Family_Centered_Practice_Training
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The Clearinghouse is introducing family centered practice to the supervised visitation community through a series of online and down-loadable trainings. This training is supplemented by many others, so check back frequently to the website for new, added content.
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There are many ways that professionals think about families and how to help them. We have listed four on this slide. Each model has different assumptions and beliefs about families which influence the roles that professionals and family members play in the intervention process.
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This model assumes that professionals are experts on most matters concerning child and family problems.
Families are seen as less capable than the professionals of making the appropriate decisions for their family’s best interests, therefore they are told by the professionals what they should do.
The medical help-giving model takes a paternalistic approach to solving people’s problems.
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This is a useful slide to encourage social service providers to think about how they interact with families. If this training is used in a group setting, split up into small groups and talk about how you think about families.
Write down you answers, and present them to the group.
Remember, every professional should critically examine his or her own practices from time to time. It is GOOD to get out of a rut; try to be receptive to new ideas and new ways of thinkin
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Families being “agents of professionals” means family members are enlisted to implement interventions that the professionals consider important and necessary.
This theory assumes that families are capable to the extent that they do what the professionals recommend.
When you think about families, see them as agents of their own change. They won’t be involved with social workers and service providers forever. Help them achieve independence from social service agencies
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How do you think a family feels when hearing these terms describe them? Do words have their own power? We all fall into the trap of describing families in very negative ways. Are there ways that we can rephrase our work?
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This model does move toward families having more power: it takes family characteristics into account much more than the previous two models. Still it has its own weaknesses and does not necessarily assume that every family has strengths. It still focuses on weaknesses.
Professionals decide what resources, supports, and services are needed to improve the functioning of the family.
Once the decisions are made, the professionals assume the responsibility of providing the families with advice and guidance about how the interventions should be implemented and applied
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This slide is an opportunity to critically examine the ways in which a program operates. The distinctions are more than semantics: there are real differences between family centered and family focused. Encourage staff to think about how your program will look when you truly invite the family to help guide the services you offer.
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Now we have arrived at the model that SV programs should understand and incorporate.
This is the model that the FL Dept of Children and Families wants to be incorporated throughout the child protective system.
In this model the balance of power in the family-professional relationship shifts toward the family and its members are empowered by the recognition of their existing strengths and the learning of new coping strategies. These will help the family draw upon its own resources and supports.
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Empowerment means putting an emphasis on the help-seeker’s responsibility to find solutions to their problems and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their situation. The help-seeker sets desired goals for outcome and then actively participates in developing a plan to achieve those goals.
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There are generally two types of ways to help families. One is called relational help-giving and the other is participatory help-giving. The following slides describe each.
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Relational help-giving offers the emotional support of empathy and understanding in order to validate a person’s feelings. It is not forced or scripted, but communicates an honest effort to put yourself in the place of the other person.
Think of it as developing a supportive relationship with your clients.
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In a supervised visitation setting, it is important to recognize that each member of the family will be feeling a variety of emotions – such as anger, hopelessness, resentment, insecurity, and many more. It is the responsibility of the supervised visitation staff to validate those feelings and attempt to understand where they are coming from.
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We’re describing some ways to apply the theory of family centered practice into your supervised visitation program.
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(North Carolina Division of Social Services, 2005)
These principles guide the family-centered practices.
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As a result of this systems perspective, interventions focus on accessing the family’s immediate and extended community in needs assessment, resource identification, and service delivery.
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Think about these general principles that will be reflected in your supervised visitation programs.
Child safety must always be promoted while actively assisting the preservation of family connections.
The belief that there is intrinsic value in every family obligates society to do its best to empower and preserve families.
Family members are most likely to resolve issues of concern by building on their strengths.
In order to understand and communicate effectively with the family, service delivery agencies and personnel must be culturally sensitiv
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(Washington State Division of Children and Family Services, 2008)
In order for the basic needs of safety and permanent family caretaking to be met in children, resources must be provided in a timely and effective manner.
Does your program operate true to these principles? How?
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The benefits of family-centered practice can be seen on both a micro (individual members of the family) as well as a macro (community) level.
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(Washington State Division of Children and Family Services, 2008)
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This gives a visual of how many potential influences there are on a family coming to a supervised visitation program in Florida. These are the many different systems which SV staff must consider when working with a family. Talk about all of the pressures on a family. What might a family think about “the system?” Have you heard families talk about how unfair “the system” is to them?
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Supervised visitation programs shall not make recommendations as to the future placement of the child. Staff and volunteers do not have the expertise or the in-depth case knowledge required to make such recommendations.
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Most referrals to supervised visitation programs are made by the court or other agencies that work with families. Very few come to supervised visitation on their own initiative.
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The referral process itself threatens to make the family feel powerless. Working with sensitivity helps empower clients.
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Every program gets some family history information before accepting the case or providing the first visit.
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How can you adapt the intake process to make it more family centered?
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THIS IS THE JUST THE INTRODUCTION! Remember, we will be working on technical assistance and trainings for programs on an on-going basis. We will send out email reminders of new training modules. Keep watching the website for new information!!
Answers:
1. Name the 4 models of family intervention and describe their approach to working with families.
Professionally-centered
Professionals are viewed as the experts.
Inform families what they should do.
Little weight given to family’s opinions or values.
Family-allied
Professionals are still the experts.
Families seen as “in need of” professional advice and assistance.
Families viewed as capable to an extent.
Family-focused
Families seen as capable of making choices.
Options are limited by the professional and what they see as important.
Professionals provide guidance, advice, and assistance.
Family-centered
Professionals are partners with families.
Balance of power shifts toward the family.
Strengths are emphasized.
Families are seen as capable of making informed decisions that strengthen family functioning.
2. What are some of the goals of family-centered practice?
To empower families
Focus on the strengths of the family
To listen to the family
Give relational and participatory help-giving
Enhance family’s new skills
Respect confidentiality of the family
Provide resources
3. Describe some of the benefits of family-centered practice for families and communities.
Families feel listened to, understood, supported, respected and honored
Helped to identify their own strengths
Offered appropriate and culturally relevant resources
Assisted in maintaining parent/child connections
Children’s basic needs are ensured
4. What are some of the ways supervised visitation programs apply the principles of family-centered practice?
Each family member’s safety needs are addressed
Support is given to enhance parenting skills
Use sensitivity and respect when dealing with family members
Confidentiality is honored
Directors collaborate with individuals across the community
Programs highly emphasize cultural diversity and sensitivity.
Programs operate within a coordinated community network of groups and agencies that seek to address common family issues
Staff are knowledgeable about other community agencies
5. Name some ways in which supervised visitation programs can critically examine their own practices to include more family-centered principles. (Answers may vary)
Conduct a self-assessment of your program’s cultural competency
Become familiar with Multiple Intelligence Theory to be able to assist parents with identifying their children’s strengths
Begin a critical analysis of your program’s policies and procedures to identify gaps and ways to improve your family-centered practice
Participate in monthly phone conference
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Print out the Certificate of Completion directly from your computer. If you are a SV Program your Director can contact the Clearinghouse for certificates.
This training will take approximately three hours to complete if you are participating in a classroom setting with discussion and facilitation by a trainer.
End of presentation