Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Strength based approaches to working with children and families Elaine Ogilvie – Research & Training Officer, PoPP team NES Dr Marita Brack – Programme Director, PoPP team NES

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Outline for Session What is a ‘strength based approach and why is it important?’ Why and how was this resource developed? Overview of some tools from Motivational Interviewing (MI) Exercise – contemplating change Introduction to Change Talk – video clip and group exercise Take home messages

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Learning Objectives To be introduced to Motivational Interviewing tools - 'OARS‘ To be able to observe the OARS being used to aid engagement To spot 'change talk'

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Why use a strength based approach? Forming a good relationship with our clients/service users – is the starting point for getting ready for change Parent and other service user feedback has identified that people want to be treated with empathy, warmth, respect, actively & genuinely listened to, not judged, empowered, and supported to think through decision making conversations with professionals whom they trust

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland What is involved in taking a strength based approach? using respectful, non-judgemental language understanding and expressing empathy for the reality of someone’s situation establishing a spirit of collaboration and partnership understanding what works best for each particular parent (and how ) highlighting areas of success affirming parents’ strengths and the resources from which they can draw support tuning into the parents’ values and high-level motivations to bring about positive outcomes for their children helping parents to identify their own goals, and the small steps towards them empowering parents to address barriers that stop them achieving their goals promoting a realistically positive and hopeful outlook working with the ambivalence that typically influences a parent’s readiness to change

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Connecting with Parents’ Motivations We’ve developed a Train the Trainer Model – Connecting with Parents’ Motivations and have trained 36 trainers across Scotland. Our aim is to improve parental engagement to PoPP groups so that more parents would access/more children would benefit from PoPP groups

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland 7 Open/Closed Questions Affirmations Reflections Summaries O.A.R.S.

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Imagine that you have observed a child in nursery, hitting out at another child. Let’s think how we could use open questions to start up a conversation with the child’s parent when the parent comes to pick their child up from nursery Open Questions exercise

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland 9 Open/Closed Questions Affirmations Reflections Summaries O.A.R.S.

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Making Effective Affirmations Make genuine statements of support about something specific and change-oriented that the parent has done Acknowledge the difficulties the parent is describing Notice and acknowledge a parent’s efforts strengths

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Example of using Affirmations to acknowledge efforts and values or commitment to a relationship To a Parent of a child who has emotional behavioural difficulties  ‘She lights up when she sees you’  ‘You work really hard at staying calm’ To a Young Person who has a chronic illness and a treatment plan/regime to engage with – but is struggling to do so  ‘You put a lot of thought into how to stay healthy and seem to care a lot about wanting to keep well’ To a person who is struggling to make progress with a lifestyle change  ‘ You’ve shown real commitment to your weight loss programme by coming along today, it is clear how much this matters to you – caring for your health is important to you’

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland 12 Open/Closed Questions Affirmations Reflections Summaries O.A.R.S.

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Reflections Can be used to demonstrate that the practitioner is listening Reflect back a short summary of what they have just heard Simple Reflections – Where the words used by the person are repeated as heard Paraphrase – What is heard is changed before being fed back, however captures the essence of the conversation

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Sample reflections to use with parents You’re saying it’s tough trying to keep on top of things You’re thinking that with everything your juggling right now, that this is all too much You’re struggling with being Kieran’s mum just now and the demands all of this places on you You’re not sure if you’re ready to take on changing everything just now You’re having a problem with getting the kids down to sleep at night So you are saying that you are having trouble…….. So you are saying that you are conflicted about …….. It sounds like you are not happy with…. It sounds like you are a bit uncomfortable about.... It’s been difficult for you…. It sounds like you are feeling…… So what I hear you saying is………………………. “Can I just check with you that what you are saying is…?” “Am I right in picking up that you…?”

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland S ummaries Reinforce what has been said Show that you have been listening carefully Help you check out your understanding Provide extra structure and coherence Prepare the person your talking to for moving on in the conversation Acknowledge feelings of ambivalence

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Exercise on Change Think about a change that you have considered making in your life (you do not need to share this) Imagine that we have the power to make you stay in the room until you make the decision about whether you will make the change you identified.

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Encouraging Change Talk Elaboration – Ask for more detail. Tell me a bit more about that? Examples – Ask for specific examples. What is that like for you or what does that look like in your house? Extremes – What do you think might happen if you do attend the parenting group? What are the worst things that can happen if you don’t attend? Balancing question - What are the good things that could come of it?

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Specific Types of Change Talk Reason for Change Capacity for Change (what resources you have to change) Desire to Change Ambivalence (Being in 2 minds)

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Video : Change Talk

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Take Home Messages The OARS are a useful way to aid engagement Parents/Patients/Service Users report that they value a strength based approach from professionals Ambivalence is normal when contemplating change Recognising and responding to change talk can help lead to a commitment to change

Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland Thank you for listening