Parents are Primary Meaningful Parental Involvement

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Parents are PrimaryMeaningful Parental
Involvement

• Hawaii State Child Abuse Conference
• April 29, 2009
• Presenter Kathy Bentley
• www.kathysparentingsolutions.com

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Adapted from Circle of Parents 8 hour training
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What is your destination?

• Imagine that a year from now, you have
  successfully implemented a framework of shared
  leadership among parents and practitioners. What
  would that look like?

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Definitions

• PARENT - anyone in a parenting role, including a
  biological parent or any adult who is the primary
  caregiver in a childs or adolescents life
• PRACTIONER a staff member, employed by an
  agency, who is involved in providing services for
  parents, children or families. It is used in lieu
  of professional recognizing that many parents
  have professional roles too, in addition to
  parenting

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Definitions continued

• PARENT LEADER a parent who is committed to
  making positive changes in their family and
  community and who is representing a parent
  voice, speaking from personal experience in
  using resources/services to strengthen his/her
  family. Parent Leadership is often used
  interchangeably with parent engagement and parent
  involvement.

Parent Leadership Ambassador Training Guide,
produced by Circle of Parents for the FRIENDS
National Resource Center for Community-Based
Child Abuse Prevention
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Current Reality

• From an organizational point of view
• From a parent perspective

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Continuum of Parent Leadership

• Engagement
• Involvement
• Empowerment

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Shared Leadership

• Occurs when there is an effective partnership
  between parents and practitioners who share
  responsibility, expertise and experience in
  making decisions that affect families and
  communities

, 11.06
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Principles of Shared Leadership

• Parents /practioners are equal partners
• No one has all of the solutions
• Mutual respect, trust and open-mindedness
• Collective action based upon shared vision,
  ownership accountability
• Consensus building vs. democratic process

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Is leadership something that is inborn or is
leadership learned?
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Principles of Family Support Practice

• Staff and families work together in relationships
  based on equality and respect
• Staff enhance families capacity to support growth
  and development of all family members, adults,
  teens and children
• Families are resources to their own members, to
  other families, to programs and communities
• Programs are embedded in communities and
  contribute to the community-building process

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t

• Programs advocate with families for services and
  systems that are fair, responsive and accountable
  to the families they serve
• Practioners work with families to mobilize formal
  and informal resources to promote family
  development
• Programs are flexible and continually responsive
  to emerging community and family issues
• Principles of family support are modeled in all
  program activities, including planning,
  governance, and administration

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Do the Principles of Family Support work in the
real world?

• Customer satisfaction is improved
• The likelihood of positive family outcomes is
  increased
• The system is more responsive
• Families are better able to use services and help
  other families

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• Families build skills
• Communities are healthier as their capacities to
  support families are enhanced
• Services are better delivered, most cost
  effective and more culturally sensitive

From Joyce Jennings, Parent Leadership Successful
Strategies, FRIENDS National Resource center for
CBFRS Programs.
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Where do we find Parent Leaders?

• Shows an interest in the outcome of their own
  situation.
• Asks for help.
• Shows an interest in the program or agency.
• Asks questions about the mission, policies,
  and/or operation of the agency.

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• Asks about other parents or families involved in
  the agency.
• Voices another familys concerns and/or goals.
• Notices and encourages progress and growth within
  themselves and others.
• Asks how they can help on behalf of the program
  or agency.
• Volunteers to take on more tasks or
  responsibilities.

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• Respects and models the rules or policies of the
  program.
• Takes on leadership role in the community or
  other programs or agencies.
• Portrays a sense of comfort as a leader.

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How do you nurture potential parent leaders?

• Provide a mentor.
• Dont invite just one parent. Have at least 2 so
  they are not the token parent.
• Accept them as they are clothing, speech
  patterns, problems.
• Help them overcome the barriers to participation.

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• Hold meetings at a time convenient for parents.
• Prepare them in advance with who will be there
  how will others be dressed what will happen at
  the meeting what will their role be?
• Give them easy to read definitions and
  explanations of acronyms and other language used
  at the meetings or within the system.

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• Dont take it personally when they express anger
  at the system or tell it like it really is.
• Pay attention to what is happening in their
  personal lives. It will affect their ability to
  participate.
• Give them the opportunity to talk.
• Listen.
• Follow-up on what they say (even if it is to
  explain why it wont work).

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• Follow-up with the parent after each meeting to
  make sure they understand what happened, when and
  where the next meeting is going to be held, and
  how they will continue to be involved.
• Invite them to workshops, conference and other
  educational opportunities.
• Build a relationship with them based on mutual
  respect.

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Common Agency Fears

• Confidentiality and sensitive issues
• The higher ups wont allow it
• No place for them in our hierarchical system
• You cant trust them, they will lie, cheat and
  steal

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Common Parent Fears

• I wont fit in
• They wont value my input
• Nothing will change
• How can I arrange for child care, transportation?
• Ill have to take time off work
• What is expected from me?
• I wont know what they are talking about or what
  they are doing
• I have nothing to offer!
• What do they really want from me?

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Roles for Parents

• Members of task forces
• Board members
• Co-trainers for staff development
• Paid program staff
• Mentors for other families
• Grant reviewers
• Participants in needs assessment process
• Reviewers of written materials
• Community advocates
• Participants in focus groups
• Members of hiring committees
• Fund raisers
• Participants at conferences and working meetings
• Participants in quality improvement initiatives
• Public speaker

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Why parents may not participate