Transcript Document

Family-Practitioner Partnerships: A Roadmap to
Effective Programming and Community
Engagement
Carolyn Abdullah
Prevention Network Coordinator
Prevent Child Abuse NC
Partnership
A partnership is an active choice to:
• Sustain a meaningful relationship toward an agreed upon
goal
• Collaborate on decision-making while respecting the points
of view of all stakeholders
• Take equal responsibility for the process and accountability
of the work that affects families and communities
Definitions
• Parent/Family Partner – represents the needs and
perspectives of many parents without speaking or
acting in a staff role for an organization or
institution.
• Practitioner – paid or voluntary staff employed by
an agency/organization involved in providing
services for parents, children and families.
Friends National Resource Center for CBCAP
Family-Practitioner Partnerships:
Why They’re Important
Benefits for Families:
• Gives families input in the
programs and services that they
receive
• Increases the sense of personal
achievement
• Provides a model of leadership
for their family and other
families
• Reinforces the Strengthening
Families Protective Factor
Framework
Family-Practitioner Partnerships:
Why They’re Important
Benefits to Practitioners:
• Improves relationships between families and providers
• Offers the opportunity to provide programs and services
that are relevant to the needs of families
• Improves efforts to recruit and retain participants
• Enhances efforts to provide a culturally appropriate
service delivery system
• Increases visibility and credibility of programs in the
community
• Reinforces the Strengthening Families Protective Factors
Framework
Strengthening Families
Protective Factors Framework
• Parental Resilience
• Social Connections
• Concrete Support
• Knowledge of Parenting and
Child Development
• Social and Emotional
Development
Assessing Agency Readiness
• Is there a stated commitment in program/agency
policies about family-practitioner partnerships?
• Do job responsibilities include staff time for
logistics for family participation – reminder calls;
identification of child care and transportation
needs, time to prepare and debrief family partners
before and after meetings?
• Is there a plan to provide training to staff and
family partners?
• Does the budget reflect the needs and
requirements of parent/family partnership?
Assessing Practitioner Readiness
• Does the practitioner avoid jargon and
acronyms, and invite questions and
feedback when speaking with families?
• Does the practitioner show through words,
eye contact and posture that parent/family
leaders are respected and their input
valued?
• Does the practitioner share information
completely and freely so that
parent/family leaders are fully informed?
• Does the practitioner go outside of their
comfort level to understand how different
cultures and languages influence the
family/practitioner relationship?
Identifying Potential Family
Partners
Traits of Effective Parent/Family Partners:
• Confidence
• Enthusiasm
• Ability to listen
• Ability to think analytically
• Commitment to excellence
• Competence
• Availability
Recruiting Family Partners
• Provide potential partners with a
written job description
• Prepare family partners in
advance of the first meeting
• Provide an explanation of
acronyms and definitions
• Invite at least two family
partners, so that they don’t feel
outnumbered
Roles for Family Partners
• Draft, review and provide input of materials
• Contribute to the design of new programs and
services
• Participate in outreach activities to attract
families to programs
• Co-facilitate trainings and presentations
• Mentor and advocate for families enrolled in
programs
Tools
• Standards/Guiding Principles for
Parent/Family Participation
• Readiness Assessment Tools for Family
Partners and Practitioners
• Training – Parent Leadership Ambassador
Training (PLAT) – Circle of Parents
• Community Cafés/Parent Cafés
What are Community Cafés?
• Community Cafés are a strategy of guided conversations that:
• Support community dialogue
• Build collective wisdom
• Strengthen parent/practitioner partnerships
• Build on the oral tradition of many family cultures
• Promotes the Protective Factors Framework
What are Community Cafés?
• Based on World Café Model
• Simple process for bringing
people together
• Founded on the belief that people
have the capacity to work together,
no matter who they are
• Recognizes the expertise of all
participants
• Promotes growth and action
The Café Process
Guided Conversation
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Powerful Questions
Simple and Clear
Thought Provoking
Open –ended
Generates Energy
Opens New Possibilities
The Café Process
Hosting
• Facilitators – Welcome,
review PF, review process,
sets the tone, maintains safe
space for participants
• Table Hosts – Reviews the
question, keeps the
conversation going, helps
participants to go deeper in
their thinking
The Café Process
Planning and Preparation
• Convene Planning Team
• Determine Focus of
Discussion
• Identify Location and Time
• Invitation
• Create atmosphere
• Refreshments
• Childcare if needed
The Café Process
Location and Time
 Family-friendly and
Safe Locations
• Early Childhood
Centers
• Schools
• Community Centers
• Churches
• Libraries
• Recreation Centers
 Space for Childcare
 Access to public
transportation and
parking
 Access to food storage
The Café Process
Invitation
Let’s Talk
In collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina and other community friends we
are excited to invite you to a Community Café for dinner and discussion. What would
our community look like if there were no child sexual abuse?
Why?
A Community Café is a method for having thoughtful and powerful discussions around issues
that greatly impact our lives, communities and families. They are built on the belief
that within us, we have the answers to difficult and challenging questions. There is
great power in conversation.
When?
January 14th, 2014 (snow/ice date-1/28/14)
Dinner-5:30-6:00pm
Discussion-6:00-7:30pm
Where?
Forest Hills Baptist Church,201 Dixie Trail Raleigh, NC 27607
RSVP
Cristin DeRonja by 1/03/14: [email protected]
Child care provided. If needed, please include number and ages of children with RSVP.
The Café Process
Atmosphere
• Small café or card
tables with 5-6 chairs
• Table cloth, small
centerpiece (candy
dish, flowers, candle)
• Markers and large
sheets of blank paper
• Music
• Cultural Items
RESOURCES
• Meaningful Parent Leadership: A Guide for
Success – www.friendsnrc.org
• Parent Leadership Ambassador Training –
www.circleofparents.org
• www.cssp.org
• www.bestrongfamilies.net
• www.strengtheningfamilies.net
• www.thecommunitycafe.com