1. Community and Family Studies
ACHPER NSW
Community and Family Studies
HSC Enrichment Days
2016
Parenting and Caring

2. Learning intentions We are learning to:
Review the roles of parents and carers
Describe the preparations which might be required for parents and carers to fulfil their roles
Assess the impact that preparations have on the wellbeing of the dependant
Identify various types of support for parents and carers
Explain how formal and informal support assists parents and carers to prepare for their roles
What we are looking for:
By the end of this session students should be able to develop a response to the two focus questions below;
Assess the impact preparations can have on the wellbeing of the dependant. (8 marks)
How can different types of support assist parents or carers to prepare for their roles? (8 marks)
Explain the learning intentions – link to syllabus in student booklet on page____
The focus of the workshop is not on the roles of parents and carers. It is assumed that students will come to the workshop with the prior knowledge and ability to be able to outline the roles of parents and carers.
Complete activity 1 and 2 in booklets (5 minutes). Seek answers from the student group.
Students identify the syllabus content related to the focus questions. Answers include;
Roles of parents and carers
Preparations for becoming a parent or carer
Types of support for parents and carers
2. Students define the HSC glossary and self explanatory terms – assess and how. Answers include;
Assess = make a judgement of quality/outcomes (impact)
How = in what way, to what extent or degree

3. Snapshot of the roles of parents and carers
Satisfy 1
Specific needs
Explain that “Roles 123” could be used as a memory tool for the roles of parents and carers as part of students study notes. They might also like to use the visual diagram as a way of remembering the basic syllabus terminology.
Explain that both parents AND carers have these 3 roles and that they are all interlinked together. When a dependants specific needs are satisfied it is easier to build a positive relationship with them and ultimately promote their wellbeing.
Complete Activity 3 (10 minutes including answer time)
Have students complete the matching activity to review their knowledge of these roles. Inform students that they are to think of their own example for the blank boxes provided and match it like all the others.
Let students share their examples with a partner before asking a few students to share their example/s with the group. (Suggested answers below)
Extension: enquire further into students knowledge by asking them to think about each example and identify the specific type of parent or carer and/or the specific need being satisfied and/or the factor affecting wellbeing. (Refer to bracketed text in answers below for suggestions).
Activity 3 answers.
These are suggested answers only, others may apply but students should be challenged to justify their matches.
Paying for own children to attend private school > Parent > satisfying the specific needs of the dependant (education)
Making it possible for a relative, who uses a wheelchair, to access church every Sunday> Carer > promoting the wellbeing of the dependant (spiritual factor)
Spending class time getting to know about student’s interests and weekend activities > Carer (teacher) > building a positive relationship with the dependant
Buying groceries and making dinner each night for 4 biological children > Parent > satisfying the specific needs of the dependant (adequate standard of living)
Assisting a child to develop a resume and apply for a job > Parent/Carer > satisfying the specific needs of the dependant (employment)
Arranging social outings for residents in an aged care facility > Carer > promoting the wellbeing of the dependant (social factor)
Parents
Carers
Roles
123 2
Positive
Relationships 3
Wellbeing
Promote
Build

4. Formal < What am I? > Informal
Types of support - Share your own definitions and/or use the ones provided below for the two types of support – informal and formal.
Informal supports are people who are part of a individual’s social network and familiar to the individual. The support they provide is less structured and they often relieve some of the financial cost of using formal support services. A lot of the time the communication is casual and based on goodwill.
Formal supports are typically individuals, organisations or agencies that provide a structured service and on first use people providing the service may be unfamiliar to the individual. They are often operated by either governments, private businesses or charities. Formal groups usually have a set purpose. A lot of the time the communication is planned and documented and based on a fee for service or non for profit/donation basis.
Complete Activity 4A and 4B (5-10 minutes depending on method chosen – refer to presenters webinar for suggested method of facilitating activity 4A, B and C)
Provide each student with a What am I? card. Students read the description on their cards and have to state whether they think it is an informal or formal type of support, identify the specific example described and give reasons for their answers. Students can choose to complete the ‘what am I’ table in their booklets.
This activity can be repeated by swapping cards with a partner if time allows.
Complete Activity 4C (5 minutes)
Refer to presenters webinar for a suggestion on how this activity could be facilitated.
Possible Examples (Students can list almost anything under both headings provided it offers some form of support and they can justify how it supports parents or carers in some way);
PARENTS
Birthing education classes, Centrelink, Financial institutions, Hospitals, doctors, Day care centres, day care teachers, Schools, school teachers, Relationships counselling, Sporting facilities, Babysitters, Family, Relatives, Neighbours, Friends, Health professionals, Paediatricians, Online forums/courses, Charity organisations – St Vincent De Paul Society, meals on wheels
CARERS
Specialists, Educational institutions - Universities, TAFE, Carers support groups, Carers Australia, Respite care, Neighbours, Employers, Counsellors, Financial institutions, Centrelink, Government funding, Relatives, family members, Friends, Social groups, Online forums/courses, Health professionals, Personal trainers, fitness classes, Occupational therapists

5. What if… Preparations Preparations You knew nothing about smartphones
Enhance knowledge and skills
You had limited income
Organise finances
Presenter note: do not spend too much time on this, it’s a basic introduction and the main aim is to connect the concept of ‘preparations’ to students lives and what is relevant to them e.g. mobile phones. There is nothing in the student booklet on this, so if you think you wont have enough time to get through everything then simply skip this slide altogether.
Propose the following scenario to students - You have just become the owner of your first smart phone. What if….. (bring up slide boxes and read out aloud as per animation). Presenter can elect to do this as a closed discussion e.g. partner activity OR an open discussion e.g. ask students to call out ideas
After discussion click to remove the image from the slide and relate each ‘what if’ back to the following parenting situation – You have just become a parent of a newborn.
What if… you knew nothing about parenting/children – enhance knowledge and skills
What if… you had no income, wanted to be a stay at home parent, or were a sole parent – organise finances
What if… you didn’t have a cot, baby clothes, a baby car seat, child safety barriers – modify physical environment
What if… you have no friends with children – change health behaviours eg. make social connections with other parents
You didn’t have a charger, phone cover, or electricity connected to your house
Modify physical environment
None of your friends have mobile phones
Change health behaviours

6. Changing health behaviours Organising finances
Preparations for becoming a parent or carer
Changing health behaviours
Organising finances
Modifying the physical environment Enhancing knowledge and skills
Explain the acronym for students to remember the preparations for becoming a parent or carer.
Briefly define each preparation and provide examples. (Suggestions below). It may save some time to question students on this content first rather than the presenter just providing the information below. Students may already have a good understanding of each preparation.
Note: Other examples can be provided or added to the following information.
Changing health behaviours – this includes making changes to your nutritional habits, physical activity levels, social or spiritual connections. Examples include – ensuring you have a balanced diet, increasing your intake of vitamins and minerals e.g. folic acid, iron before and during pregancy, reducing or ceasing caffeine or alcohol consumption, quit smoking. Joining a gym or exercise group, starting a fitness program, changing the way you lift objects/people, joining carers groups, connecting with others in the same or similar situation, making new friendships, reducing or increasing social outings, joining online communities or social networks.
Organising finances – this can include looking at how much you have in savings, reviewing the income you are bringing in from employment or other financial arrangements such as parenting payments, child support, government support, planning a budget to cover expenses e.g. rent, mortgage, other payments you may need to make to manage your responsibilities e.g. before and after school care for a carer who works long hours but has their own children, or for parents who work outside of school hours and have no flexible working arrangements or informal support.
Modifying the physical environment – this can include looking at what resources you currently have available to you and making a list of specific equipment that may need to be purchased or sourced. Making changes to the amenities or spaces within a house or building e.g. daycare centre, altering or adding structures to the existing house or building to prepare for parenting or caring, relocating e.g. purchasing a bigger house, moving an elderly parent from independent living into an aged care facility.
Enhancing knowledge and skills – this can include engaging in education and training through school, tafe, university, or a community course. It could include speaking with friends, family or acquaintances who know more about things than yourself, could involve volunteering to gain more experience on the job, could involve reading books, articles or accessing information on the internet through websites or forums. Seeking information and advice from a specialist, doctor or health professional, partaking in a short course or specialised program e.g. antenatal sessions, teachers professional development course on caring for students with autism.
Complete Activity 5
Refer to presenters webinar and student booklet for guidance on this activity. Possible answers for presenter reference have been provided in a separate document titled Act 5_scenarios_presenters answers.

7. Assisting parents and carers to prepare for their roles
The situation
The role/s
The support
requires
assists
needs
improves
The preparation
Explain the interrelationship between each of the four elements in the diagram
– the situation requires the preparation;
– the preparation needs the support;
– the support assists the role;
– the role improves the situation.
An example for Activity 6 is provided on the next slide.

8. Assisting parents and carers to prepare for their roles
What is the parenting or caring situation?
Belinda has been appointed to a full time position at a school for students with additional learning needs.
What is a preparation that is required?
Belinda requires knowledge and skills in managing students with additional needs as she was not provided with this training through her University course.
What is an example of a formal and/or informal support needed and how would it support the preparation?
Informal support from other teachers at the school and formal support through an organisation that provides professional learning courses would assist Belinda by improving her knowledge of strategies and her skills in providing effective education to students with additional needs. By observing, sharing ideas and strategies with other teachers and completing a professional learning course on additional learning needs Belinda would be better prepared to fulfil her role of meeting the specific educational needs of the children she will be teaching.
The presenters example has been provided in the student booklet, and is sitting behind the question boxes on this slide. Go through the scaffold of questions on the slide using the animations, and relate each question to separate parts of the paragraph, highlighting each of the elements from the square diagram. Students can be asked first to identify the sections of the paragraph in their booklets which relate to the colour coded questions OR the presenter can simply explain as they go through the slide animations and students can take notes in their booklets.
Presenter note: Explain to students that the grey section is an extra step that could help to demonstrate their understanding of wellbeing and the other roles of parents and carers, it is not necessarily a requirement for the focus question for this session but it is intended to further extend their thinking. Groups should aim for the green and blue text as a bare minimum for activity 6.
Students are to form groups based on the colour of their ‘what am I’ cards – each group must include at least one of each colour.
Complete activity 6
Presenter to explain the following steps to complete the activity.
1. As a group brainstorm a parenting or caring situation (You could use the scenarios from activity 5).
2. Decide on a preparation that would be required for the situation.
3. Discuss how this preparation could be supported e.g. what types of support might be needed in order to prepare in this way. (You can refer to your list from activity 4c for some ideas).
4. Select one support as an example and state which of the role/s of parents and carers this support would assist and explain how.
5. Write a brief paragraph that explains your groups example in the table provided in your booklets.
This scaffold of questions from the slide is provided in the student booklets as a reference.
If time permits this activity can be repeated by either - the same groups creating two more examples for their booklets or by rotating the students into new groups.
Which role of parents and carers would this assist? .
How does this improve the situation for the individuals involved?
By enhancing her knowledge and skills she will have more confidence as a teacher and be better equipped to build a positive relationship with her students. As a result her students will have a more positive wellbeing as they will feel valued and happier coming to class with a teacher who understands their needs.

9. If time allows – play Kahoot with students
If time allows – play Kahoot with students. Those students that don’t have access to a device or internet connection can be asked to write their answers down on paper.
You will need to search for the specific Kahoot quiz designed for this workshop – go to and sign in or create a user account.
Search for the Kahoot titled Parenting and caring – preparations and support by K_Rodo.
If the presenter has no internet connection, instruct students to check out the kahoot quiz later by referring to Take Home Activity 3