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Web-Based Training Module

Intro to “Family Centered Practices” in Early Intervention

Developed byToni Ledet, Ph.D.

Mary Hockless, M.Ed.Sarintha Buras Stricklin, Ph.D.

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Collaborating PartnersCollaborating PartnersDHH Office for Citizens with Developmental

DisabilitiesThe Arc Baton Rouge, Children’s ServicesFirst Steps Referral and Consulting, LLCInnovations in Education, State Interagency Coordinating CouncilSICC Comprehensive System of Personnel

Development and Program Components CommitteesSpecial Note: As part of participating in the Louisiana “SpecialQuest” Initiative, materials from the SpecialQuest Multi-Media have been incorporated throughout this module. (www.specialquest.org)

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Learning OutcomesAfter completing this web-based training participants will

Define “Family” and describe why this particular definition is important in their work in Early Intervention

Describe the overall philosophy of family-centered practices including assumptions and principles

Consider their own personal values, assumptions, and biases and how these affect their relationships with families

Identify key features of family centered practices in Early Intervention

Describe the rationale for implementing family centered practices in their work

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Throughout this training module you will be asked to reflect on the information shared to consider how you might use it in your personal and professional lives.

Opportunities for reflection support adult learning by helping participants internalize and generalize the content. You may want to have a journaling notebook to record your thoughts.

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Post Exam Participants in the training session

will complete a post exam.

The results of the test will provide feedback on what you have learned from the module and will provide EarlySteps with data on the effectiveness of the instructional content in this training module.

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View Video “Christopher’s Story”Individual Reflection

View the video on the next slide and record in your journal, “Who is this family”? and “How would they define their family”?

Now think about your family

and record one word or idea that comes to mind when you think about your-self as a member of your family – Explore why you came up with that particular idea or word

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Christopher’s Story

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How Do We Define Family“…big extended, nuclear, multigenerational, with one parent,

two parents, and grandparents.

We live under one roof or many.

A family can be as temporary as a few weeks, or as permanent as forever.

Excerpted from the Report of the House Memorial 5 Task Force on

Young Children and Families, New Mexico, 1990

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We become a part of a family by birth, adoption, marriage, or from a desire for mutual support… A family is a culture unto itself, with different values and unique ways of realizing its dreams; together our families become the source of our rich cultural heritage and spiritual diversity. … Our families create neighborhoods, communities, sate and nations.”

Family

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Individual Reflection

Reflect and record in your journal

on how your

culture values beliefs, and experiences

may affect the work you do with children and families

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Culture

“The way of life of a group of people, including shared views of the world and social reality, values, and beliefs, roles and relationships, and patterns or standards of behavior (such as communication styles).” (Chen, et al., 1998)

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Culture“Cultural features are linked to a sense of shared ancestry and continuity with the past and can be based on race, ethnicity, nationality, geographic location, as well as other dimensions of diversity.” (Chen, et al., 1998)

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Elements of Culture

Culture includes a group’s shared values, beliefs, behaviors, preferences, verbal and nonverbal communication styles, and

relationship patterns.13

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Individual ReflectionReflect on the following questions and

record your thoughts in your journal

What stands out for you in the definition of culture and the elements identified?

Do you have any elements you think need to be added?

What implications might these ideas have on the process of building relationships?

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Effective Relationships With Families Depend Upon

Open and honest communication

Understanding, acceptance and respect for values and belief’s different from one’s own

On-going self-reflection

Commitment to the relationship

“Actively Listening” to the family

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Families

Families and service providers bring their own personal and family culture to their relationship.

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Part C of IDEA and Family Centered Practices

Part C of IDEA mandates the central role of the family throughout all services.

A goal of Part C is to “enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers with disabilities” (Section 631).

Subsequent sections of the law reference the inclusion of the family in all aspects of the IFSP.

The law emphasizes that the process is “family directed” drawing a clear distinction between a less active role and one in which they assume the lead.

Louisiana’s Early Steps program supports this premise through its mission and philosophy outlined in the Practice Manual. (see Mission and Philosophy below in notes section)

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Definitions for “Family Centered Care or Services” started in the area of health care, and exist in the fields of social services, child welfare, developmental disabilities, and mental health as well as Early Intervention

The Beach Center (Allen & Petr, 1995) highlighted three core elements of family centered services

1. The family as the unit of attention2. Informed family choice3. A family-strengths perspectives

How do we define Family Centered Practices?

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Definition of “Family Centered Service Delivery”

"Family-Centered service delivery, across disciplines and settings, recognizes the centrality of the family in the lives of individuals. It is guided by fully informed choices made by the family and focuses upon the strengths and capabilities of these families."

(Allen & Petr, 1995)

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Characteristics of Family-Centered Practices (Turnbull and Turnbull, 2001)

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Underlying Assumptions of Family Centered Principles or Practices:

All people are basically good.

All people have strengths.

All people need support and encouragement.

All people have different but equally important skills, abilities and knowledge.

All families have hopes, dreams and wishes for their children.

Families are resourceful, but all families do not have equal access to resources

Families should be assisted in ways that help them maintain their dignity and hope.

Families should be equal partners in the relationship with service providers.

Providers work for families.

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Guiding Principles and Practices for Delivery of Family Centered Services

The overriding purpose of providing family-centered help is family “empowerment,” which in turn benefits the well-being and development of the child.

Support and resources need to be flexible, individualized and responsive to the changing needs of families.

Families are active participants in all aspects of services. They are the ultimate decision-makers in the amount, type of assistance and the support they seek to use.

The ongoing “work’ between families and providers is about identifying family concerns (priorities, hopes, needs, goals, and wishes), finding family strengths, and the services and supports that will provide necessary resources to meet those needs.

Mutual trust, respect, honesty, and open communication characterize the family-provider relationship.

Efforts are made to build upon and use families’ informal community support systems before relying solely on professional, formal services

Providers across all disciplines collaborate with families to provide resources that best match what the family needs.

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Individual ReflectionReflect on the Guiding Principles and Practices

for Delivery of Family Centered Practices

Record in your journal one principle that you feel is your strength and what practices you use that reflect this principle

Record in your journal one principle that you would like to

improve in and what practice you might implement

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Family-Driven Planning Family-Centered Services involves encouraging family-driven

planning

Creating partnerships between professionals and families

Sharing pertinent information and resources

Begins with the initial contact with families

Involves open-ended discussions about the family’s concerns, priorities, and resources (CPRs)

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When Family-Driven Planning Occurs

Families make decisions

Partnership of communication and collaboration with the family

Participation is encouraged

Respect for the differing levels of participation chosen by each individual family

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Forming Successful Partnerships with Families

Forming Successful Partnership with Families

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View Video “Embracing Possibilities”Individual Reflection

Reflect on the video on the next slide

Record your thoughts about how forming successful relationships was reflected in the video.

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Embracing Possibilities

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Family-Directed or Family-Based Assessment

Information (resources, strengths, and concerns) that becomes the foundation of their individual plan

Families choose to share informationIncludes as much or as little as the family

chooses to shareCan occur in a variety of ways (e.g. interviews,

instruments, conversations, drawings)Can come from a number of family members

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Communication StrategiesActive Listening

Paraphrasing or Restating

Giving concrete example

Using open-ended line of

questioning and inquiry

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Communication StrategiesSelf awareness and Reflection

Focus on the positive/Avoid blame

Sharing perceptions using family-friendly language

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Routines-Based AssessmentAssessment process that is unlike the discipline-

specific, standardized assessment measures used for eligibility purposes

Enables teams to identify functional, individualized goals

Providers identify the skills or behaviors a child must possess to get through daily routines successfully

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Routines-Based Interview (RBI)

Families and professionals decide which of the following are needed to make a particular routine successful:

Changing the behavior of the child

Changing the environment

Changing the expectations for the child

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“Routines-Based Interview”McWilliam (2001) identifies the following 5 key steps in a “Routines-Based Interview”

Prepare the family (and class-room staff, if needed) to report on routines

Family reports on their routines What are Routines?

Interviewer reviews concern and strength areas

Family selects outcomes

Family puts outcomes into priority order

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FunctionalAssessment Information

Functioning in Daily Routines

What’s needed for child to be able to participate, learn from, and enjoy daily routines

Outcomes

Writing Functional OutcomesBased on Routines

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Individual ReflectionReview an IFSP of a child you are currently a

provider for and determine if family outcomes are included

Using that IFSP record in your journal how using RBI might affect your practice and the outcomes developed for families

Record in your journal how you might begin to implement

the practices of RBI and writing more functional family outcomes

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Closing Thoughts

The information shared in this training module was designed to introduce providers to the principles of Family Centered Practices in Early Intervention and to provide some strategies for implementing these principles into daily practices. As we move toward putting into practice what we have learned, always consider out definition of “Family”.

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Next Steps

Every provider of every service in EarlySteps should use the practices from this module in their service delivery to children and families.

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References and Resources

“References and Resources” for this training module can be found below in the notes section.

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Thank You for Participating in the EarlySteps Web-based Training Module: Intro to “Family Centered Practices” in Early Intervention!

Funding for training provided by the LA Department of Health and Hospitals, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, EarlySteps

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