Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program April 5, 2010 Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development 1 PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN ILLINOIS Module 2 – Voluntary Family Engagement

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Objectives Demonstrate authenticity in your role as a DR Specialist or SSF Worker. Demonstrate honesty and directness in your communications with clients. Demonstrate how to communicate warmth, concern, caring and respect for the client as a human being during the interview. Describe how it might be to walk in the shoes of the client and communicate your understanding of the clients experience through reflections, etc. Describe the parents emotional reactions to CW intervention. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program DR Specialist Job Tasks Interview reporter (within 24 hours) Make diligent efforts to locate/contact the family by telephone to schedule the initial in- home family visit within 24 hours Complete comprehensive SACWIS and other database background checks Contact the assigned SSF agency to coordinate the joint visit with the family Enter contact notes into SACWIS file within 24 hours of contact April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Initial Contact w/ the Family Joint visit by the DR Specialist and the SSF Worker Must occur in the familys residence within three days Participative Engagement of all family members by both workers Thorough explanation and discussion of differentiating investigations April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Fatherhood Video What would be your challenges with engaging these fathers?

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program The Initial Knock on the Door If you bring peace, youll get peace April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Observations? Feelings reflected and the underlying worries? What might the parents feel or experience? April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program The Initial Contact: Demonstrate and Strive for… Respect Clarity Simplicity Warmth, genuineness Patience (roll with resistance) Helpfulness Acceptance Rapport April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Initial Contact Considerations Does parent understand? Is the child safe? Is parent in agreement with voluntary participation? Is the case suitable for DR? April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Initial Contact – Triad Activity DR Specialist & SSF Worker –Knock on the door –Introduce yourselves to family member –Explain DR involvement –Help family understand April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Debriefing Questions? Concerns? Document contact on a Word document: –Who –What –Where –How April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Assumptions Activity Objectives 1.To demonstrate how we make assumptions/judgments about people based on ethnicity, gender, dress, body language and other factors that are a result of our learning and conditioning. 2.Show how we identify with people who we assume are most like ourselves. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program What assumptions can you make about me? College graduate/degree in what area/favorite subject? Kind of car/year/color? Where living? Where born? What school attended/private or public? Married/single/a significant other? Children/number of children? Religious affiliation? Ancestry? Ethnicity? Languages spoken? Hobbies? Person most admire? Favorite vacation spot? Profession/if could choose, what would it be? Family size (only child, oldest)? April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program What assumptions can you make? Find someone you least know and without talking to her/him, spend about 5-7 minutes looking her/him over, making and recording assumptions about that individual. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Assumptions Activity (Contd) How did you come up with your assumptions? How often do you make assumptions based on your personal choices? If you are wrong, how does that impact… –You? Your team? The agency? –The client? April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Diffusing Stereotypes Small Group Activity Designate a spokesperson Generate the following: –Two examples when a group member was stereotyped incorrectly (ethnicity, race, gender, age, etc.). –Two examples when a group member incorrectly stereotyped someone else. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Diffusing Stereotypes Activity Debriefing Spokesperson Reports April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program An awareness of what we do wrong is the first step toward changing that behavior. The same applies to thought processes such as stereotypical thinking. Continue to work on conquering stereotypes you still hold. Get into the habit of shoving that first thought aside. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program Engagement - Summary Demonstrate authenticity in your role as a DR Specialist or SSF Worker. Demonstrate honesty and directness in your communications with clients. Demonstrate how to communicate warmth, concern, caring and respect for the client as a human being during the interview. Demonstrate how to overcome assumptions / judgments about people based on ethnicity, gender, dress, body language and other factors that are a result of our learning and conditioning. April 5, Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development