THE PARTNERSHIP THE EXPERT MODEL THE BEFRIENDING MODEL MODEL Parents and Professionals are viewed Professionals are warm professionals actively as experts with superior and friendly with parents work together knowledge and skills and may offer friendship Parents and Professionals lead and There are no clear professionals both control parents and their boundaries or influence decision interaction expectations of the making relationship between Professionals diagnose parents and professionals Parents and the parents “problem” professionals value and and outline goals and There is no clear model use each desired outcomes or framework for other’s strengths, skills and working through a Professionals search for knowledge problem and identifying information to support goals and possible Parents and their view of the parent solutions professionals agree upon ‘problem’ goals and desired The relationship between Professionals focus on outcomes and strategies parents and professionals their own personal or the to achieve them have no clear beginning service/agency’s agenda and end Parents and in outlining goals and professionals negotiate desired outcomes for when disagreement or parents conflict occurs Parents and professionals show mutual respect and trust Reflective questions What do you do to get to know and understand the families you work with? How do you develop and strengthen your relationship with families to affirm their role in supporting learning and development? children’s EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS LISTEN TO EACH FAMILY’S UNDERSTANDING, PRIORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THEIR CHILD WITH GENUINE INTEREST TO INFORM SHARED DECISION-MAKING AND PROMOTE EACH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT CHILD’S (VEYLDF, P. 9) WHY DO PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES’ MATTER? Figure 3: Ecological model of child development adapted from Bronfenbrenner, 1979
THE PARTNERSHIP MODEL THE EXPERT MODEL THE BEFRIENDING MODEL Parents and professionals actively work together Parents and professionals both influence decision making Parents and professionals value and use each other’s strengths, skills and knowledge Parents and professionals agree upon goals and desired outcomes and strategies to achieve them Parents and professionals negotiate when disagreement or conflict occurs Parents and professionals show mutual respect and trust Professionals are viewed as experts with superior knowledge and skills Professionals lead and control parents and their interaction Professionals diagnose the parents “problem” and outline goals and desired outcomes Professionals search for information to support their view of the parent ‘problem’ Professionals focus on their own personal or the service/agency’s agenda in outlining goals and desired outcomes for parents Professionals are warm and friendly with parents and may offer friendship There are no clear boundaries or expectations of the relationship between parents and professionals There is no clear model or framework for working through a problem and identifying goals and possible solutions The relationship between parents and professionals have no clear beginning and end Reflective questions What do you do to get to know and understand the families you work with? How do you develop and strengthen your relationship with families to affirm their role in supporting children’s learning and development? EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS LISTEN TO EACH FAMILY’S UNDERSTANDING, PRIORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THEIR CHILD WITH GENUINE INTEREST TO INFORM SHARED DECISION-MAKING AND PROMOTE EACH CHILD’S LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (VEYLDF, P. 9) WHY DO PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES’ MATTER? Figure 3: Ecological model of child development adapted from Bronfenbrenner, 1979