Handout 3:
A Six-Step Approach for Achieving Family Goals

Overview
Once the family's goals for the future are identified, staff should encourage parents to make them a reality. However, families have the right to decide when and how they want Head Start involved in their pursuit of family goals. Because Head Start families vary with regard to their interest or readiness for staff involvement in achieving family goals, staff must individualize their efforts with families, allowing for differences among families in their goals and approaches for achieving them. Any approach used should describe not only the family's goals, but also its strategies, responsibilities, and timetables. A six-step approach provides staff with a process for working w.ith families, other Head Start staff and community partners to help families achieve their goals. A six-step approach involves:

Step 1: Review Goal Statements and Incorporate Pre-Existing Plans
Now is the time to review the goal statements developed by the family to make sure that they are accurate and encompass the four characteristics of a clearly articulated and defined goal. Any plans for achieving family goals must build on, where appropriate, all prior agreements, including the Individual Family Service Plan, the Individual Education Plan, the Individual Health Plan, and plans developed with other community partners.

Step 1:

• Builds focus;
  
• Clarifies the goal; and
  
• Avoids duplication of effort or conflict with any pre-existing plans.

Step 2: Recognize Skills, Resources, and Supports
The staff-family partners identify family and community resources and supports that are available to help the family achieve its goal. The staff and family may ask other members to join the partnership and support the family in achieving its goals. At this step, the team should assess the skills of each team member. Step 2:

• Ensures that all skills, resources, and supports available for achieving the goal are considered.

Step 3: Identify Strategies
Step 3 is a time to identify concrete strategies for achieving the family goal. If the strategies developed seem large and complex, requiring several steps to accomplish, the strategies should be broken down into doable activities. Step 3:

• Creates a sense of accomplishment and success along the way;
  
• Builds team consensus; and
  
• Ensures that strategies are within the realm of possibility.

Step 4: Assign Responsibility
This step involves assigning responsibility for the identified strategies to team members based on their skills, resources, and supports. If there is a strategy that requires a skill that no team member possesses or a resource to which the team doesn't have access, the team focuses its attention on overcoming the barrier. Step 4:

• Creates a sense of ownership;
  
• Builds on strengths;
  
• Promotes the development of new skills and competencies;
  
• Distributes the work;
  
• Reduces the risk of team members becoming overwhelmed; and
  
• Makes follow-up and progress review manageable.

Step 5: Create a Timetable
After strategies are assigned, the team identifies the completion date(s) for each assigned strategy. Reasonable time frames for accomplishing the strategies are critical. Step 5:

• Holds the team accountable; and
  
• Makes progress review manageable.

Step 6: Provide Follow-up and Progress Review
Identifying goals is an ongoing process. Staff should review, record, and reinforce the family's progress toward goal achievement, providing additional support where appropriate. Step 6:

• Keeps team members on task and on time;
  
• Provides an opportunity to revisit and revise goal statements;
  
• Ensures program accountability;
  
• Recognizes family achievements; and
  
• Reviews provided services and referral outcomes.

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