The Family Partnership Model

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The Family Partnership Model
Understanding The Processes Of Helping Parents
And Children Opportunities For Change Working
With Parents Whose Children Have Special
Needs. Lorraine Meltzer Training and
Consultancy, Early Years Disability
Issues 18th November 2005
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The Presentation will look at
The impact on the family of having a child with
a disability. How the Family Partnership Model
can aid adaptation. Moving from helplessness to
effectiveness. Helping parents to
change. Empowerment for all.
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How Does FP Model Aid Adaptation?
Acknowledges the need for time to construct new
models Recognises the need for a process of
exploration and clarification before action Gives
legitimacy to the need for relationship
building Pays attention to social context of
learning Viewed as vehicle for the use of
specialist skills. Helps parents see that helper
has an understanding of parental constructs.
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Move from Helplessness to Effectiveness

Needing help can feel humiliating Parents can
feel specialist staff hold all solutions Being
the focus of someones full attention facilitates
exploration and clarification Being listened to
increases worth and self- value Relating and
showing respect, empathy and genuineness enable
growth of self-confidence. Facilitates the
emergence of a sense of control Enables a move
from passivity to central involvement.
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Facilitating Change General

Change is about helping parents to think
differently Such a challenge can be seen as a
threat or criticism It can only be contemplated
within a well established, trusting
relationship
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Facilitating Change Methods
Discover what parent understands Let parent
hear from helper a summary of parental
constructs Give new information Link previously
unconnected thoughts parent has expressed Helper
shares own perspective on issue Create situations
where ideas and perspectives can be tested Raise
inconsistencies
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Facilitating Change Approach
Change must be seen as for the benefit of the
family Invite change in a tentative and
questioning way Acknowledge that there is always
more than one perspective Helper and parent share
an explicit understanding that ideas can be
rejected
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Conclusions
Helping is essentially about promoting change and
cannot be imposed Family Partnership Model
encourages parental engagement Helpers are not
fixers Success for family is not just the
responsibility of the helper Partnership means
parent can decline change, not as an act of
non-compliance, but as a considered choice, which
preserves the relationship Helper is the vehicle
of the process, not the driver