1. Shared Leadership: Engaging Family Voices to Strengthen Families
Presented by:
Diana Autin, SPAN
Kathy Roe, Parents Anonymous
Sh’corah Yehudah, SPAN
On behalf of the
Prevention Subcommittee
of the NJ Task Force on
Child Abuse & Neglect
©Statewide Parent Advocacy Network 2005

2. Goals & Objectives
Assess readiness/gauge knowledge, skills and commitment to partner with families in prevention through shared leadership
Review family support & parent leadership theory & strategies
Provide opportunities to implement/practice effective strategies in family partnership

3. Introductions State your name and role within DPCP
Identify one thing you would like to learn/get out of your participation today

4. Experiences with Parent Leadership
Work in groups of 5
Discuss 3 positive & 3 negative experiences you have had to date in seeking to recruit and work with families
Capture on flip chart

5. Spectrum of Prevention
Level 1: Strengthening individual knowledge & skills
Level 2: Promoting community education
Level 3: Educating Providers
Level 4: Fostering coalitions & networks
Level 5: Changing organizational practices
Level 6: Influencing policy & legislation

6. Level 1: Strengthening individual knowledge & skills
Enhancing individual capability to prevent harm and promote wellness

7. Level 2: Promoting Community Education
Reaching groups of people with information & resources to promote health & safety and minimize harm

8. Level 3: Educating Providers
Informing providers who will transmit skills & knowledge to others

9. Level 4: Fostering Coalitions & Networks
Convening groups & individuals for broader goals & greater impact

10. Level 5: Changing organizational practices
Adopting regulations & shaping norms to improve outcomes

11. Level 6: Influencing Policy & legislation
Developing strategies to change laws & policies to influence outcomes

12. Examples of Spectrum Levels
Brainstorm one example of each level:
Individual capacity-building
Promoting community education
Educating providers
Fostering coalitions & networks
Changing organizational practices
Influencing policy & legislation

13. What is Family Support?
A set of beliefs & an approach to strengthening & empowering families & communities
Grassroots, community-based programs designed to promote family cohesion & prevent family problems
A shift in service delivery
A movement for social change

14. How does family support work?
Interventions are comprehensive and within the context of the family and the community
Interventions promote positive behaviors & outcomes, instead of just treating problems

15. How does family support work?
Interventions focus on family-identified needs & hopes, not the wishes of professionals
Interventions see the family as a part of its larger community

16. How does family support work?
Interventions help strengthen the family’s networks and use those networks as the major source of support

17. What is the goal of family support?
To help families learn and use the knowledge and skills they need to be effective as a family within their community

18. How can you tell if it’s family support?
Relationships are built on equality & respect
Families learn how to get what they need
Families are involved at every step of the way
Family strengths are recognized and built on

19. How can you tell if it’s family support?
The diversity and cultural, racial, and language identities of families are celebrated & affirmed
Communities are strengthened
There is advocacy for fair, responsive & accountable systems

20. BELIEFS: Family-Professional Partnership
Families & professionals work together in relationships based on equality & mutual respect
Families are partners on the individual, program, agency, & systemic levels

21. Family-Professional Partnership
Important techniques:
Active listening
Empathy
Sincere caring
Recognition & appreciation of existing knowledge & skills
Focus on strengthening knowledge & skills
Shared decision-making

22. BELIEFS: Empowering & Strengths-Based
Build on the knowledge & skills of families & communities
Help families realize their own strengths to promote the healthy development of their children

23. Empowering & Strengths-Based
Recognize that everyone has strengths
Create opportunities for learning & use of new skills & knowledge
Support self-efficacy, self-reliance, positive mental health, competency, mastery of skills: “assets-building”

24. Who is a parent leader?
Committed to making positive changes in his/her family, community, &/or system
Represents a parent voice, not a staff role

25. Shared leadership is important because:
Multiple perspectives & diverse strengths and talents are combined to achieve goals
Families know how systems really work “on the ground”

26. We learn leadership in many ways
Learn from others who serve as role models
Learn from formal training
“Just do it”

27. Practices of Exemplary Leadership
I. Challenging the process
II. Inspiring a shared vision
III. Enabling others to act
IV. Modeling the Way
V. Encouraging the heart
In pairs, answer “I acted this way when I…”

28. Why do parents get involved?
They believe the issue is important to them and their family
They believe they have something to contribute
They believe that they will be listened to and their contributions respected
They believe that their participation will make a difference

29. How do parents stay involved?
Multiple opportunities for participation, from a small contribution of time to progressively larger contributions of time and effort
The level of participation varies depending on life circumstances.

30. How do parents stay involved?
Families receive sufficient advance notice
Family participation is facilitated:
Child care
Transportation
Dinner
Compensation for time
Education & information in understandable language & formats
Mentoring/pairing with experienced family member

31. How do families stay involved?
Families are listened to; their ideas are supported & respected
Families do not experience retribution as a result of their participation
Family participation has an impact
Family participation is consciously & visibly appreciated

32. Pathways to Parent Leadership
Critical supports:
Contact with other parents in leadership roles
Opportunities to take on leadership roles, however small, & safe settings to practice them
Relationship with respected & trusted person who provides feedback & support
Sense of belonging

33. Ten Steps to Success
Commitment leading to participation, growth & change
A sense of belonging
Exposure to other parents who demonstrate leadership behaviors & are acknowledged as leaders
Recognition of the need to take action
Encouragement from others who view the parent as a leader

34. Ten Steps to Success Taking action
Receiving positive feedback & support from trusted others who “mirror back” the strengths & leadership skills displayed in earlier actions
Continuing to take action & receive supportive feedback
Growing stronger & more confident as a leader
Becoming a role model for other parents

35. Primary Supports needed
Tangible (stipends, provision of or reimbursement for childcare and transportation and reimbursement for lost wages).
Tangible supports allow parents to fully participate in parent leadership activities, without creating an economic burden on them.

36. Primary Supports needed
Emotional (respect, understanding, validation, and ongoing support to fulfill their parent leadership roles, including times of transition and crisis).
Emotional supports provide parent leaders with the encouragement they need to feel confident in their new parent leadership roles and to know that others will be there for them as they grow through these experiences

37. Primary Supports needed
Environmental (training, equality with service providers, and full inclusion in activities.
Environmental supports give parent leaders the tools and skills to achieve shared leadership through training in effective public speaking, media interviews, and co-training with staff which emphasize the full equality and inclusion of parent leaders in agency and organizational settings and activities.

38. Roles for parent leaders
What roles are available or might be created for parent leaders in New Jersey’s child welfare system change?
At the prevention program level
At the community level
At the county level
At the state level

39. Roles for parent leaders
Role model for other parents
Co-trainers
Contributor to materials
Participant at conferences, meeting
Paid consultant
Grant reviewer
Participant in evaluation & quality improvement activities

40. Roles for parent leaders
Participant in needs/strengths assessment processes
Advocate for individuals, families, programs, system change
Participant in focus groups
Advisory Board or Board member
Witness at public hearings
Public speaker
Media interviewee/spokesperson

41. Working together in shared leadership
Think of a time when you had a successful partnership to accomplish your goals…
What did you bring to the partnership?
What did your partner bring?
How did you know it was working?

42. Essential Elements of shared leadership
Mutual respect for skills & knowledge
Mutually agreed upon goals
Trust & honesty
Clear & open communication
Shared planning & decision-making

43. Essential Elements of shared leadership
Shared resources
Mutual sharing of information
Shared evaluation of progress
Commitment to shared leadership
Other elements?

44. Benefits of shared leadership
Benefits to:
Parent leaders
Staff
Families
Agencies
Larger society
Others

45. Why can’t we get “the parents?”

46. Barriers to shared leadership
Possible barriers
Lack of time
Lack of funds
Difficulties in creating roles
Language, literacy, knowledge barriers
Work status of parent leaders

47. Am I ready for shared leadership?
Do I really want to work in a shared leadership model?
Will my supervisor support me?
What policies and practices will be a problem?
What costs will be involved and how will I pay for them?
How does this fit my approach to working with parents now?

48. Am I ready for shared leadership?
How much time am I willing to commit?
What other help do I need?
What other tools and information do I need?
Is there anything else I should think about?

49. Are we ready for shared leadership?
How will we work in partnership with parent leaders to further our mission?
What successes have we had in working with parent leaders?
What policies & practices will support our work with parent leaders?

50. Are we ready for shared leadership?
What will it cost?
What resources will we commit?
What are opportunities to engage parent leaders at:
Community
County
State/systems level

51. Are we ready for shared leadership?
How will the Department, governor’s office, Child Welfare Panel, legislature support our work with parent leaders?
What specific staff will be assigned to support parent leaders?
What else should we think about/plan for?

52. Parents’ Panel Be thinking about:
How was this parent engaged? At what level(s)?
What was the impact of their engagement on their family? On other families? On the program?
How does this related to family support standards?

53. Overcoming the Barriers: Recruiting, Selecting, Supporting
Brainstorm places where Parent leaders might be recruited

54. Recruitment Prevention programs Parents Anonymous SPAN
Head Start Policy Councils
Community-based organizations
PTA
Churches, temples, mosques
Mental health, DD Councils
Other

55. Recruitment Strategies
Brainstorm strategies that might be useful in recruiting parents to work in Shared leadership roles

56. Recruitment Strategies
Word of mouth
Media stories
Referrals from staff in public & private agencies, schools, clinics
Radio/TV PSAs
Letters to editor
Articles in community, agency newsletters
Bulletin boards

57. Recruitment Strategies
Role descriptions:
Specific tasks & expectations
Critical expertise & experience
Available supports from staff & other parent leaders
Amount of time required
How expenses will be reimbursed

58. Selecting Parent Leaders
What things should you consider in identifying parents to serve as parent leaders?

59. Possible Selection Criteria
Currently in a parenting role
Experience as a program participant
Ability to relate to other parents
Can relate personal experiences to broader social issues
Ability to participate
Reflect the ethnic, cultural, gender, religious diversity

60. Providing Support
What tangible, emotional, & environmental supports can you provide initially and/or on an ongoing basis to parent leaders?

61. Examples of Support Child care Transportation
Reimbursement for lost wages
Information re: issues, systems, policies, practices, personnel so can participate from a fully formed perspective
Training
Clear information on responsibilities & decision-making authority

62. Creating an Action Plan
Objectives
Action Steps
Who’s responsible
Resources/Supports needed
Target Completion Date
How will we know it’s been achieved?
Date achieved

63. EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION: Collaboration with Families & Communities
Advisory groups, collaborations, & input foster family & community involvement
Families & communities are involved in all program activities: planning, governance, administration, & evaluation

64. EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION: Collaboration with Families & Communities
The engagement & support of families & communities is key to sustaining & funding family support programs
Participation ideas:
Focus groups
Family/community surveys
Follow-up questionnaires
Advisory groups
Participation of families & community representatives on boards of directors

65. Family Strengthening & Support: Critical for Child Welfare
The most effective way to keep our children safe & healthy is to ensure that their families are strong from the start.
The most effective intervention is promotion & prevention.
The best way to ensure policies, procedures & programs that work is to engage families from the beginning!