Exploring Strengths and Needs
Most parents are unlikely to use or identify with the words “concrete supports.” Instead, they might express a goal such as, “My family can access services when they need them.”
Working with parents to identify their most critical basic needs and locate concrete supports keeps the focus on family-driven solutions. As a partner with the family, your role may simply be making referrals to the essential services, supports, and resources that parents say they need.
| In order to explore . . . |
Ask the parent . . . |
- The parent’s view of the most immediate need
|
- What do you need to (stay in your house, keep your job, pay your heating bill)?
|
- Steps the parent has taken to deal with the problem
|
- How have you handled this?
- What kind of response have you gotten?
- Why is this working or not working?
|
- Ways the family handles other problems
- Current connections that might offer help for the new problem
|
- What has worked well in the past?
- Are there community groups or local services that have been or might be able to offer assistance?
- Do you belong to a faith community? Do you have a relationship with a pediatrician? Is your child enrolled at a local school?
|
- Other services and supports that would help the family
|
- Have you thought about _________ (local program that provides housing or food)?
- Did you know that _______ provides (free homework help, meals on weekends, low-cost child care)?
|
- The parent’s desire and capacity to receive new services, including completing applications, keeping appointments, and committing to the solution process
|
- What kind of help do you need to get to these appointments?
- When would be a good time for me to give you a call to see how it’s going?
|
Tags: advice, Children, Concrete Supports for Parents, Parenting, parents
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Parenting Tips, Strengthening Families and Communities, Working with Families: The Five Protective Factors.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
