Hope flourishing: The rise of the researcher-professional and the NDIS Assoc. Prof. Christine Johnston ECIA National Conference Melbourne, 2016

“Hope can arrive only when you recognise that there are real options and that you have genuine choices. Hope can flourish only when you believe that what you do can make a difference, that your actions can bring a future different from the present. To have hope, then, is to acquire a belief in your ability to have some control over your circumstances. You are no longer entirely at the mercy of forces outside yourself.” Groopman, 2004, p. 26

Hope and the NDIS: Viability of services Ensuring the integrity of best-practice principles Further professionalisation of the field … the three are closely related

How will families choose?

Will choosing services be any different?

The answer. We need (super)heroes The answer? We need (super)heroes! The rise of the researcher-professional

Five steps to transformation: Identifying and implementing what is needed for transformation Redefining the role of mentoring Action research Instructional rounds Spreading the news

What is evidence-based practice? “…the integration of clinical expertise, patient values, and the best evidence into the decision making process for patient care.” (Sackett,1997)

How do we do this in an environment of: Bill-able hours? Scarce resources? We do it because we have to!!!! We do it because it means: practice is evidence based families know what we do and why.. (aka advertising!)

But… research must be meaningful!

“As practitioners, it is our responsibility to measure what we do and the outcomes for all patients to create an even richer database of clinical scenarios to improve (practice) guidelines. Thus, we return to practice informing research, and research informing practice. They are an inseparable team and neither element is complete on its own.” Swisher (2010)

Instructional rounds: As stated by City, Elmore, Fiarman and Teitel (2009) instructional rounds are a disciplined way for educators to work together to improve instruction. … what might this mean for ECI?

The process of Instructional Rounds identification of the problem of practice Observation of intervention and learning observation debrief Focus on next level of work (From Johnston, Brooks, Humphries, Gould-Drakeley & Elling, 2015)

BUT, think about: The purpose The audience How people will find out about it Where it will be available How it will be available

The impact of perspective and bias – professionals and families

I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are WHAT and WHY and WHEN And HOW and WHERE and WHO. Rudyard Kipling