Transcript Parent-Professional Collaboration

Parent-Professional
Collaboration
© Statewide Parent
Advocacy Network
35 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07102
973-642-8100
www.spannj.org
Collaboration
• “Collaboration is not a
simple process - every
step, from developing
a shared vision to
overcoming language
and organizational
gaps, is a series of
give-and-take
adjustments to normal
operating procedure.”
Collaboration
• “Collaboration is not
just plugging old skills
into a new arena; it is
an innovation & lifechanging process
simultaneously
exciting & threatening,
which makes personal
& professional support
essential.”
What is “Collaboration”?
• Altering relationships
• Uniting organizations
and individuals for the
purpose of achieving
common goals that
could not be achieved
by any single
individual or
organization acting
alone
Key Elements of Collaboration
• Agreed-upon and
institutionalized
mutuality & common
goals
• Jointly developed
structures & shared
responsibility
• Mutual authority &
accountability for
results
• Shared resources and
rewards
Why Build Partnerships with
Families?
• Families with high
parental involvement
are more likely to
engage in educational
activities (visit
museum, library,
historical site) with
their children
• Highly involved
families almost double
the positive odds for
their children
Why Build Partnerships with
Families?
• Children with
concerned fathers and
mothers are more
likely to be healthy
• Families with high
parental involvement
in school are more
likely to have high
educational
expectations for their
children
Barriers to Collaboration
• Professional
socialization, structure
& culture
• Agency structure,
routine, & culture
• Legislative mandates
or limitations
• Professional and
agency self-interest
Barriers to Collaboration
• Inadequate
understanding of
strengths & needs of
children and families
• Inadequate family
understanding of the
needs & skills of
professionals and how
to work with them
• Family resistance
Parent Attributes that Promote
Partnerships
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Warmth; Nurturance
Sensitivity
Ability to Listen
Consistency
Positive self-image
Sense of competence
Personal competence
Effective interpersonal
skills
• Success in prior
collaborations
• Openness to others’ ideas
Professional Attributes that Promote
Partnerships
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Warmth, Nurturance
Openness
Sensitivity
Flexibility
Reliability
Accessibility
Trust
Closeness
Positive self-image
Child-centeredness
Positive attitudes
Personal competence
Attributes of Successful Partners
• Confidence: Feeling able
to do it
• Motivation: Wanting to do
it
• Effort: Being willing to
work hard for it
• Responsibility: Doing
what’s right
• Initiative: Moving into
action
• Perseverance: Completing
what you start
Attributes of Successful Partners
• Caring: Showing concern
for others
• Teamwork: working with
others
• Common Sense: Using
good judgment
• Problem-Solving: Putting
what you know and what
you can do into action
• Focus: Concentrating with
a goal in mind
Parent-Professional
Collaboration
• Remember the cultural
context for parentprofessional
relationships:
– Each knows the child
in different contexts
– Different people often
have distinct and
disparate perspectives
on the same issue
Parent-Professional Collaboration
• Some parents may be
comfortable with their role as
their child’s advocate
• Other parents may:
– Be reluctant to express
concerns because of cultural
beliefs related to
authoritative position health
professionals
– Have difficulty talking
because of memories of
their own experiences
– Be unsure how to express
themselves
– Fear retaliation
Parent Professional Collaboration
• Parents may be
surprised to learn that
health professionals
are equally anxious
about relationships
with parents
• Most professionals
have received very
little training in
fostering relationships
with families
Making it Happen: Building
Partnerships
• Build a foundation of
good feeling based on
a clear and consistent
message about the
value of the child
• Put yourself in the
other person’s shoes
• Persevere in building
partnerships
Making it Happen: Building
Partnerships
• Expand awareness of
cultural diversity;
become culturally
competent
• See individuals;
challenge stereotypes
• Demonstrate an
authentic interest in
each others’ goals for
the child
Making it Happen: Building
Partnerships
• Discuss with each
other how information
will be shared
• Use everyday
language
• Create effective
forums for effective
collaborative planning
and problem-solving
Making it Happen: Building
Partnerships
• Support the development
of long-term plans to offer
full membership to all
children and all families
• Ensure that building
collaborative partnerships
is an overarching goal
each year!
A Framework for Creating
Partnerships
• Engage in joint learning
activities
• Support each other in
respective roles
• Carry out improvement
activities
• Conduct collaborative
projects
• Participate together in
decision-making activities
Parent Roles in the Framework
• Performed within the
family and within
family-professional
relationships
• Critical roles include
nurturing, teaching,
and modeling
• Carry out learning,
doing, supporting, and
decision-making roles
Professional Roles in the Framework
• Provide support
education, and
guidance
• Nurture, support
family involvement in
decision-making
activities
• Provide opportunities
for collaboration, joint
planning, ongoing
communication
Essential Elements of the Framework
• Understanding the
contexts in which
families and
professionals operate
• Understanding the
different and similar
roles of families and
professionals
• Understanding and
appreciation of the
importance of the
partnership process
Essential Elements of the Framework
• Needs assessments
• Goal statements
• Prioritization of
activities
• Strategy Development
• Implementation Plans
• Evaluation tools
Strategies to Ensure Family
Involvement in the Framework
• Transportation, child
care, meals
• Home visits
• Conferences
• Parent centers
• Parent & adult
education programs
Strategies to Ensure Family
Involvement in the Framework
• Home learning
activities
• Family-professional
networking
• Meaningful
participatory decisionmaking
Family-Centered Programs
• Promote shared decisionmaking, implementation,
and evaluation
• Focus on self-image, prosocial relationships
multicultural
understandings, sensitive
& empathetic
relationships, nurturing &
positive discipline,
creative problem-solving
Building Family-Driven Collaboration
• A developmental
process that requires:
– Time and resources
– Changing attitudes,
behaviors & policies
• Requires changes in:
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Policymaking
Institutional activities
Program activities
Practice
Collaboration in Action
• Getting to the same
page:
– Vision
– Knowledge
– Commitment
• Work through the
rough spots:
– Race, language,
culture, class
– “Authentic” vs.
“expert” voices
Collaboration in Action
• Involve the local
community
– Familiar with
community needs
– Skilled in addressing
those needs
• Build collaboration
– Raise the family status
to professional status
Collaboration in Action
• Work together to:
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Review
Monitor
Evaluate
Change systems and
services
Effective Family Involvement
• Provide opportunities
for all families to be
involved in decisionmaking
• Outreach to encourage
participation of
families who might
have low-level literacy
skills or for whom
English is not their
primary language
Effective Family Involvement
• Provide regular,
ongoing information
for families about the
objectives of programs
& services and their
child’s participation &
progress
• Provide professional
development for staff
to enhance their
effectiveness with
families
Effective Family Involvement
• Establish linkages
with agencies,
community groups to
address key family &
community issues
• Involve families with
children of all ages
• Provide opportunities
for family
involvement in
decision-making
Effective Family Involvement
• Recognize diverse
family structures,
circumstances &
responsibilities,
including differences
that may impede
participation
Communication Strategies
• Regular, two-way,
meaningful
• Variety to tools
• Establish opportunities to
share information
• Provide clear information
on expectations
• Disseminate information
on policies, procedures,
activities
• Provide opportunities for
frequent, periodic
meetings
Communication Strategies
• Encourage immediate
contact when concerns
arise
• Communicate in family’s
language & mode of
communication
• Promote informal
activities where parents &
professionals can interact
• Provide staff development
on effective
communication techniques
& the importance of
regular communication
Promote Family Skills
• Communicate the
importance of positive
relationships between
families & children
• Link families to
resources for support
• Reach out to all
families, not just those
who attend meetings
Promote Family Skills
• Establish policies that
support & respect:
– Family responsibilities
– Parenting traditions
– Cultural and religious
diversity
• Encourage staff to
demonstrate respect
for family’s primary
role in raising children
Promote Family Skills
• Provide an accessible
parent/family
information &
resource center to
support families with
training, resources,
and other services
Children’s Development
• Seek & encourage
family decisionmaking
• Inform families of
expectations for
children
• Provide information
on how families can
foster progress &
support health at home
Children’s Development
• Sponsor workshops &
disseminate
information to help
families understand
how to help their
children
• Involve families in
setting goals each year
• Provide opportunities
for staff to learn &
share successful
approaches
Welcome Families in Varied Roles
• Volunteers:
– Welcoming climate
– Survey families re:
their interests/skills
– Provide options to help
at various times/places
– Ensure activities are
meaningful
– Provide training for
families
– Show appreciation
– Educate staff members
Welcome Families in Varied Roles
• Provide
understandable,
accessible, wellpublicized processes:
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Influence decisions
Raise issues/concerns
Appeal decisions
Resolve problems
• Encourage formation
of parent groups to
identify & respond to
issues
• Include parents in
equal numbers on all
decision-making &
advisory committees
• Ensure adequate
training
• Provide parents with
current information
• Treat parent concerns
with respect &
demonstrate genuine
interest in solutions
Avoiding Conflicts
• Let families know how
and when they can contact
the health professionals
• Professionals can explain
they can be:
– Reached at specific
times and in specific
ways
– Contacted directly with
questions or concerns
Methods of Communication
• Newsletters or letters
home
• Give phone number
and/or e-mail address
• Include in newsletters
or letters a short
survey about
children’s interests or
parents’ hopes and
expectations for year
Parent Involvement
• Let parents know how
they can be helpful
• Solicit parent
assistance in specific
activities & projects
• Ask parents for help in
identifying ways they
would like to be
involved & contribute
What Can Parents Do?
• Introduce yourself
• Let professionals
know when and where
you can be contacted
most easily and how
you would prefer to be
contacted
• Initiate regular
contact; don’t wait for
a crisis!
When You Disagree
• Maintain respect
• Know the policy &
procedures to resolve
disagreements
• Use discretion about
when and where
disagreements - or the
people you disagree
with - are discussed.
Resolving Problems
• Talk directly with the
professional about the
problem
• Check the facts before
drawing conclusions or
allocating blame
• Avoid criticizing parents/
professionals in front of
children:
– It may cause confusion
and conflict
– It may foster
arrogance, defiance
and rudeness toward
adults
Resolving Problems
• Choose an appropriate
time and place to discuss
the disagreement
• The end of the
appointment is probably
NOT the best time for a
discussion involving
strong feelings
• If an extended discussion
is needed, make an
appointment!
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Professionals
• Make it a usual
practice to involve
families as equal
partners in the design
of all programs
• Encourage families to
share their
perspectives when
new ideas for
programs & services
are being presented
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Professionals
• Use parent advocates
to assist families in
participating
• Model & promote the
belief that families
must be involved in all
decisions about
programs and services
• Hire staff who embody
the belief in family
involvement
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Professionals
• Show resistant staff
how families can
participate
• Encourage staff to ask
families what they
think
• Be honest & share
concerns/fears with
family members
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Professionals
• Allow sufficient time
& support to help staff
learn to collaborate
• Help reduce barriers
that interfere with
family members’
ability to participate
by providing supports
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Families
• Begin by collaborating
with people who share
your beliefs
• Offer to contribute
your skills in
addressing
issues/problems
• Follow through with
commitments’
• Educate professionals
as to what you need &
why
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Families
• Participate in
professional
development
opportunities that
teach:
– Teambuilding skills
– Negotiation skills
– Group decisionmaking skills
Building Partnerships:
Tips for Families
• Work through your
own frustrations and
channel your energies
into becoming an
advocate
• Learn everything you
can about the system
• Make allies at all
levels
• Support your cocollaborators
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Professionals
• Do I really believe that
families are my equal, and
in fact, are experts on their
children?
• Do I speak plainly and
avoid jargon?
• Do I actively involve
families in all team tasks,
including developing,
reviewing, evaluating and
revising plans?
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Professionals
• Do I meet at times and
places convenient to the
family?
• Do I respect the values,
choices and preferences of
the family?
• Do I share information
with other professionals to
ensure that families do not
expend unnecessary
energy accessing services?
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Professionals
• Do I show the same
respect for the value of
families’ time as I do for
my own time by becoming
familiar with pertinent
information before team
meetings?
• Do I recognize and
enhance the variety of
strengths and coping
styles of the family?
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Professionals
• Do I encourage the family
to bring a friend or
advocate?
• Do I tell each family about
how to reach other
families in similar
situations, recognizing
parents as a major source
of support and
information?
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Families
• Do I believe that I am an
equal partner with
professionals and do my
share of problem-solving
and planning to help my
child?
• Do I clearly express my
own needs and the needs
of my family to
professionals in an
assertive manner?
Establishing a Collaborative Team:
Checklist for Families
• Do I treat professionals as
individuals and avoid
letting past negative
experiences get in the way
of a good working
relationship?
• Do I communicate quickly
with professionals when
significant changes and
events occur?
• Do I maintain realistic
expectations for myself,
professionals, and my
child?
Lessons Learned
• Never leave the table.
• Recognize that people
may use language
differently. Ask
people what they
mean; tell them when
you don’t understand.
• Develop a support
system for yourself.
Effective Partnerships
• Focus on children’s
progress, well-being, not
staff welfare
• Exhibit welcoming,
enabling, & inclusive
ways of working with
families & communities,
not adversarial approaches
• Are built on trust & the
advancement of mutual
goals
• Are ongoing and long
term, not event-focused
and short term
• Are rooted in shared
responsibility and
accountability for student
welfare, not separate or
competing stances
Effective Partnerships
• Focus on prevention rather
than treatment
• Serve all children and
families
• Consider families as full
partners in planning &
implementation
• Involve the whole
community
• Are integrated into the
institution’s overall
program
• Help institutions:
– Meet important goals
• Help families with:
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Parenting
Communicating
Volunteering
Supporting their child
at home
– Decision-making
– Collaboration with
their larger community