The Centros de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP, Center for Family Support and Parental Counseling) correspond, in the Portuguese reality of Portuguese services, to a category of services designed to support families with at-risk children and youth. However, these services tend to operate in many different ways, still without legal and technical framing. In the present article, one aims to review the CAFAP's objectives and present a Global Organization Model for these services, so they can operate as effective support resources for the activities of the courts, the child protection services and the community in the protection and promotion of families', children's and youth's well-being. With the purpose of creating common practices and methodologies, the proposed model offers a basic framework for the development of future research and evaluation efforts in regard to the efficacy of the services provided.
at-risk children; family-focused services; family intervention; community; psychological assessment; maltreatment
