Assessment Interviewing that Builds a Consensus Engaging Families Step

Ensuring Child Safety through Partnership

Assessment Vs. Investigation Assessment: Not just about who done it! Looks at family as a whole Looks for strengths & challenges Assessing for Safety

Engaging Families Getting in the Doo r

1. Family is defensive 2. Family doesn’t feel confident or competent 3. Family doesn’t trust system 4. Family doesn’t tolerate long-term stresses 5. Family gets discouraged with set-back Barriers So Assessment has to be Different!

1. Family needs their intent acknowledged 2. Family needs existing skills noticed/amplified 3. Family needs to hear that lack of trust is OK 4. Family needs to feel immediate hope for change 5. Family needs to know set-backs will occur Remedies

Culture’s Impact on Engaging Families Extended kinship systems Spiritual practices/beliefs Traditional Health Practices Confidentiality practices Historical oppression and mistrust View of professionals Recent dislocation or trauma Gender and authority roles Legal status

Let’s Sort this out … Assessment Interview  Normalizing  Recognize Positive Intentions  Tracking family life  Search for Exceptions Consensus Summary

Thinking Developmentally Normalizing

Practice Makes Perfect Normalizing

Thinking Developmentally Separating Intentions from Actions

1.Generate one comment that you could make to the family that would normalize the challenges they are facing with their child? 2.Generate one comment that you could make to the the family about their intentions (versus their actions) that would tell them you see them for more than their worst behavior. Engaging Families: Practice Building toward a Consensus

GETTING SPECIFIC Tracking The Big Picture

Thinking Developmentally Mining for protective capacities (strengths)

Tracking Asking About Exceptions

Practice Pulling it all Together Consensus Summary:

Building a Consensus regarding the “Problem” Repeat the developmental challenge Tactfully interrupt to re-state situational definitions Use history to create a context for the problem Concur with statements that express home Reflect statements that say the old way isn’t working Summarize a consensus for a new Plan for Family and Individual Concerns and ask for feedback.

Building a Consensus regarding the “Problem”

Repeat the developmental challenge Tactfully interrupt to re-state situational definitions Use history to create a context for the problem Concur with statements that express home Reflect statements that say the old way isn’t working Summarize a consensus for a new Plan for Family and Individual Concerns and ask for feedback.

Summary  Thinking Developmentally helps build more of a Consensus  Consensus leads to better Engagement  Engagement lays the groundwork for better Partnerships  Partnerships lead to better outcomes of Safety and Sustainable Change