Exploring Strengths and Needs
Identifying and building on parents’ current or potential social connections, skills, abilities, and interests can be a great way to partner with them as they expand their social networks. For parents who have difficulty establishing and maintaining social connections, your discussion may help them identify what is holding them back.
Encourage parents to express goals regarding social connections in their own terms, such as, “I have friends and at least one person who supports my parenting.”
| In order to explore . . . |
Ask the parent . . . |
- The parent’s current social support system, including family, friends, and membership in any formal groups
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- Do you have family members or friends nearby who help you out once in a while?
- Do you belong to a church, temple, mosque, women’s group, men’s group?
- Do you have a child in the local school or Head Start program?
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- The parent’s social skills and capacity to make and keep friends
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- Who can you call for advice or just to talk?
- How often do you see them?
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- The parent’s desire for new friends and social connections
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- What kinds of things do you like to do for fun or to relax?
- Would you be interested in meeting some other moms and dads who also (have a new baby, have a teenager, like to cook, sing in a choir)?
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- The parent’s potential strengths and challenges in making social connections (including concerns such as parent’s language, comfort level in groups, access to babysitting and transportation, recent arrival in community)
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- What are some benefits of getting out or joining a group?
- What kind of support would you need in order to be able to get out for an evening?
- How does your spouse or partner help out so that you have some time with friends?
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- Needs that might be met with better social connections (for instance, respite care, a sympathetic listener, a role model)
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- Would it help you to have more friends or acquaintances to call about _______?
- Would it help you to know other moms and dads who are dealing with _______?
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- The parent’s interest in starting or facilitating a community group
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- What would it take to get a group of parents together to _______?
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Tags: advice, Children, Parenting, parents, Social Connections
This entry was posted
on Sunday, October 24th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Parenting Tips, Strengthening Families and Communities, Working with Families: The Five Protective Factors.
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