Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Conduct outreach, recruitment, and enrollment;
  
• Provide orientation on philosophy of program and services provided;
  
• Establish and maintain ongoing partnerships based on trust with families;
  
• Communicate effectively using appropriate verbal and nonverbal messages and reflective listening skills;
  
• Implement strategies including home visits to learn about families and the changing community.

Competency Goal #2: Support families' efforts to reach their goals.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Develop strengths-based assessments with families that describe their goals, strengths, resources and support networks, as well as necessary services and supports;
  
• Develop, in partnership with the family, an individualized family plan;
  
• Facilitate families' problem-solving and teach problem-solving skills;
  
• Coach, consult, educate, and utilize counseling skills, where appropriate;
  
• Advocate for the family and support them in advocating for themselves;
  
• Follow-up with the family on the progress toward meeting their goals and any needed revisions to the plan;
  
• Assist with transitions to other programs, communities and schools.

Competency Goal #3: Offer parents opportunities to be involved in group activities, including policy groups and educational activities based on interest and need.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Identify common interests and needs of parents in order to plan appropriate activities;
  
• Work with parent groups on group formation, group processing, and leadership;
  
• Provide and/or coordinate training and educational opportunities for parents; and
  
• Engage parents in volunteering, community service and other ways of contributing to program activities and services.

Competency Goal #4: Provide opportunities for children and families to participate in family literacy services.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Work with other program staff to support interactive literacy activities between parents and their children;
  
• Provide training for parents on how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children;
  
• Assist parents as adult learners to recognize and address their own literacy goals; and
  
• Link and support parents in literacy training that contribute to self-sufficiency.

Competency Goal #5: Coordinate and integrate Head Start services in order to enhance effectiveness.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Serve as a productive team member on an interdisciplinary team of professionals;
  
• Participate in and facilitate case conferences to promote service integration;
  
• Apply knowledge of health, mental health, disabilities, and child development in order to ensure holistic service delivery;
  
• Promote and support parent involvement and leadership throughout the program.

Competency Goal #6: Support families in accessing other community resources.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Research and keep up-to-date on program and community resources;
  
• Analyze match of community resources to family needs and identify unmet family needs.
  
• Refer families to community resources and follow-up on the effectiveness of referrals; and
  
• Promote community partnerships that will improve supports to families.

Competency Goal #7: Assist families in crisis.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Listen to families and assess the crisis situation;
  
• Take active steps to ensure the safety of all involved;
  
• Decide when to intervene and when to refer a family;
  
• Identify (with the family) options, resources, and consequences to address the crisis; and
  
• Support families in making decisions and taking active steps to resolve current crises and be prepared to address future crises.

Competency Goal #8: Respect and respond competently to the culture, traditions, lifestyle, language, and values of each family and community.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Be knowledgeable about and sensitive to each family's values, beliefs, traditions, cultural influences, makeup, and circumstances;
  
• Work with families representing different cultures using a culturally competent and flexible approach.
  
• Identify and reflect on personal values, experiences and biases that facilitate and present barriers in working with certain groups of people.

Competency Goal #9: Contribute to effective program practices and maintain a commitment to professionalism.

Indicators: Head Start staff working with families must demonstrate their ability to do the following:

• Perform record-keeping and internal and external reporting tasks in a timely and objective fashion;
  
• Effectively utilize supervisory professional development and technical assistance resources to improve competence;
  
• Contribute to and participate in strategic planning, program self-assessment and other efforts to improve program services and agency responsiveness to families;
  
• Make decisions and act based on family support principles, theories, practices, and code of ethics;
  
• Articulate an awareness of self, values, and ethics as they impact on work with families; and
  
• Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.

See also:
     Head Start Family Worker Training and Credentialing (ACYF-IM-HS-01-08)