Going it Alone
AAFSW's Guide for Unaccompanied Family Members
The nature of the Foreign Service is changing. New political realities will mean a large number of unaccompanied tours for the foreseeable future. A corresponding number of family members will be left to "go it alone" at home.
We will all have to find new ways to provide information, support and actual assistance for family members of employees assigned to unaccompanied posts. For a start, AAFSW would like to call attention to resources available to these families, both at the Department of State and elsewhere.
This document, "Continuum of Support for Employees and Family Members on Unaccompanied Tours" is a summary of services provided by the Department of State for employees and family members undergoing an unaccompanied tour (PDF). Please note: some of the links in the document are only available on the Department Intranet.
The Family Liaison Office of the Department of State offers the following resources from the Unaccompanied Tours section of the State Department web site.
Long Distance Relationships and Separated Tours: When Couples Live Apart. Practical advice on managing long-distance relationships.
An Unaccompanied Tour: Learning to Manage a Temporary Separation
Useful web sites, email addresses, and phone numbers for separated Foreign Service couples.
Support Services: Unaccompanied Tours (PDF document) describes a new package of support services that FLO has arranged with Managed Health Network, a behavioral health care provider, to enhance access to support services for Department Employees and families, including a 24/7 support call center.
FLO - A-Z Site Map Over 150 links to topics from Adoption Guidelines and Allowances to Travel Regulations and the Transition Center at FSI.
Contact the Family Liaison Office. Addresses, fax numbers, telephone numbers and five e-mail addresses to which you can address specific questions about unaccompanied tours and evacuations, education, employment or naturalization. Also lists the specific functions of the 15-member staff. The two most important staff members regarding unaccompanied tours are: Nan Leininger (LeiningerNW@state.gov), who manages the Unaccompanied Tours Program and Naomi Ritchie (RitchieNF@state.gov), Crisis Management and Support Officer. For more about FLO Support Services, please visit this page.
What's it really like to go it alone? AAFSW is collecting personal stories and anecdotes on this page. An article from the Foreign Service Journal, Marriage Across the Miles, is included, as well as Seven Months and Counting, one spouse's advice on enjoying an unaccompanied year in Washington, DC.
Going it Alone--Family Life in the "New" Foreign Service. (6/08) Most Foreign Service employees will service unaccompanied tours during their careers. What kind of support can their families expect? (PDF document.) By Kelly Bembry Midura. Originally published in the Foreign Service Journal. Reprinted by permission of AFSA.
The official State Department guide to Separate Maintenance Allowance, a stipend given to spouses of FSOs serving overseas.
Living Costs Abroad, Quarters Allowances, and Hardship Differentials.The U.S. Department of State publishes quarterly reports on living costs abroad, quarters allowances, hardship differentials, and danger pay allowances.
Lessons Learned from the Military is an extensive collection of links to military sites relevant to family separation.
HomeFrontUS is a listserv sponsored by FLO and designed to support family members of U.S. Government employees serving overseas at unaccompanied posts. Spouses, children, parents and siblings of employees posted to unaccompanied Embassies and consulates are invited to join.
If you are interested in becoming a part of this group please contact Nan Leininger at LeiningerNW@state.gov or telephone the Department of State Family Liaison Office at (202) 647-1076; 1(800) 440-0397. FLO will send you an invitation to join, which includes instructions on how to subscribe.
Livelines, is AAFSW's email list for all employees of U.S. foreign affairs agencies and their family members. Click here for more information about this group.
The Foreign Service Youth Foundation offers activities and services for children of Foreign Service officers in the Washington, DC area and abroad.
Find out more about various Foreign Service and expatriate online communities on this page of our web site.
Please send your suggestions for additions to this section of our site to webmaster@aafsw.org.