IT

1
ITS A FAMILY AFFAIR 101 INVOLVING FAMILIES
in THEIR CHILDRENS HEALTH CARE

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WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

• Participants will be able to
• Assess self interest and identify why it is
  important to engage families in SBHCs
• Understand the different levels and strategies of
  family engagement within a SBHC
• Foster pro-active reflection, planning and
  behavioral incorporation of a multicultural lens
  within their family engagement process
• Identify 10 resources they can use to assess,
  plan, and implement parent engagement/involvement
  strategies.

3
Background Perspective

• Annie E. Casey Study on SBHCs helping parents
  talk with children about reproductive health
  care.
• Study intent identify best practices
• Study findings no list of best practices
• Parent Engagement is a process
• Supported by good curriculums and process

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Findings

• School-based Health Centers are ideally situated
  to assist in a broader, comprehensive approach to
  parental engagement. Their expertise in health
  and social issues, including sex and
  reproduction, would be an important asset. They
  may be able to lead these efforts, but it is
  likely that they must be part of a larger
  endeavor.

5
Where are you when it comes to Family Engagement?

• Not a quiz you can study for
• Tongue in cheek
• Encourages a discussion
• Maybe a chuckle or two
• Keep track of your answers
• a, b, c, d

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Scoring Guide

• Scoring Key
• a 1 point of a answers ___ x 1
  _____
• b 2 points of b answers ___ x 2
  _____
• c 3 points of c answers ___ x 3
  _____
• d 4 points of d answers ___ x 4
  _____
• Total Points _____

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Where are you?
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Role play
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Why involve families?

• BECAUSE WE ARE PARTNERS IN THE WELFARE
• OF THEIR CHILDREN.
• Communication is good. Be transparent with
  families.
• Advocacy you need to be valued by families, and
  they will advocate for you.
• Involvement with school - can help you find YOUR
  voice in the school. They can speak where you
  cannot.
• Understand their needs, concerns, lifestyles so
  you can help heal them. If you dont know their
  needs and problems, how can you suggest to them
  solutions? Your solutions need to be relevant to
  them.

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Discussion
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Relational engagement Going on a scavenger hunt

• Interests beyond the SBHC
• Other health care concerns
• Other community concerns
• Involvement in the community
• Network of family and friends
• Professional interests

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Why?

• New connections to the community
• Understand their interests to best connect them
  to the SBHC and their childs health
• Deeper understanding of the community concerns
  and how SBHCs are a part of the solutions
• If you dont, they wont stick around

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What Do I ask?

• What are the most important health care issues
  for you and your family? And why?
• How can/does the school-based health center help
  with them?
• What are the biggest concerns facing the school
  and the community?
• Are there solutions being sought?

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More questions

• What community activities or organizations are
  you part of? (including places of worship)
• Why are you involved with them/ what do you enjoy
  about your involvement?
• What is your vision of how the community could be
  better?
• Do you have a role in making that happen? Does
  the SBHC have a role in making that happen?

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And a few more

• What are your dreams for your childrens future?
• What are your dreams for your future?
  (professionally, health, family, academically,
  public involvement)

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Tips

• Ask more Why questions
• Share something from your life with them
• Dont give up It will take a lot of
  conversations to find an interested family member
• Take notes after your conversations
• Keep a log of common gathering places and
  activities
• Be genuinely interested about their lives

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Levels of Engagement

• Individual Actively informed about and part of
  the healthcare decisions of their child
• Center Active in the governance and clinic
  level activities
• Advocacy Active in advocacy for the
  sustainability for the clinic and other related
  policy initiatives
• State/ national governance Involved with the
  state association and/or national

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Strategies for Engagement

• The revolving door
• Ongoing engagement
• Leadership development

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Learning about the community

• Historical context
• Economic and politic issues
• Cultural and tradition-specific areas
• Medical orientation
• Diet
• Religion
• For detailed questions
• http//ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_tools_1163.
  htm

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Walking through the door

• GO TO WHERE THEY ARE
• Where do they gather? (soccer games, church,
  etc)
• What are their interests and needs as guardians?
• What could meet their needs?
• Youth-centered community organizations?
• With which groups and activities are the students
  in your center involved?

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Additional Tips

• Decide who the best messenger is. It doesnt
  always have to be you and often shouldnt be.
• HAVE A PLAN. It will help with retention and
  recruitment. Others want to get involved with
  something organized. Word of mouth works too!

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Where to start

• Brainstorm all of the community organizations,
  churches, and neighborhoods where the families of
  the students may gather.
• Determine who from the SBHC and school community
  could represent the interests and needs of the
  SBHC.
• Decide the first three steps you can take to
  make connections with the targeted list above.

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Putting it into Practice

• Attending open houses
• Attending Registrations
• Sitting and talking in the waiting room
• Parents engagement in handing out fliers and
  information
• Speaking to different organizations, groups,
  school administration ect
• Providing asthma education to parents
• Involvement in advisory boards
• Relationship building with your school
  administrators and board members

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Leadership

• "Trust men and they will be true to you treat
  them greatly and they will show themselves
  great.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson