Order 1029111: Family-centred practices

1 7 1

Family-Centred Practice for Inclusive Early Years Education

9

Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

The focus of this chapter is describing family-centred practice and explaining how it can be successfully integrated into the work of early years professionals in all inclusive early years settings.

Learning goals for this chapter include:

› Defining family-centred practice;

› Understanding the fundamental components of family- centred practice;

› Examining the effect of family-centred practice on families;

› Determining the place of family-centred practice in the Early Years Learning Framework;

› Considering what it means to be family-centred early years professionals.

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

effective help-giving

family-centred practice

family–professional partnership

individualised practice

social support

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Introduction Since the publication of the seminal work Enabling and Empowering Families

(Dunst, Trivette & Deal, 1988) family-centred practice has been considered ‘best

practice’ in the fi eld of early childhood intervention for young children with

disabilities and their families. In this chapter we will make clear how family-

centred practice can be an integral part of inclusive early years settings for all

children and their families. In order to do this we will fi rst describe what is

meant by family-centred practice, outlining its fundamental components and

practices; in doing so we will refer to key international and Australian research

with children and families.

In the second section we will focus on how we do family-centred practice,

by outlining what inclusive family-centred early years education means

for families, by explaining how being family-centred relates to the national

curriculum, The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) (Department of

Education, Employment & Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009a), and, fi nally,

by describing what it is to be a family-centred early years professional. We

will use examples of children and families in inclusive early years settings to

illuminate our key points.

Family-centred practice The term family-centred practice arose in the 1980s from early intervention

programs in the United States and gradually spread to Australia. It refers to both

the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of service delivery and specifi cally it encompasses a

‘particular set of beliefs, principles, values and practices for supporting and

strengthening family capacity to enhance and promote child development and

learning’ (Dunst, 2002, p.139).

Family-centred practice is the hallmark of family support programs as it

implies that families have the ultimate control over decisions about their children

(Allen & Petr, 1996; King, King, Rosenbaum, & Goffi n, 1999). It recognises the

family as constant in the child’s life, expert on their child’s abilities and needs,

and as a unique and capable unit (Dunst et al., 1988: Rosenbaum, et al., 1998).

In his review of the conceptual and empirical foundations of family-centred

practice, Carl Dunst (1997) identifi ed ten ‘core practices most often described

as key features of a family-centred approach to practice’ (p.78). Intrinsic to

these practices is the notion that services are provided to families in ways that

are individualised, fl exible, supportive, sensitive and respectful (Palisano et

al., 2012). In sum, they specify the ‘what’ of family-centred practice. These

practices are summarised in Table 9.1 .

family-centred practice: A set of values, attitudes and approaches to providing services for children with disabilities and their families.

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

Fundamental components of family-centred practice Family-centred practice comprises a number of fundamental and unique

components. The four described in detail below are those we believe to be most

relevant for inclusive early years education. They are the family–professional

partnership ; the nature of help-giving ; individualised practice ; and mobilising

community supports and resources.

The family–professional partnership

At the heart of family-centred practice is the partnership between the family

and the professional. The collaborative nature of this partnership refl ects the

mutual, respectful and goal-driven cooperation between all people undertaking

the specifi c task.

The fundamental component of cooperative, collaborative interactions

between families and professionals is effective communication (Blue-Banning,

Summers, Frankland, Nelson & Beegle, 2004). In their qualitative study with

200 family members and professionals, examining the components of family–

professional partnerships , Blue-Banning et al., (2004) identifi ed six dimensions

family–professional partnership: Professionals working respectfully alongside parents and other family members, helping families achieve their goals for their child and/or family.

Family-centred practice

Treat families with respect

Work in partnership and collaboration

Share information completely and in an unbiased manner

Be sensitive and responsive to family diversity

Promote family choices and family decision-making

Base intervention on family-identifi ed desires and needs

Provide individualised support and resources

Utilise a broad range of formal and informal supports and resources

Employ competency enhancing help-giving styles

Enhance family strengths and capabilities

TABLE 9.1 TEN CORE PRACTICES OF FAMILY-CENTRED PRACTICE

(Source: adapted from Dunst, 1997)

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of family–professional partnerships: communication, respect, trust,

commitment, equality and skills. Of the six dimensions, study participants

identifi ed communication as a vehicle that facilitates the other fi ve dimensions.

Specifi cally, high quality communication was described as being positive,

understandable and respectful to all members. Communication also needed to

be at a level that enabled coordination and understanding. Indicators of good

communication skills were identifi ed as ‘sharing resources, being clear, being

honest communicating positively, being tactful, being open, listening,

communicating frequently and coordinating information’ (p.174).

The notion that early years professionals should have effective

communication  skills is not a new one. However, in family-centred practice

one aspect of the communicative relationship is fundamentally different:

the key difference is a change in the power balance. It requires a shift from

a communicative interaction where the professional has the power over the

family member(s) to an interaction between parents and professionals built on

equality, mutual regard and shared decision-making (Dunst & Dempsey, 2007;

Winton & DiVenere, 1995).

FIGURE 9.1 LISTENING TO EACH OTHER?

Artwork by Kaitlyn

However, it seems that too frequently partnerships between families and

professionals fall short of the recommended practice (Summers et al., 2005).

Issues can arise with building trusting relationships, delineating roles and

responsibilities and providing the right type and level of support (Winton &

DiVenere, 1995). In addition, family members and professionals come from

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

diverse cultural backgrounds that have shaped their respective values, beliefs,

attitudes and communication styles (Bailey, 1991). A necessary requirement of

each professional is to truly believe that parents are equal partners, that they

are the experts on their child, that they can make the best decisions for their

child and family and that they have the right to do so (Dunst & Trivette, 1996;

Viscardis, 1998).

Forming parent–professional relationships is diffi cult, as Janice Fialka (2001),

the mother of a child with developmental disabilities, attested. She described the

forming of such partnerships as more challenging than parenting her son, and

identifi ed fi ve dimensions that inevitably creep into ‘the dance of partnership’

(p.21). These are dimensions that parents and early years professionals should

recognise, discuss and address together. The fi rst of these is choice—choosing

to dance in the fi rst place. Fialka stated that professionals come to the dance

ready to partner up with children and families but parents do not; they did not

plan this and they did not choose it. Choosing to join the partnership dance

requires that parents acknowledge (often again and again) that their child has a

disability. The second step is one of forced intimacy—parents are ‘often forced

into an instant closeness’ with strangers and fi nd themselves revealing their

pain, guilt, shame and tears ‘in front of people whose last names we don’t know’

(p.23). The third step in the dance is the identifi cation of partners: Fialka stated

that early intervention professionals enter the disability fi eld trained to partner

up with children but since it is the parents’ lives that have been changed the

most, the primary partnership should be with them. The fourth step relates

to role expectations and deals with the lack of clarity around who leads the

partnership. Here Fialka encouraged the notion of ‘unique contributions’ to the

partnership rather than expert ones (p.25). The fi nal dimension in the dance

of partnership deals with the different priorities often held by parents and

professionals. Fialka urged professionals to enquire about and actively listen to

the perspectives of parents so that ‘recommendations can be relevant, practical

and manageable’ (p.26).

1. Think of a situation that you have been in where parents and professionals worked together. How successful was the partnership? What made it successful/unsuccessful?

2. What would have made it more effective?

CRITICAL REFLECTION

QUESTIONS

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The nature of help-giving

A second requirement central to the implementation of a family-centred

approach is for early years professionals to employ skills that are both help-

giving and empowering to families (Dempsey & Dunst, 2004; Dunst & Trivette,

1996; Dunst et al., 1988).

On the basis of their studies into the nature of help-giving professional

skills, Dunst and Trivette (1996) identifi ed three elements of help-giving. The

fi rst of these is the early years professional’s specialist knowledge and skill,

which assists in the implementation of appropriate intervention. The other two

elements are known as the relational and participatory components of family-

centred practice. The relational component comprises having good professional

skills such as being an active listener, having compassion, empathy and respect,

and being non-judgmental, as well as having positive professional beliefs and

attitudes towards families, specifi cally those that support family strengths and

capabilities.

While these relational skills can positively infl uence family wellbeing, on

their own they are not suffi cient to enhance family capabilities and develop

new competencies (Moore, 2001): participatory skills are also needed. These

comprise practices that are tailored to family concerns and priorities and that

also facilitate family choice, decision-making, collaboration and action in

order to achieve desired goals and outcomes. Dunst (2002) confi rmed that it is

the simultaneous use of both types of skills (relational and participatory) that

‘distinguishes the family-centred approach from other approaches to working

with families’ (p.139).

Individualised practice

The participatory elements of family-centred practice include practices that are

tailored to each family’s needs and priorities. Contemporary Australian families

are couples with children, sole parents, step families, blended families, same-

sex families and extended kinship families. It is important for early years

professionals to be aware of family diversity to enable a focus on individualised

practice . Individualised practice is realised by way of the creation of a unique

Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) for every child and family. Individualised

planning is paramount if services are to be relevant and effective for children

and their families. Ideally, the IFSP process sees the enactment of the help-

giving, collaborative, family–professional partnership. In creating an IFSP, early

years professionals support and enable the family to fi rstly identify their child’s

and family’s strengths and needs, and subsequently to ascertain the goals they

wish to work towards, over a chosen time period (see Chapter 11 for exploration

of the IFSP process).

effective help-giving: Having good technical knowledge and skills, positive attitudes and behaviours, the ability to share decisions and actions with families, and a willingness to collaborate to ensure that goals are achieved.

individualised practice: Treating every child and family member as a unique individual and using help-giving practices that are customised to meet each family’s needs and priorities.

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

Mobilising community supports and resources

It is now very well known that providing social support to families with

children with disabilities is critical to the success of early intervention, that it

helps families develop coping strategies and that it directly infl uences children’s

wellbeing as well as that of their families (Dunst et al., 1997; Guralnick, 2004).

An extensive review of the research into the infl uences of social support by

Dunst, Trivette and Jodry in 1997 revealed the following related fi ndings:

1 Support provided by informal networks has the greatest positive effect on

child and family functioning;

2 Social support functions as intervention;

3 Support is most effective when it is given in response to an indicated need;

4 Support from personal networks has a more positive effect when it is

characterised by closeness, caring and capacity building; and

5 When professional help-giving mirrors the features of informal support

networks there is greater impact on parental self-effi cacy and empowerment

(Trivette, Dunst, Boyd & Hamby, 1995).

Another unique component of family-centred practice is the notion of

mobilising community resources. Essentially this means that helping children

and families to connect with their local community resources enhances

communication, interaction and support among community members. This

in turn assists families to form strong, interdependent, capacity-building

connections in their local environment (Dunst & Trivette, 1994).

Recent research examined the extent to which capacity-building family-

centred practices (namely effective help-giving, addressing individual family

needs and strengths, and mobilising supports and resources) infl uenced parent–

child interactions and child development (Dunst, Trivette & Hamby, 2007;

Trivette, Dunst & Hamby, 2010). The research found that help-giving directly

affected parent self-effi cacy beliefs and wellbeing and indirectly affected

parent–child interactions and child development.

social support: Any type of assistance provided by a member of someone’s close personal network that positively helps the recipient.

1. In their already busy days, how do early years professionals find the time to work with families and set up meaningful partnerships with them? What processes can be put into place to ensure that families are engaged in their children’s learning and are involved in goal setting?

2. What can early years professionals do to assist families to build strong connections within their local community? How might we work with families from socio-economically disadvantaged, refugee or non-English speaking backgrounds to forge strong community support networks?

CRITICAL REFLECTION

QUESTIONS

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What family-centred practice means for families At this point, having looked at the ‘what’ of family-centred practice, it is useful

to pause and think about ‘why’ those working in the early years have concluded

that a family-centred approach is best practice. The rationale that can be offered

is both philosophical and practical. Hanson and Lynch (1995) argue that, as

the most important people in the child’s life, parents have both the moral and

legal right to make decisions about their child, including those related to the

child’s education: this is a philosophical argument. On a practical level, they

also note that parental input and carry-over in the home—that is, consistency—

is essential if optimal effects are to be achieved.

An Australian study by SCOPE in 2004 found that families prefer

family-centred services and support over professional-centred services

because they see them as having clear benefi ts for their whole family. These

benefi ts are: i)  Increased satisfaction with their parenting role; ii) feelings of

empowerment; and iii) enhanced parental and family wellbeing.

Why this might be so is perhaps best understood by considering the ecocultural

approach adapted by Bernheimer and colleagues from Bronfenbrenner’s (1992)

model of social-ecology (see for example Bernheimer, Gallimore & Weisner,

1990; Bernheimer & Weisner, 2007; Gallimore, Weisner, Kaufman & Bernheimer,

1989; Weisner, 2002). In this approach, families are seen as ‘actively and

proactively responding to the circumstances in which they live, and building

FIGURE 9.2 FAMILIES

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

and organising environments that give meaning and direction to their lives’

(Bernheimer & Weisner, 2007, p.193). Their approach arose from the remark of

a parent panellist at a conference on disability who said:

Professionals kept asking me what my ‘needs’ were. I didn’t know what to

say, I fi nally told them, ‘Look, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. So let

me just tell you what happens from the time I get up in the morning until I go

to sleep at night. Maybe that will help?’ (Bernheimer & Weisner, 2007, p.192).

By talking with families about their daily routines such as how they manage

mealtimes and bath times, we can begin to understand the impact that a child’s

disability or impairment might have, not just on the child but on the family as

a whole.

When professionals work in respectful partnerships with families (including

families whose children have a disability and families wherein the parents have

a disability), they are doing two key things. Firstly they are acknowledging

families’ capacities to manage the challenges that arise from raising a child

with a disability. And, secondly, they are demonstrating a willingness to learn

from the families about how best to meet the child’s needs while maintaining

the daily routines that are central to the life of the family as well as to the early

years setting. Working together with families, we can identify where blocks

to daily routines are occurring and jointly decide how to get around them.

Bernheimer and Keogh (1995, p.430) perhaps put it best when they said that

our task as professionals is to ‘reinforce, rather than fray, the fabric of everyday

life.’ Our aim, then, must be to help families to adjust their daily routines, but

not to change them altogether.

The discussion so far has tended to suggest that all parents and families want to take an active role in deciding what goals should be set for their child. But what if this is not the case? What if the parents want to leave it to the early childhood educator to make the decisions?

CRITICAL REFLECTION

QUESTION

CA S E S T U DY 9.1

Samir’s Story Samir is four years old and came to Australia with his family two years ago as part of Australia’s Humanitarian Program. Originally from the Sudan, his family lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia for seven years. Samir has two surviving older brothers, Mohammed (now 10 years old) and

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David (now eight). All were born while their parents were living in the refugee camp. Since coming to Australia they have had another child, Grace, who is now 18 months old.

Formerly farm workers with little formal education, the parents found what work they could selling produce within the camp. On arriving in Australia they were fluent in Arabic and Dinka but spoke no English. They have since learnt to speak English quite well but have difficulty reading it. Samir’s father has a job at a local supermarket and is studying at TAFE to improve his spoken and written English. They are part of a strong Sudanese community in the area where they live and are supported by its members.

Life in the camp had little structure and there was no opportunity for the two older boys to attend school. Mohammed and David found the structure of school difficult initially and needed support within the classroom for the first 12 months. They are now progressing well.

Samir’s mother has been attending a supported playgroup for members of their community with Samir and Grace for the past 12 months. Samir has started attending preschool three days per week and is enjoying the experience. His mother drops him off and picks him up every day. He is generally a happy and outgoing child and has made some friends with whom he plays lots of physical games. He is not interested in books or quiet play and finds it difficult to sit still during circle or story time.

The early years professionals decide that they need to find ways of engaging Samir to increase his attention span and ability to participate in these group activities. They would like to get Samir’s mother involved in their discussions about what to do but have found her very shy. They know she is eager for her children to succeed educationally but wonder whether she would find it threatening to be asked to talk about Samir’s development and would prefer to leave the decisions to them.

How should the early years professionals proceed? Set out an action plan that will enable the staff to engage Samir’s family in his preschool experience.

CRITICAL REFLECTION

QUESTION

Family-centred practice and the Early Years Learning Framework

The EYLF (DEEWR, 2009a), as discussed throughout the book, is centred on three themes: Belonging,

Being and Becoming. These place the child fi rmly within the family and the community as is evidenced

by the fi ve outcomes, which are:

1 Children have a strong sense of identity;

2 Children are connected with and contribute to their world;

3 Children have a strong sense of wellbeing;

4 Children are confi dent and involved learners; and

5 Children are effective communicators.

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

Furthermore, the EYLF places considerable emphasis on the role of the family

and the ways in which parents and carers should be involved in the children’s

early education experiences, as partners, not spectators. Indeed, the Information

for Families guide that was developed to accompany the EYLF states, ‘[educators]

will use the Framework in partnership with families, children’s fi rst and most

infl uential educators, to develop learning programs responsive to children’s

ideas, interests, strengths and abilities’ (DEEWR, 2009b, p.1).

It goes on to state that ‘[e]ducators will work with you in order to get to know

your child well. They will create a learning program that builds on your child’s

interests, abilities, and keep you in touch with your child’s progress’ (DEEWR,

2009b, p.2).

The intent to involve families in a meaningful way in their young

children’s learning is clear. However, here, too, there is the danger that in its

implementation early years professionals may (like their early intervention

colleagues) fi nd themselves sometimes simply ‘talking the talk’ and not ‘walking

the walk’. The key phrases in these two quotes above are partnership with

families and educators will work with you (families) . Early years professionals

need to ensure that their interactions with parents are those of partners in the

learning enterprise. We argue that this approach is important for all early years

professionals, whether they are working in prior-to-school early years settings

or in the early years of school.

What it means to be a family-centred professional To embrace both the relational and participatory components of family-centred

practice, early years professionals need to do much more than listen to parents.

They need to be led by them. At its best, family-centred practice means accepting

and acknowledging families as equal partners in the education of their child. As

we have discussed throughout this chapter, this is not always an easy thing to do.

It could be suggested that teachers (and doctors and allied health professionals)

have diffi culty in being truly family-centred because they see the approach as a

negation of their expertise. After all, they have been educated for a considerable

number of years; they have the knowledge, skills and experience to make well-

considered decisions about what the child needs at a particular point in time.

This may well be so. But, it is equally true that families are the experts about

their child and their family, and families have insights into how their family

functions to which early years professionals are not privy. As educators, our

practice can only be improved by working closely with families in meaningful

partnerships. Family-centred practice is not about professionals giving up their

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power or expertise, but about sharing power; most importantly it is about not

taking power away from families.

So, how do we do this? Sharing power requires skills that are not always part

of our training as early years professionals. As Hanson and Lynch (1995) have

noted, much of the education we undertake is around working with children,

yet in doing this we also need to interact with families and other professionals.

Early years professionals do, indeed, need those relational skills discussed

earlier, along with many others. Following are some suggestions for how to

become a family-centred professional.

1 Begin as you mean to continue.

When discussing this issue at university, one of our students recounted that

the teachers at her children’s school wrote to each of the children and their

families before the school year started, to ask what they wanted to achieve in

the coming year and to fi nd out what their goals and hopes were. This is such

a positive and effective way to start to know children and their families. It

sets up the expectation that the child, family and teacher will work together

to ensure that the learning journey is engaging and affi rming. The letter

clearly set the tone for the year, and shaped the classroom interactions as

well as the relationships between teacher, parents and children.

In prior-to-school early years settings initial contacts with families could

also be through a letter or they could be part of a general conversation

about parents’ goals for their children. There is also the opportunity to

begin a conversation with parents about whether they have any concerns

about their child’s development. A scale such as the Parental Evaluation of

Developmental Status (PEDS) (Glascoe, 2000) has only 10 items and could

easily be completed by parents as a matter of routine at the beginning of the

year. It could provide the basis for positively discussing children’s growth

and development and together parents and early years professionals could

identify mutual goals for the coming year.

2 Be available to families.

An advantage for educators in prior-to-school early years settings and in

the early years of primary school (compared to their education colleagues

in upper primary and secondary schools) is that parents tend to bring their

children to the settings in the morning and collect them in the afternoon.

While this is likely to be a busy time, it is possible to roster staff to be

available to talk with families briefl y and informally at this time. This is not

to suggest that serious issues should be raised but simply that this provides

an opportunity to develop ongoing, professional relationships with parents.

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

It also helps make you more approachable when they do want to discuss a

serious issue with you. Rotating the staff available at these times will mean

that parents will be able to interact with all those working with their child.

3 Schedule regular opportunities for discussion, planning and goal setting

with families.

If families are to be partners in their child’s education, early years

professionals must do more than report their child’s achievements to them.

As we have argued throughout this chapter, goals for the child must be

driven by parental priorities and collaborative discussions, as well as take

into account the child’s interests, strengths and priorities. Such meetings

need not be onerous, and they are less likely to be time-consuming if they

are regular and ongoing.

4 Develop and enhance your skills.

The importance of ongoing professional development cannot be overstated.

This could be attendance at training courses around, for example, refl ective

listening or collaboration. Attendance at conferences and workshops where

issues in the fi eld are discussed is also a possibility. Keeping up to date with

current research is critical to best practice.

5 Reflect on your practice.

Schön (1987) wrote extensively about the refl ective practitioner and of the

importance of refl ecting in and on practice. He argued that it was important

that we refl ect while we are acting (formative evaluation) and modify our

behaviour as we proceed, to make it more responsive and effective. He also

argued that we should then refl ect on our practice when the interaction is

completed (summative evaluation). This helps us to identify what is effective

and should be repeated in the future, as well as what is less effective and

needs to be changed. We suggest that early years professionals refl ect not

only on our teaching but also on our interactions with families.

6 Evaluate your practice.

The refl ection discussed above is part of this process but evaluations of our

practice should also include feedback from parents. To ensure that they feel

able to be honest and not coerced, such feedback should be anonymous. A

useful tool for gathering such feedback is the Measure of Processes of Care

(MPOC-20) (King, Rosenbaum & King, 1995). This scale measures parents’

perceptions of how family-centred they have found their interactions with

professionals to be. While designed for families with a child with a disability,

it has relevance for those in the early years generally.

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CA S E S T U DY 9.2

Ivy’s Story Ivy is four years old and has spina bifida. She began attending your preschool this year and is settling in well. She can walk short distances with the aid of a walker and leg braces but generally prefers to use a wheelchair. Ivy has had a shunt inserted because of her hydrocephaly. She has also been identified as having a mild level of intellectual disability. Ivy relates well to the other children but is often left alone, particularly when the children are playing outdoors. At these times she just sits watching the others. She has difficulty with matching and puzzles but enjoys story time. She is toilet-timed but has occasional accidents.

Ivy has one older sister who is eight and a keen soccer player. Ivy usually goes along to watch her. Her father works full-time in a demanding job and her mother works at home caring for Ivy and her sister. Her maternal grandparents live close by and Ivy talks constantly about her Nan and Grandad and the things they do together.

Her family have been involved with a local early intervention service since Ivy was discharged from hospital when she was three months old. She has regular input from an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, paediatrician and a neurologist.

During one of your regular meetings with Ivy’s mother, she seems stressed and says that she is worried that, in their efforts to do the best they can for Ivy, they are putting too much pressure on her. They are also worried that Ivy’s sister is missing out and that most of the attention is on Ivy because of her needs. She asks for your advice.

1. What are the concerns and priorities for Ivy and her family? 2. How could you work with the family to achieve outcomes that are

family-centred?

CRITICAL REFLECTION

QUESTIONS

Conclusion This chapter has defi ned family-centred practice, and described its fundamental components. It has

explored the positive effects of employing family-centred practices with families and located the

place of these practices within the EYLF. Finally, it has addressed what it means to be a family-centred

early childhood professional and provided some practical examples of how to go about this.

Family-centred practice is by no means the easy option, but it is the one most likely to result

in the best outcomes for children, their families and, indeed, the professionals working with them.

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Loraine Fordham and Christine Johnston

Through enabling and empowering families, early years professionals have the

opportunity to build community capacity and have a positive effect on children’s

learning long after they have left the early years setting. We encourage you to

talk with not to families, to acknowledge that parents are the experts on their

family, and to continue to develop your own skills and expertise.

Despite being staunch advocates for family-centred practice in inclusive

early years settings, as well as in the early years of school, we acknowledge that

as early years professionals we rarely work in isolation with children and their

families. Often children have diverse needs and consequently they and their

families can be interacting with several other professionals. Therefore, we also

need to know how to work effectively with a range of other professionals, such

as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists,

social workers and nurses. How we collaborate with these other professionals is

addressed in the following chapter.

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The introduction of individualised funding models for those with disabilities (such as that which would flow from the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme—NDIS) is an acknowledgment of individuals’ rights to choose what is best for them and, in the case of families who have a young child with a disability, for their child and family. It gives them control and, as such, embodies in many ways family-centred or individual-centred practice. But, it is not without its challenges. It demands that families be able to advocate effectively for children and make informed choices about services and support. This has two main implications for effective family-centred practice.

The first is that families may be asked to make these choices very soon after learning that their

child has additional needs. Some families, at least, may need support to do this.

1. What role should early years professionals have in such situations? (They may be the professionals with whom families have most contact and therefore feel most comfortable.)

2. How can families be empowered to deal with this process?

The second implication is that individualised funding may result in families ‘buying’ services from individual therapists or other service providers.

3. Can a family-centred approach be maintained in such an environment?

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

WEBSITES

www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/position_statements/inclusion-of-children-with-a-disability-in-early-childhood-education- and-care.html

The joint position statement by Early Childhood Australia (ECA) and Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) sets out a shared commitment to inclusion in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Available at:

www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au The Early Childhood Australia (ECA) website has various resources, including the Every Child Magazine, Research in Practice Series and Everyday Learning Series .

http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/eylf_in_action_-_educators_stories_and_models_for_practice.pdf The EYLF: Belonging, being and becoming: Educators’ guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

http://docs.education.gov.au/node/2632 The EYLF: The Early Years Learning Framework in Action: Educators’ stories and models for practice

http://ecii.org.au/ Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in practice. Inclusion resources for early childhood educators and consultants

www.rch.org.au/ccch/resources_and_publications/Monitoring_Child_Development/#purchasing_peds PEDS: Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status. PEDS is an accurate, reliable tool for providing developmental and behavioural screening and ongoing surveillance in children from birth through to eight years of age.

www.canchild.ca This website for the Canadian Centre for Childhood Disability Research has an extensive range of excellent information on family-centred principles and practices for early childhood professionals and families. The Fact Sheets (located in the Children and Families section) together with the Resources and Measures sections are particularly useful for early childhood professionals.

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http://raisingchildren.net.au/ Raising children network: This website is the complete Australian resource for parenting newborns to teens. It includes up-to- date information and resources for early childhood professionals and families, and has two excellent sections on children with autism and children with disabilities.

www.noahsarkinc.org.au A not-for-profit Australian organisation that values children and families in all their diversity. The website provides information, resources and supports for early childhood professionals as well as for children and their families.

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Bailey, D.B. (1991). Building positive relationships between professionals and families. In M.J. McGonigel, R.K. Kaufmann & B.H. Johnson (Eds), Guidelines and recommended practices for the individualized family service plan (pp.29–38). Bethesda, MD: ACCH.

Bernheimer, L.P. & Keogh, B.K. (1995). Weaving interventions into the fabric of everyday life: An approach to family assessment. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 15 (4), 415–433. doi:10.1177/027112149501500402

Bernheimer, L.P. & Weisner, T.S. (2007). ‘Let me just tell you what I do all day…’: The family story at the center of intervention research and practice. Infants & Young Children 20 (3), 192–201. doi:10.1097/01. IYC.0000277751.62819.9b

Bernheimer, L.P., Gallimore, R. & Weisner, T.S. (1990). Ecocultural theory as a context for the individual family service plan. Journal of Early Intervention, 14 (3), 219–233. doi:10.1177/105381519001400304.

Blue-Banning, M., Summers, J.A., Frankland, H.C., Nelson, L.L. & Beegle, G. (2004). Dimensions of family and professional partnerships: Constructive guidelines for collaboration. Exceptional Children, 70 (2), 167–184. Retrieved from http://journals.cec.sped.org/ec/

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Dempsey, I. & Dunst, C.J. (2004). Help-giving styles and parent empowerment in families with a young child with a disability. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 29 (1), 40–51. Retrieved from http:// informahealthcare.com/journal/jid

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009a). Belonging, being and becoming, The early years learning framework . ACT: DEEWR. Retrieved from: http://foi.deewr.gov.au/system/ files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_ early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

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Dunst, C.J. (1997). Conceptual and empirical foundations of family-centered practice. In R.J. Illback, C.T. Cobb & H.M. Joseph (Eds), Integrated services for children and families (pp.75–93). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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