Key Concepts
The Family Support Principles
Building Blocks to Family Support
Activities

Next Steps: Ideas to Extend Practice

Key Concepts

The key concepts … [that]serve as a knowledge base for the skills needed for exploring family support include:

• Family Support. Family support is a set of relationships and principles that strengthens the developmental journey with families. Family support helps each family construct a solid foundation from which to foster the growth of its members.
• Family Support Principles. The family support principles direct or guide our beliefs and instruct us on how to interact with families.
• Building Blocks to Family Support. Building blocks are strategies that put the family support principles into practice through the delivery of services to families. The building blocks support the development of staff-family partnerships.

Background Information

All families must fulfill certain responsibilities including education and socialization, economic support, health care and protection, and family maintenance. Head Start agencies, devoted to achieving a community of family support, serve to complement, not assume, these basic responsibilities. However, family support is not necessarily defined by a set of tasks. Rather, it is a set of principles which direct or guide our beliefs and show us how to interact with families.

The Family Support Principles

Staff-family interaction is based on the following principles:

• All families need support.

  Every family regardless of its level of income, education, or self-sufficiency requires support to deal with the challenges posed by today's society. Seeking and using support are critical family strengths, not deficits in family functioning.

• Each family is unique.

  Families are diverse in composition, economic status, cultural/ethnic background, and in the values, beliefs, and practices they follow. Families are supported best when appreciation and respect are shown for family differences.

• The goal of working with families is to strengthen, not substitute for, family responsibilities.

  Families have core responsibilities for their members that society cannot replace, but can support through resources and services. Family responsibilities include economic support, health care and protection, education and socialization, and family maintenance.

• Families benefit most from family-centered support and services.

  Family hopes, interests, strengths, and concerns need to be the primary focus of staff who work with families. The priorities and choices of families are the driving forces in decisions about ways to provide support and services.

• Healthy families do not live in isolation; they are part of larger systems. Healthy families need, use, and foster relationships with extended family members, friends, community groups, social organizations, schools, etc. One of the best ways to support families is to help them develop relationships with others in the various systems that surround them.

Building Blocks to Family Support

Promoting growth and development in Head Start families requires staff to apply the principles of family support in their work by using building block strategies. When implementing these strategies, agencies and staff must continually evaluate their practices. Ongoing evaluation ensures Head Start's effectiveness as a family support resource. The building block strategies include:

• Initiate relationships with families through conversations, not through formal interviews.

  Conversations encourage family support with invitations like: "I want to do a good job, working with you. This is a serious responsibility that I want to share with you. I am going to need your help, since you know more about your child than anyone."

• Make the family the senior partner in setting priorities.

  The family, as a system, often views change as threatening. This aspect of change is lessened when families are given the lead role in determining what they want and need most from others and what they can do for themselves.

• Identify family strengths.

  All families have strengths and skills that are potential resources for achieving their goals. An assessment of family strengths, not family deficits, is the key to creating a supportive community for families.

• Involve all family members, as well as key players, in activities to support the family.

  Staff commitment to the family as a unit, not just the child enrolled in Head Start, is essential. All family members and persons significant to the family must be involved, or the results will be compromised.

• Help the family acquire new skills.

  New skills bring confidence to families in dealing with the demands of life. Providing families with encouragement to pursue their goals and develop new competencies produces realistic hope for the future.

• Encourage the family to expand its network of support.

  Many families do not know how to pursue new avenues of support. Offering families relevant information, inviting them to community events, and linking them with other families are some ways staff can initiate supportive networks.

Examining Ways of Working with Families Purpose: To establish the context for staff-family partnerships through an examination of philosophies that affect how Head Start staff work with families.

Preparation

For this activity you will need:

Handout 1: Philosophy Cards, Trainer Materials
Newsprint/Markers/Tape/Scissors

Trainer Preparation Note: Prepare handout 1, which will be distributed to staff during the first workshop activity by: 1) reproducing the philosophy statements presented in handout I (make sure there are five cards for each participant); and 2) cutting the cards on the lines. Two or more copies of individual cards may be used to provide the appropriate number.

1. Introduce the activity. Explain that this activity will help staff clarify and compare ways of working with families in the Head Start community.

2. Examine philosophies. Randomly distribute five philosophy cards (handout 1) to each participant. While distributing the cards, explain that staff will probably agree with some of the statements, but not with others. Tell staff that they will trade cards until they have a set of at least three that represent their beliefs in working with families. Explain that staff have 15 minutes to complete the task. Ask staff to begin trading cards.

3. (a) Begin a team activity. After 15 minutes, call time and instruct staff to spend 10 minutes teaming up with another staff member who has at least three cards with which they agree.

   (b) After 10 minutes, call time and distribute two sheets of newsprint, a marker, and masking tape to each team. Ask the teams to find a place to work and to decide which cards best reflect their views and which cards least represent their views. Tell the teams to record their two sets of statements on the newsprint, listing each set on a separate sheet.

4. (a) Debrief the activity. Reconvene the large group. Ask each team to present to the group the statements listed on the newsprint As pairs make their presentations on the statements, ask them to apply these statements to their work with families by giving some examples.
   
   (b) Encourage debate within the group about the two sets of statements presented by the teams. To encourage comments, ask the group:

   Do you strongly agree or disagree with any of the statements just presented?

   If your family needed help, which statements would offer the most support to you?

5. Close the activity. Encourage staff to continue to examine and clarify the ways they work with families through informal discussions with each other and other colleagues

Applying the Principles of Family Support Purpose: To encourage staff to demonstrate practices and behaviors in their work which reinforce the principles of family support and help the Head Start community move forward as a family support resource.

Preparation

For this activity you will need:

Handout 2: Defining Family Support
Handout 3: Family Support Principles
Newsprint/Markers/Tape
VCR/Monitor Videotape, A Design for Family Support (Part 1: Our Families, Our Future¹)

Trainer Preparation Note: Before conducting this workshop activity, please consult the instructions at the beginning of …[the learning activities].

1. Introduce the activity. Explain that in this activity, staff will clarify the meaning of family support and examine agency and staff practices that build partnerships with families.

2. Introduce the videotape. Tell staff that they are going to watch a 13- minute segment of a one-hour documentary, Our Families, Our Future, which shows a Head Start agency in Florida meeting the challenge of family support. Begin part 1 of the videotape, A Design for Family Support.

3. Facilitate a group discussion. Stop the videotape at the "pause for discussion" frame and ask for reactions from the group. To encourage discussion, raise the following questions

   What kinds of messages do families receive from the Florida Head Start agency?

   What types of support does the Florida Head Start agency offer families?

   How is the agency making a difference in the lives of families?

4. Initiate a small group exercise. Divide the participants into small groups, each comprised of four to five members. Explain that in this small group exercise, staff will share their views on what family support means to them and how their work with Head Start families compares to the Florida program's work. Distribute handout 2, sheets of newsprint, markers, and tape. Explain that the groups have 20 minutes to discuss and respond to the questions on the handout.

5. Debrief the exercise. After 20 minutes call time, reconvene the large group, and ask for a volunteer to report on his/her group's responses to the questions on the handout. Repeat the process with volunteers from the other small groups.

6. Examine family support. Distribute and review handout 3; discuss family support and the family support principles. Draw from the module's key concepts and background information. Using handouts 2 and 3, instruct group members to discuss their thoughts on family support. Begin the discussion by asking the following:

   Are your beliefs regarding family support different/similar to the family support principles?

   How would adopting the family support principles serve to assist your agency in supporting families?

7. Close the activity. Reinforce that the family support principles guide Head Start's work with families. Emphasize that by understanding these principles, staff can begin to develop the skills for building effective partnerships with families.

¹ Adapted with permission from Our Families, Our Future, writ., dir., and prod. Roger Weisberg, 60 min., Public Policy Productions, Inc. and WNET, 1993, videotape

Skill Development in Working with Families Purpose: To provide opportunities for staff to assess their family support skills and to develop a plan for professional growth.

Preparation

For this activity you will need:

Handout 3: Family Support Principles
Handout 4: Building Blocks to Family Support
Handout 5: Family Support Practices and Skills
VCR/Monitor
Videotape, A Design for Family Support (Part 1: Our Families, Our Future²)

Coach Preparation Note: Before conducting this coaching activity, please consult the instructions at the beginning of …[the learning activities].

Session 1

1. Introduce the activity. Discuss with participants the purpose of this two- session activity and how you will work together to complete its steps.

2. Conduct a warm-up discussion. Discuss the ways staff view families by raising questions such as these:

   • To what extent do you think parents should be involved in Head Start plans concerning their children?

   • When a Head Start family doesn't keep an appointment with you, or doesn't follow through with a plan, what do you do?

   • What do you think are some of the best ways to establish partnerships with Head Start families?

   • How do you handle situations where your priorities for a child are different than the family's priorities?

   • What role do you consider most important in your work with families?

   • What kinds of barriers have you experienced in your work with families?

3. Introduce the videotape. Explain that you are going to show a 13- minute segment of a one-hour documentary, Our Families, Our Future, which depicts a Florida Head Start agency practicing family support. Ask staff to think about the ways the agency is similar to or different from their Head Start agency as they watch. Show part 1 of the videotape.

4. Process the videotape. Stop the videotape at the "pause for discussion" frame. Distribute handout 3 and review the family support principles. Discuss the ways that the Florida Head Start agency exemplifies the principles of family support.

5. (a) Explore staff experiences in family support. Ask staff to present specific examples of their work with families which reinforce the principles of family support. As each example is presented, focus on:
   • The strategies that staff used to support families;

   • Staff perceptions of the family's response to the strategies; and

   • Additional strategies staff might try with the family.

   (b) Distribute handout 4 and discuss the building blocks to family support by drawing on the module's background information. Tell staff that to effectively support families, they can use these strategies.

6. Present a tool for staff assessment of family support practices and skills. Distribute handout 5. Explain that by completing the handout, staff will draw some conclusions about their professional strengths in working with families, as well as areas that they would like to develop further. Give staff 10 to 15 minutes to complete the handout. Encourage, but do not require, staff to share their thoughts on what they learned about themselves from completing the handout.

7. (a) Provide instructions for a homework assignment. Explain that you want staff to do a homework assignment before you meet again. The assignment requires staff to:

   • Identify a Head Start family;

   • Identify three practices from handout 5 that require further development;

   • Design a plan for family support using the identified practices; and

   • Identify any anticipated barriers.

   (b) Establish a date for staff completion of the assignment and your next meeting.

Session 2

1. Debrief the homework assignment. Have staff present their plan for family support. Discuss with staff some solutions to the barriers they identified.

2. Implement the plan. As homework, instruct staff to implement the plan in order to begin building a supportive relationship with the chosen family. Set a time for staff to report back to you on the results of the strategies they implemented.

3. Close the activity. After staff have implemented their plan, discuss the results and ways that staff plan to continue to pursue a partnership with the family.

²Adaptcd with permission from Our Families, Our Future, writ., dir., and prod. Roger Weisberg, 60 min., Public Policy
Productions, Inc. and WNET, 1993, videotape.

Identifying Strategies and Skills to Family Support Purpose: To conduct an initial assessment of staff practices and skills that contribute to family support.

Preparation

For this activity you will need:

Handout 4: Building Blocks to Family Support
Handout 5: Family Support Practices and Skills
Handout 6: Family Scenario: The Hardy Family
Newsprint/Markers/Tape

1. Introduce the activity. Distribute handout 4 and provide an overview of the building blocks to family support. Use the background information and key concepts in this module to present the overview, stopping after each building block to encourage group discussion. The following discussion questions are suggested:

   • What opportunities do you have to carry out this building block in your job?

   • In what ways have you used this building block in your work with families? What was the result?

   • In thinking about your work experiences with families, does this building block raise any issues for you?

2. Initiate a small group exercise. Distribute handout 6. Divide staff into small groups of four to five members. Have each group appoint a facilitator/reporter. Instruct staff to read the scenario and answer all discussion questions. Encourage the groups to be creative as they brainstorm how to implement the building blocks, that is, not to place any restrictions on their responses because of lack of time, resources, and so on. Distribute sheets of newsprint, markers, and tape to each group.

3. Reconvene the large group. Have the small groups report on their responses to the first question on handout 6. After reports on the first question are completed, encourage staff to comment on or add to the responses proposed by the small groups. Push staff to move beyond their current ways of doing business by evoking a spirit of fun in identifying strategies. Repeat the process for each question on the handout.

4. Provide staff with a tool for self-assessment. Distribute handout 5. Stress that skill development in family support requires ongoing assessment. Explain that the handout is a tool staff can use to take a look at the ways they work with Head Start families, as well as the ways they would like to develop professionally. Ask staff to work independently and complete the self-assessment handout.

5. Debrief the self-assessment. Ask staff to comment on what they learned from the self-assessment exercise. If necessary, raise the following questions:

   • In looking over your assessment, what area (i.e., Family Development, Family Diversity, etc.) best reflects your strengths? What are some of the ways you show these strengths?

   • What area seems most critical for you to work on? What are some ways you might be able to develop your skills in that area?

6. Close the activity. Stress that when staff understand the principles of family support and use building block strategies, they create a community of family support. State that ongoing self-assessment ensures their effectiveness in this effort.

Next Steps: Ideas to Extend Practice

Follow-up training strategies to reinforce the concepts and skills taught in …[these learning activities] are presented below. After completing … [the learning activcities], review the strategies with staff and help them choose at least one to work on individually, in pairs, or in small groups.

Making Back Home Plans

Provide staff with handout 7, which they can use to write down ideas and plans for professional development. Suggest that staff who have the same or similar job responsibilities form a peer support group to discuss family support strategies and ways to achieve professional goals. As an option to forming a peer support group, suggest staff talk with colleagues about what they learned from the training, ideas they would like to try out, and professional skills they would like to develop.

Visiting a Model Family Support Program

Provide staff with handout 3, along with a description of programs in the community or nearby that are known to follow the principles of family support. Make arrangements for staff to spend a day at the program they are most interested in visiting, or one that is most applicable to their job. In setting up the arrangements, make sure staff will have the opportunity to watch the program in action, by sitting in on a team meeting, observing conversations or interviews with families, accompanying program staff on home visits, and so on. Give staff handout 8 to use for site visit notes. Explain that after the site visit, you will meet with participants to discuss what they learned about family support. Make sure staff know the rules of keeping information about observed families confidential. Establish a time for the follow-up discussion.

Building Blocks to Family Support

Ask staff to select one of the building block strategies, depicted on handout 4, they would like to try out or improve on in their work with families. After staff select a strategy, assist them in developing a plan to carry it out or learn more about it. For example, they may want to tape record a conversation with a family (with the family's permission) for the purpose of analyzing it later with you. Or, they may want to observe a staff-family visit, conducted by a highly skilled family support worker, to learn more about techniques for drawing out family strengths. Set up a time to follow up with staff on the outcomes of their plans. Repeat the process, with staff selecting another building block strategy.

See also:
     Design for Family Support