306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies Engaging Youth and Families on Advisory Boards

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Overview Be aware of the importance of engaging youth and parents on advisory boards; Know the cycle of youth and family engagement on advisory boards; Understand tools and techniques that are helpful for engaging and supporting youth and families on advisory boards; 2

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Overview (cont.) Know common challenges and barriers related to engaging youth and families on advisory boards; and, Understand the perspectives of youth and families that have served on advisory boards. 3

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center What does the Research Say? Builds a sense of belonging and connection to their communities; Creates civic awareness and action; Experience a sense of mastery and self-efficacy; Child safety actually improved when the family is connected strongly to the community and not the child welfare system; 4

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center What does the Research Say? (cont’d) Professionals view input as essential; More energized and committed to the organization; Helped clarify and focus the organization’s mission; and More attuned to the needs of the community. 5

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Keys to Fostering Youth and Parent Engagement Support; Youth/Parent-friendly environment; Opportunities to complete meaningful tasks; and Opportunities to learn and use new skills. 6

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Using the Roadmap Readiness Assessment RecruitmentSelectionOrientation Support and Mentoring Monitoring and Continuous Quality Improvement 7

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Readiness Assessment Focuses on the needs and values of the board – both professional and personal Assesses several key areas: –Board needs; –Leadership needs; –Board policies and procedures; and –Board diversity. 8

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Recruitment Develop a strategic recruitment plan: –Who do you need? –Where can you find youth and parents? –What are some potential challenges and their solutions? –What are your benchmarks? 9

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Develop a Recruitment Plan Individually or with other colleagues from your agency: –Think about who you need (or would need) on an agency advisory board. –Where would you find these people? –How would you engage and recruit them? –What are some potential challenges and solutions? –Develop a recruitment plan with three outcomes. 10

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Selection Interviews Realistic job descriptions Background clearances Succession planning Focus on diversity 11

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Orientation Roles and responsibilities Mentorship Training Connections Strategic Sharing 12

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Support and Mentoring Before, during, and after meetings Sharing meeting rules Clarifying expectations and roles Meeting logistics 13

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center How much can I handle? 14

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Monitoring How will we know we are successful? Logic models Who monitors what? How will we measure success? What tools will we use? 15

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center A Tale of Two Boards How are youth/parents participating on the board? How do you think they feel? How do you think the other committee members feel? What about the advisory board structure will enable or hinder youth/parent participation? How would you implement changes to deal with barriers? 16

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center The Youth and Parent Engagement Checklist What are your board’s or organization’s strengths? Areas needing improvement? 17

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Key Advice from the Experts Chris Nobles, Youth Ambassador Denise Hoffman, Parent Ambassador – 18

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Moving Forward Questions and Answers Next steps in recruiting, training, and supporting parents and youth on your advisory board Sources for support 19

306: Youth and Family Engagement Strategies The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center Resources This presentation was adapted from the free publication: –Say Y.E.S. to Youth: Youth Engagement Strategies, Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension 20