Creating Partnerships to Enhance Family Involvement

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Creating Partnershipsto Enhance Family
Involvement

• OSEP National Early Childhood Conference
  Conference
  
• December 12, 2005
• Presentation by Cassie Johnston
• Parent Participation Coordinator
• Washington Infant Toddler Early Intervention
  Program and Washington PAVE

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The plain truths about partnerships

• Critical to the long-term success of any
  initiative.
  
• Challenging to manage and to master.
• Built on two pillars - form and process.
• Easier to start than to sustain.
• Go through stages
• Community Matters

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The key to success is Relationships,
Relationships, Relationships!
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• Coming together is a beginning, keeping
  together is progress, working together is
  success.
  
• Henry Ford

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Why do we need Relationships?

• Information
• Support
• Learn about resources,policies, issues and
  services
  
• Cooperation Collaboration
• Share vision and achievements
• We are not alone!

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Changes and Challenges

• State and Federal Budgets
• Political Atmosphere
• Service Reforms
• Growing Needs
• Personal Energy and Time

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How will partnerships be different?

• Funding
• Time available for meetings
• Attitudes and morale
• Different people at the table
• Competition for scarce resources

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What causes conflict?

• Differences in values or goals
• Role pressures
• Misunderstandings or miscommunication
• Differences of opinion or perception
• Inaccurate of incomplete information
• Limited resources
• Issues of power, turf, or control

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Attributes of Successful Partnerships

• Mutual Respect
• Trust
• Shared leadership and problem solving
• Common vision, mission, and goals
• Conflicts are present,openly acknowledged and
  addressed
  
• Focus on action

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• A successful collaborative process enables a
  group of people and organizations to combine
  their complementary knowledge, skills, and
  resources so they can accomplish more together
  than they can on their own. We call this unique
  combining power partnership synergy
• Center for Advancement of Collaborative
  Strategies in Health

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Characteristics Important for Relationships

• Respect
• Non-judgmental attitude
• Dependability
• Common Goals
• Listening Skills

• Integrity/Honesty
• Humor
• Understanding
• Kindness
• Commitment

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Characteristics Important for Relationships

• Positive Energy
• Acceptance
• Trust
• Patience, Disagreeing Respectfully
• Treating Others with Dignity

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Approaching a New PartnerDo Your Homework!

• Learn as much as you can about
• Current programs and activities
• How decisions are made-are families involved?
• Budget priorities and funding challenges
• Mission, goals and initiatives
• Scope local, state, national

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Becoming a Better Partner

• Find a mentor or advisor
• Work with your strengths, recognize your
  weaknesses
  
• Practice characteristics important for
  relationships
  
• Compromise your position not your values!
• Look for opportunities - maybe challenges in
  disguise!

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A. I. A.

• Acknowledge
• Inspire
• Affirm

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How do I know its working?

• Goals are achieved
• My involvement is requested
• More people want to join
• My partnership is a friendship

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Partnership Challenge

• The charge to society is to blend the skepticism
  of a scientist, the passion of an advocate, the
  pragmatism of a policy maker, the creativity of a
  practitioner, and the devotion of a parent and
  to use existing knowledge to ensure both a decent
  quality of life for all of our children and a
  productive future for the nation.
• Executive Summary From Neurons to
  Neighborhoods 2000