress Management (SM11A0).

Marine Family Resources

  • Family Member Employment Assistance program
    • The Family Member Employment Assistance Program provides employment related referral services, career and skill assessments, career coaching, job search guidance, portable career opportunities, and education center referrals/guidance.  Contact your local Family Member Employment Assistance Program office to get started.
  • Military OneSource:  Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Resource Page
    • MilitaryOneSource has compiled a list of employment and education resources that are only available to military spouses at this website.
  • Volunteering  MCCS Forward Website, linking to Presidential Service Awards (PSA)
    • The Volunteer Program provides volunteer opportunities to active duty personnel, their family members, retirees, veterans and civilians to connect the installation and community volunteer resources. Across the globe Marines, Sailors and their families are giving back to the Marine Corps community.  Marines are supporting other Marines while families are supporting other families and countless volunteers are serving in the local communities representing the Marine Corps core values.
  • Life Skills Training
    • LifeSkills Training and Education promotes positive adjustment and improved individual and family functioning. It is a comprehensive collection of personal and professional skill building classes that promotes positive adjustments and improved individual and family functioning. It provides Marines and family members practical skills for successful interactions and positive outcomes at work, home, and in life.  Participants finish LifeSkills better equipped to tackle challenges with increased self-awareness and confidence. Through increased insight, participants are more likely to lend a hand to others in need, creating a mentorship atmosphere and stronger relationships. When participants gain life skills, it creates a positive and productive environment that promotes community.
  • L.I.N.K.S. Course Catalogue
    • L.I.N.K.S. is an acronym that stands for Lifestyle Insights, Networking, Knowledge, and Skills. It is an interactive acculturation program to Marine Corps life and the local installation. Participants learn about Corps history and rank, local installation resources, services, and benefits, military pay, separation and deployment, crossroad options, communication styles, investing in the community and Marine Corps traditions. Partnerships are made with several services and personnel to include career planners, chaplains, and L.I.N.K.S. mentors.

Family Discussion Guide

  • This guide is a baseline introduction of how Marine leaders can interact with juniors and begin discussions on family issues and background. The guide has common sense material that leaders can employ when counseling and mentoring junior Marines.