Section 4 Family Assessment for a Child Determined Eligible

Key Points Family assessment provides important information that: promotes the development of meaningful IFSP outcomes and, informs the strengths and needs that are related to the 3 global outcomes 2

Key Principles Addressed 1.Infants and toddlers learn best through every day experiences and interactions with familiar people in familiar contexts 2.All families, with the necessary supports and resources, can enhance their children’s learning and development 3.The primary role of the service provider in early intervention is to work with and support the family members and caregivers in a child’s life 4.The early intervention process, from initial contacts through transition, must be dynamic and individualized to reflect the child’s and family members’ preferences, learning styles and cultural beliefs 3

Purpose of Family Assessment An essential practice for assessment and intervention in natural environments is the identification of the routines, activities, and events that occur regularly for children and families at home and in the community. Gathering information about where families go, what they do, when they do it, and how they engage in the tasks of everyday life is pivotal to the identification of authentic outcomes and the initiation of intervention that has the likelihood of making a difference. (Bernheimer & Keogh, 1995;Bernheimer & Weismer, 2007; McWilliam & Scott, 2001) 4

Family Assessment Is: The responsibility of the CCB EI Program; Voluntary on the part of each family member participating in the assessment; For the purpose of determining the resources, priorities and concerns of a parent or other family member related to the enhancement of his or her child’s development; and, Conducted for an eligible child prior to the development of the initial IFSP 5

Required Components of Family Assessment are: Use of an appropriate family assessment tool conducted by personnel trained to utilize the tool; Facilitation of a personal, conversational interview with the parent and/or caregiver, which: o Is used for the purpose of understanding the priorities and routines of the family; o Is unbiased and non-judgmental; o Uses open-ended questions to support the sharing of information; and, o Is conducted in person. 6

Family Assessment Structure in GO 4 IT Communities Family assessment conducted after eligibility is established Separate meeting with most likely provider Evaluation and assessment information and Family assessment inform: o Individual Child and Family IFSP Outcomes o 3 Global Outcomes During family assessment information gathered is related to the 3 global outcomes 7

Roles in Family Assessment Who can facilitate? Service Coordinator or Provider o Must be trained on facilitation of tool o Must use protocol Who can record? Service Coordinator or Provider o Capture good “meaty” information o Record within routines Who can ask questions? Facilitator guides the process o asks questions from the protocol and follow up questions as needed Additional participants ask follow up questions o Obtains further information about the child’s participation All questions are open-ended questions, not solely focused on developmental skills 8

Combining Family and Child Assessment The most likely provider can score a child assessment tool, such as the MEISR-COSF, during the family assessment. The family assessment drives the process, not the child assessment tool This only works with really good, thorough family assessment Aids in determining the Global Outcomes ratings 9

A Common Thread Among Family Assessment Tools Conversational Interviewing! 10

Conversational Interviewing It’s Easy When You’re Fascinated with What They Have to Say! Are you prepared with all the questions that you are going to ask? Do you have a good idea of what answers you are going to get? YES? o Then you aren’t participating in conversational interviewing! 11

Structure of the Interview Opening or Greeting o Greet the interviewee with a smile o Thank them for agreeing to talk with you o Say something to build rapport “Can you believe this weather?” “Wow, your flowers are beautiful!” You want this to feel as much like a conversation as possible Purpose and Providing Information o Explain the purpose of the meeting Why the meeting is taking place The expected result of the conversation Any “ground rules” that need to be covered o Timelines o Interruptions Mention that you will be taking notes 12

Structure of the Interview, cont. During the interview o Ask the open-ended question, then Listen Listen! o Acknowledge what the person is saying Facial expressions Head nods “Uh huh” “Hmm” o Listen for clues that there is more to what they are saying Body Language Non-verbal cues o Probe for more information “Could you please tell me more about that?” “Can you give me an example of what you mean by that?” 13

Structure of the Interview, cont. Taking Notes o Write down as much useful information as you can o Remember that you will be reviewing your notes after the interview Closing o Thank the interviewee for their time and for sharing the information o Ask for permission to follow up as needed o Explain the next steps of the process Post Interview o Review your notes immediately o Add clarifying information if necessary o Document results of interview 14

The Scale for Assessment of Family Enjoyment within Routines (SAFER) Strengths o Structured questions help guide the facilitator o Good fit with the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) process o Helps develop conversational interviewing skills o Easier to train to proficiency o Enhanced instructions already developed Concerns o More difficult to follow the lead of the family o May not gather enough information about the concerns of the family 15

Let’s Take a Closer Look at the SAFER Designed to develop functional intervention plans Identifies the independence, engagement and social competence of the child Identifies the concerns and priorities of the family IFSP outcomes generated are: o Functional Identify the useful skills the child needs to succeed in his typical environment o Transdisciplinary Do not focus on one specific developmental domain or provider type Do not have to be addressed by a professional of a specific discipline 16

SAFER Enhanced Instructions Power Point format Overview of tool Page by page instructions for administration o Use of the guidance questions o Documentation instructions o Suggestions for individualization of guidance and follow up questions o Transitioning to the next activity Found on EI Colorado website under “Family Assessment” May be used in training 17

Example of SAFER Enhanced Instructions Instructions for Administration: Page 1 This page provides general information and instructions for use of the SAFER as a tool for family assessment Family assessment is conducted only with the agreement of any family member participating Important points: o Questions under each routine are guidance questions only o Professionals are encouraged to develop additional questions to follow up and gain additional information about the unique experiences of each family o Questions for childcare are included for those families whose children participate in caregiving environments outside of their immediate family o Family responses to guidance questions are documented in narrative format o Concerns noted by the family are documented (stars may be used to identify concerns) o Each routine is rated on a 1-5 scale, with one noting “not at all satisfied”, and 5 noting “very satisfied” o After the completion of the tool, the family identifies which of their concerns they would like to have addressed as IFSP outcomes 18

A Cold Fact About Family Assessment For each routine or time of day, the following characteristics of the child’s participation should be identified: o E – Engagement How engaged and interested is the child in what is happening? o I – Independence How much does the child do by themselves within the activity? o SR – Social Relationships How is the child interacting with those around him during that time of day? A new acronym – EISR (pronounced icer). These characteristics can be measured using the MEISR-COSF 19

Activity 4.1 Strengths and Needs Identified through Family Assessment Josie 20

Final Thoughts Taking the time to learn about the life of a family and the participation of their child within the typical activities of their day o Requires a shift in thinking o Takes time o Requires good conversational and listening skills o Builds relationships o Gives us information that can’t be gained in any other way! 21