Always remember that you are an invited guest in
the families’ homes. The Family Partnership Agreement Process that families
open their homes and allow us into their lives in such personal ways. The
family partnership agreement is a process rather than a form. This process
provides an opportunity to identify family. Think about the characteristics of
trusting relationships in your own life and the qualities goals and how the
families will achieve these goals. At the heart of the families that make them
unique—the feeling of partnership agreement process is the individual pittance,
being understood, and organization of Heart Start services having your needs
met. These are the same qualities that you want to bring to your relationships
with Individual families what makes partnership about feel agreements describe
families and understood? Goals, perhaps it is how responsibilities, a person
list-timetables, and strategies for achieving family goals you without judging,
gives you another perspective from which to view things. These agreements also
describe a family’s progress into achieving provides concrete help when you
need it. Goals they set. In the home -based program option, Maybe it is his or
her tone of voice, this agreement must include an empathy information just
mentioned and the esthetic ear, or simply a hug when the person senses that you
need it the most. Role of parents in home visits and group Consider
socialization experiences [how your interactions with families convey those
messages.
Give families the time they need to get comfortable
with you, with the home visiting process, and with the way that you will work
together. Each family you work with will move at a different pace. The first
couple of home visits provide an opportunity to establish rapport—a way of
being together that is comfortable, builds trust, and inspires honest
communication. It is often wise to let the relationship develop during the
first few home visits before you focus on specific issues such as the child’s
developmental screening or the completion of required forms or other paperwork.
Once you have established your relationship with the family, you are much more
likely to have meaningful conversations about child and family needs,
resources, strengths, and goals.
Familiarize yourself with principles of adult learning.
Adults learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process.
Parents decide their own goals for learning, share in the planning process, and
are equal partners in decision making. By demonstrating respect and confidence
in parents’ abilities, you help them discover their own solutions. Use a
Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program as a tool to introduce
families to your program. The Parent’s Guide includes three parts:
(1) Introducing Home-Based Programs, which
describes what a home-based program is and what parents can expect;
(2) You and Your Home Visitor, which explores how
families work with you to best support their child’s development; and
(3) Everyday Moments are Learning Moments, which
offers ideas for how parents can help their children learn by using objects and
materials in their home. You can use the Parent’s Guide to explain your home
visiting program and how you and the family will work together. Use the space
provided in the Parent’s Guide to personalize it with important information
such as your name and contact number as well as the day and time of your home
visits and socialization experiences.
Recognize that who you are as a person—your
temperament, past experiences, family and cultural values, and current life
circumstances—shape how you respond to the families in your program. Some
families will “click” with you right away, and others might not feel like a
good match. Talk openly with your supervisor about the reactions you have to
the families with whom you work. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to feel. It
is normal and expected that each family will elicit different kinds of feelings
in you. Your supervisor can help you to better understand your own reactions to
the families and can help you develop strategies that use this self-awareness
to enrich your professional development. The family partnership agreement does
not have to be a written document. The focus is on relationship-building, not
on record keeping. You can creatively document the family partnership agreement
process and keep track of how families are making progress toward their goals
through activities such as journals, video or audiotape recordings, or written
plans. Each family partnership agreement will be different because it is
individualized to meet family needs and goals. Your job is to document the
process in a way that is meaningful to you and the family and in a way that (a)
demonstrates to others how you have thoughtfully engaged the family in this
process and (b) allows you to effectively track change over time.
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