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Partnering With Parents

Approaching parents as the experts on their own children, listening openly to their concerns and perspectives, and seeking solutions with them (rather than providing for them) helps foster a trusting relationship between service providers and parents.

When service providers work with parents in a spirit of true partnership, mothers, fathers, and other caregivers are more likely to invite and welcome providers' support in evaluating needs, developing goals, and identifying effective ways to strengthen the family and provide care for children.

Key Guide Points for Partnering With Families Casey Family Programs & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2001) Considerations for an organization's advance planning for partnering with families, initial meeting(s) or early encounters, and working together in the long term. Definition of Family-Driven Care (Word - 558 KB) Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (2008) Definition, guiding principles, characteristics, and web references for more information.

Building Skills for Leadership (Meaningful Parent Involvement) Teleconference
FRIENDS National Resource Center For Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2006)
Presentations on successful training models and practices to involve parents and other adults in a meaningful way in civic engagement. Resources include handouts and audio files.

Circle of Parents^®
A collaboration of Prevent Child Abuse America and the National Family Support Roundtable, Circle of Parents provides training and technical assistance around parent leadership and resources on parent involvement.

Engaging Families as Experts: Collaborative Family Program Development (PDF - 168 KB)
Fraenkel
Family Process, 45(2), 2006
Describes 10 steps to engage families in the development and implementation of community-based programs, including a discussion of family contributions to program development and an illustration of a program developed with family engagement.

Families as Primary Partners in Their Child's Development and School Readiness (PDF - 532 KB)
Annie E. Casey Foundation & Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (2004)
Toolkit provides guidance, resource materials, and references to assist communities in working with families as primary partners in their child's development and school readiness.

National Parent Leadership Month Tool Kit
Parents Anonymous (2003)
Resources to describe and demonstrate parent leadership, ways to identify potential partners, suggestions for activities and community involvement, sample letters and proclamations, tips for working with the media, and more.

Parent Engagement in State Policy and Planning: A Directory of Opportunities for Parents to Get Involved in State Policy and Planning (PDF - 144 KB)
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT (2004)
Describes State agency efforts to involve parents in the design, implementation, evaluation, and oversight of policy and programs that affect children and families in Rhode Island. Provides information on ways to gain meaningful parent involvement and engage and sustain parent voices.

Parental Involvement Tool Kit (PDF - 453 KB)
Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (2003)
Includes five modules geared toward program planners and administrators interested in starting parental involvement programs or adding parental involvement components to existing youth programs.

Pathways to Meaningful Shared Leadership
Parents Anonymous^® Inc. (2005)
Helps staff within public or private programs and large systems to incorporate shared leadership strategies into their work with families and to assist parents in taking on leadership roles within their communities, schools, social service programs, and other settings.

The Power of Questions: Building Quality Relationships With Infants and Families
ZERO TO THREE (2001)
View Abstract
Explores how direct service leaders and staff can use reflective approaches to establish quality relationships with families.

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: Parent-Provider Partnerships in Child Care
ZERO TO THREE (2006)
View Abstract
Training curriculum to help childcare providers promote positive parenting and healthy social-emotional development in children by building protective factors into their programs.

Working With Families Right From the Start
Massachusetts Department of Social Services
Resources and publications on this project aimed at improving the department's engagement and involvement with families.

	Related Information Gateway Topics Highlights: Engaging families Family-centered practice: Family engagement and involvement Systemwide: Service improvement/systems reform—Guiding principles of Systems of Care

Updated on April 3, 2009