Empowering Families

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Empowering Families

• Families and State Agencies Collaborating to Make
  Systems Change

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Empowering Families

• Suzanne Gottlieb, Director of Family Initiatives,
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Kate Roper, Project Director, Massachusetts Early
  Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project

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Workshop Agenda

• History of involving families in MA
• Carrying this paradigm shift into MECCS
• Finding a common cross-system focus
• Making the vision visible
• Share opportunities and challenges in other
  states

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Involving Families in MA A 15 Year Paradigm Shift

• Leadership/Vision
• Developed guiding principles
• Families as Part of Process
• Recruit, train, mentor, stipends
• Beyond the buzz words
• Parent conceived
• Parent driven
• Parent staffed

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Key Family Involvement Projects

• Early Intervention Parent Leadership Project
• (1991-present)
• Meaningful roles
• Parent contact, recertification, presenters
• Opportunities
• Program level, region, state, nation
• Family TIES (1993- present)
• State wide information and referral
• Parent to Parent Training Collaboration

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Other Advisory Roles for Families

• Task forces
• Committees
• Focus groups
• Conferences
• Planning and policy development

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Early Intervention Core Values

• Respect
• Individualization
• Family-Centeredness
• Community
• Team Collaboration
• Life-long Learning

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Massachusetts Early Childhood Comprehensive
Systems Project

• Built on MDPH history and approach
• Parent education inseparable from Family support
• Identified key stakeholders shared interests
• best practices, training, and opportunities for
  parent leadership
• Leaders, front line providers, families
• Convened Family Support Subcommittee
• Public-private partnership, co-chairs

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False Steps

• Tried to move too quickly to action agenda before
  building collaboration
• Parent/Family Leadership
• Werent speaking a common language
• Thought we had buy in on Family Development
  Credential approach
• Concern not enough impact on systems
• Worker training not tipping point

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Created Common Family Support Definition

• Can be an approach, a community-based program, a
  shift in service delivery, and a movement for
  social change.
• Goal to support families to recognize and use own
  strengths and to enable them to nurture all
  family members
• Enhance families skills, build on networks
• Agencies partner more effectively with families

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MECCS Family Support Subcommittee Vision

• In a truly comprehensive EC system, family
  support services are strengths-based, and early
  childhood care, education and health programs are
  family focused

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MECCS FS Goals

• 1. Statewide vision for family support
• 2. Consistent and effective policies
• 3. Make the vision visible

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Leadership Pilot

• Leadership capacity is first step to impacting
  direct service delivery and broader change
• Process
• Include family leaders in leadership teams
• Train teams in family development leadership
  approach
• Teams develop plan to infuse family development
  approach
• Teams implement plan and create systems change at
  local level

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Pilot Goals

• GOAL 1 Build capacity of community-based
  leadership to plan, implement and coordinate
  family-strengths based service delivery.
• GOAL 2 Increase connections and collaboration
  across community organizations in serving the
  same families.

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Pilot Goals

• GOAL 3 Increase capacity of family support
  programs reaching parents of young children to
  have a child development/parenting support focus
  as well as increase the capacity of early
  childhood programs to have a family
  centered/parenting support focus.
• GOAL 4 Document the early, developmental stages
  of community-based, systemic change efforts based
  on family support principles.

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Partners in Implementing Training

• MECCS funder, RFR, TA
• Family Support Subcommittee mentors
• Childrens Trust Fund training
• Instructors Kathy Gravino, LaVerne Saunders
• United Way of Massachusetts Bay
• Documentation Evaluation Analysis Solutions

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Community Proposal Requirements

• Team 5 members
• Lead Agency 2 senior managers and 1 family
  member
• One or Two Collaborating agencies senior
  managers
• Stipend to support family participation

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Variety of Agencies Represented in Teams

• Multi-service agency (ECE programs), EI program
• CCRRA, family center, family literacy program
• Disability organization (EI), community health
  center, social service organization

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Cornell Family Development Leadership Curriculum
Topics

• FDC and the Empowered Workplace
• Transforming Your Organization through
  Empowerment-based Leadership
• Leadership and Self Empowerment
• Supervising with Skill and Heart
• Cultural Competence

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Curriculum Adaptations for Pilot Projects

• Staff Development
• Training, Supervision, Personal or professional
  development
• Family Involvement
• Family leadership, Governance, Family friendly
  protocols
• Cooperation, coordination, and collaboration of
  family serving agencies

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Challenges

• Curriculum not as adaptable as hoped
• Participation Issues
• Family and work issues for family leaders
• Varied leadership levels across teams
• Reorganization of one agency
• Different goals of partners, teams
• Evolutionary nature of change

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Opportunities and Successes

• Training team used FDC approach to address
  participation issues
• MECCS FSS family leaders as mentors
• Powerful bond across teams
• Built in joint meetings in year 2 plans
• Reinforced FDC approach and gave time to reflect,
  focus on strengths, plan

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Documentation

• United Way of Mass Bay funded
• Evaluation Analysis Solutions, Inc
• Elements
• Pre and Post training attitudes to FS
• Focus groups and interviews
• Review portfolios and year 2 plans

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Year 2 Community Plans

• Train cross-agency Community Engagement Team
  members and leaders in FDC and cultural
  competence
• Assess, review and train across 3 agencies re
  cultural competence
• Plan and implement cross agency FDC training
• All 3 teams meet together quarterly

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Continued Documentation

• How does paradigm shift ripple out?

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Questions for Discussion

• What have you accomplished in your state?
• What challenges have you experienced?
• How have you overcome barriers?
• What strategies can you share with other states?

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Contact Information

• Suzanne Gottlieb
• Suzanne.Gottlieb_at_massmail.state.ma.us
• 617-624-5979
• Kate Roper
• Kate.Roper_at_massmail.state.ma.us
• 617-624-5919