1. The Steps of Change for Parents Involved with Child Welfare
For some clients, a significant experience is to help another parent up the ladder – look for this rare empowerng opportunity.
Able to Teach
Allow them to stretch, learn from mistakes, recognize their own progress.
Developing Skills
Practice under supervision
Be or arrange for a benevolent mentor, teacher via positive reinforcement.
Teach them in a mode that matches their needs. Have they seen someone do what it is we are asking them to do or to be?
Teaching, Modelling
Do they have the right information? Have they had an opportunity to learn ?
Gaining knowledge & understanding
What in their ecological setting imposes barriers to change? Utilize ‘Power with’ them to advocate for change.
Instrumental resources to make the change?
Do they believe they can? Assess resistance in light of hope and trust with us.
Confidence They Can Make the Change
Have we explained the problem in a way that they can hear & understand? Does the change have meaning for them? Have we scared them into ‘playing the game’?
Ground Floor : Seeing & Believing the Need for Change
R Pagnello, 2005