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Realities of Foreign Service Life Vol. 1

Realities of Foreign Service Life Vol. 2

Realities of Foreign Service Life, Volumes 1 and 2: Writers from the Foreign Service community share their first-hand experiences and insights through essays on Foreign Service life. A great gift for newcomers or veterans of the Foreign Service and especially useful for anyone considering a Foreign Service career! Read more about Realities of Foreign Service Life here and order your copy!

 

State Department Resources for Foreign Service Families

About the Family Liaison Office (FLO)

Official Website: http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/
Contact FLO at flo@state.gov.

The Family Liaison Office was created in 1978 as a part of Management in the Department of State with the mandate of responding to the needs of Foreign Service families as they try to cope with the disruptions caused by a mobile lifestyle and service abroad. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 reiterated the importance of quality of life issues and specified the creation of a program on family member employment. Read more about this history of FLO here.

Today FLO and its 150 Community Liaison Offices (CLOs) at embassies and consulates abroad serve over 35,000 employees and family members representing over 50 agencies. In Washington, FLO advocates on behalf of Foreign Service employees and families. 

Members of the U.S. Foreign Service community may receive updated information from FLO in the form of email newsletters by signing up on this page: Request FLO Newsletters.

The Director of the Family Liaison Office reports to the Director General of the Foreign Service. To view more information about the FLO and its staff, please visit the official FLO page at the Department of State website. Major program areas are described below.

Support Services

The Family Liaison Office Support Services Officer provides information and counsel to Foreign Service employees and family members on personal and community crisis. The Support Services Officer also provides guidance and assistance to Community Liaison Office Coordinators at embassies and consulates abroad. Click for more information.

Education of Dependent Children

In an atmosphere of constantly changing cultures, uneven quality of schools abroad, and scarcity of educational facilities for special-needs children, a priority of the Family Liaison Office is the educational and emotional development of children from mobile families. FLO provides resources, counsels on appropriate schooling, and encourages support networks. It provides a "flow of care" for teenagers to assist them with issues of mobility and reentry. Click for more information.

Family Member Employment

Like American families everywhere, many in the Foreign Service are two-income families. The work skills of family members can be used cost effectively by the Mission, and some dependents find employment on the economy of the host country. To increase opportunities for family member employment, FLO facilitates negotiation of bilateral work agreements, coordinates functional training for spouses, proposes regulatory revisions, and provides information. 

The Employment Program Coordinator and the Employment Specialist counsel individual spouses on overseas and Washington area employment issues. FLO's centralized Family Member Skills Bank is currently under program revision and will be opened under the new name Resumé Connection. Click for more information.

Crisis Management

Coping with personal and community crisis in the face of unique challenges associated with service overseas requires a strong support system. FLO works with other agencies and offices to help all who serve at embassies and consulates. FLO helps with contingency planning and emergency operations and advocates within the Department of State on behalf of families.

Foreign Service employees and family members experiencing a personal crisis receive counseling and assistance in understanding their rights. As inequities in regulations are encountered, FLO advocates for change.

Community Liaison Office Program

The commitment of the Department of State to the well-being of the personnel and their families is manifested in its support of Community Liaison Office Coordinators at overseas posts. The CLO works with community members to maintain high morale through orientation activities, cultural and recreational programs, dissemination of information, counseling and referral, and assistance with security, education, and employment for family members. FLO manages the program worldwide, providing training, program and staffing guidance, resources, and advocacy. Click for more information.

M/DGHRFLO Resources

Many of these publications are downloadable from the Family Liaison Office web site.