Activity 1-1:
Family
Partnership Agreements



Purpose: To examine the process of working in partnership with families.

Preparation: For this activity you will need:

• Handout 1: Program Scenarios: Family Partnerships
  
• Handout 2: Family Partnership Agreements
  
• Newsprint/Markers/Tape

1. Introduce the activity. Explain that in this activity participants will examine the family partnership agreement process. Emphasize that programs and staff have joint responsibility for fostering effective working relationships with families.
   
2. Review the concept of family partnerships. Using the module's background information as a guide, discuss the purpose and characteristics of a family partnership. Ask the following questions to initiate the discussion:
   
   • Why are family partnerships important in your work with children and families?
     
   • What opportunities do you have to partner with families?
     
   • What makes an effective family partnership?
     
3. (a) Initiate a "round robin" discussion. Divide participants into four small groups. Distribute handout 1. Instruct everyone to read the first program scenario. Listing responses on newsprint, ask small group 1 to respond to the following questions:
   
   • Did staff initiate a staff-family partnership?
     
   • What activities did the family partnership focus on?
     
   • How did the family partnership assist or benefit the family? Staff? The program?
     
   • What would you have done differently to strengthen the family partnership?
     
   • What impact did the program's policies or procedures have on the staffs ability to form a family partnership?
     
   • What program policies or procedures would you change? Keep the same?
     
   (b) Ask the three remaining groups to take turns adding their thoughts or concerns to the first group's responses.
   
   (c) Repeat the process with the remaining scenarios, starting each time with a different small group.
   
4. (a) Discuss family partnership agreements. Using the background information as a guide, discuss the family partnership agreement process. Next, distribute handout. Then, reinforce that this is an ongoing process. Explain that families, not staff, determine the direction of the family partnership agreement.
   
   (b) Engage participants in comparing the activities in handout 2 to the activities they pursue with families.
   
5. Closing. When closing the activity, make the following points:
   
   • The family partnership agreement is an individualized, strengths based, family-driven process-one in which staff provide support to families in response to their interests, goals, strengths, and needs;
     
   • Family partnership agreements are ongoing;
     
   • The family is always the senior partner;
     
   • Each family partnership agreement is unique;
     
   • The family partnership agreement process requires program policies and procedures to guide and support professional staff practices; and
     
   • Whatever direction the family partnership agreement takes, it can be achieved by establishing strategies, responsibilities, and timetables.

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