When you engage with a family, you help strengthen the partnership with them. There are six Relationships-Based Practices that can help promote family engagement. These practices are intended to guide what staff say and do with families to support open communication and promote better understanding. Reflecting on how we apply Relationship-Based Practices can improve our efforts to strengthen relationships with families.
Relationship-Based Practices
- Observe and describe the child's behavior to open communication with the family
- Reflect on the family's perspective
- Support competence
- Focus on the family-child relationship
- Value a family's passion
- Reflect on your own perspective
Sample Interactions Reflecting these Practices
Intake Meeting
- Invite parents' input and use it in making decisions about the child and family
- Be aware of your own biases
Follow Up During Informal Discussions
- Use simple, clear, and objective descriptions of the child's behavior
- Acknowledge and share child and parent behavior that demonstrates something about the family-child relationship
Home Visit
- Use parent observations and interpretations to inform how you support the child's development
- Invite parents to share their perspective on the child's behavior and development
Challenging Behavior
- Recognize the child's strengths
- Reframe parents' emotions as passion for their child
Within an Established Relationship
- Share positive and specific information about the child with the family
- Attribute the child's progress to parents' efforts
Last Updated: March 18, 2022