IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR 101: INVOLVING FAMILIES in THEIR CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE

1. IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR 101: INVOLVING FAMILIES in THEIR CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE

2. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES Participants will be able to • Assess self interest and identify why it is important to engage families in SBHCs • Understand the different levels and strategies of family engagement within a SBHC • Foster pro-active reflection, planning and behavioral incorporation of a multicultural lens within their family engagement process • Identify 10 resources they can use to assess, plan, and implement parent engagement/involvement strategies.

3. Background Perspective • Annie E. Casey Study on SBHCs helping parents talk with children about reproductive health care. • Study intent: identify best practices • Study findings: no list of best practices • Parent Engagement is a process • Supported by good curriculums and process

4. Findings School-based Health Centers are ideally situated to assist in a broader, comprehensive approach to parental engagement. Their expertise in health and social issues, including sex and reproduction, would be an important asset. They may be able to lead these efforts, but it is likely that they must be part of a larger endeavor.

5. Where are you when it comes to Family Engagement? • Not a quiz you can study for • Tongue in cheek • Encourages a discussion • Maybe a chuckle or two • Keep track of your answers • a, b, c, d

6. Scoring Guide Scoring Key: • “a” = 1 point # of “a” answers ___ x 1 = _____ • “b” = 2 points # of “b” answers ___ x 2 = _____ • “c” = 3 points # of “c” answers ___ x 3 = _____ • “d” = 4 points # of “d” answers ___ x 4 = _____ Total Points =_____

7. Where are you?

8. Role play

9. Why involve families? BECAUSE WE ARE PARTNERS IN THE WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN. • Communication is good. Be transparent with families. • Advocacy – you need to be valued by families, and they will advocate for you. • Involvement with school - can help you find YOUR voice in the school. They can speak where you cannot. • Understand their needs, concerns, lifestyles – so you can help heal them. If you don’t know their needs and problems, how can you suggest to them solutions? Your solutions need to be relevant to them.

10. Discussion

11. Relational engagement: Going on a scavenger hunt • Interests beyond the SBHC • Other health care concerns • Other community concerns • Involvement in the community • Network of family and friends • Professional interests

12. Why? • New connections to the community • Understand their interests to best connect them to the SBHC and their child’s health • Deeper understanding of the community concerns and how SBHCs are a part of the solutions • If you don’t, they won’t stick around…

13. What Do I ask? • What are the most important health care issues for you and your family? And why? • How can/does the school-based health center help with them? • What are the biggest concerns facing the school and the community? • Are there solutions being sought?

14. More questions… • What community activities or organizations are you part of? (including places of worship) • Why are you involved with them/ what do you enjoy about your involvement? • What is your vision of how the community could be better? • Do you have a role in making that happen? Does the SBHC have a role in making that happen?

15. And a few more… • What are your dreams for your children’s future? • What are your dreams for your future? (professionally, health, family, academically, public involvement)

16. Tips • Ask more ‘Why’ questions • Share something from your life with them • Don’t give up: It will take a lot of conversations to find an interested family member • Take notes after your conversations • Keep a log of common gathering places and activities • Be genuinely interested about their lives

17. Levels of Engagement • Individual: Actively informed about and part of the healthcare decisions of their child • Center: Active in the governance and clinic level activities • Advocacy: Active in advocacy for the sustainability for the clinic and other related policy initiatives • State/ national governance: Involved with the state association and/or national

18. Strategies for Engagement • The revolving door • Ongoing engagement • Leadership development

19. Learning about the community • Historical context • Economic and politic issues • Cultural and tradition-specific areas • Medical orientation • Diet • Religion For detailed questions: http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_tools_1163.htm

20. Walking through the door GO TO WHERE THEY ARE… • Where do they gather? (soccer games, church, etc) • What are their interests and needs as guardians? • What could meet their needs? • Youth-centered community organizations? • With which groups and activities are the students in your center involved?

21. Additional Tips • Decide who the best messenger is. It doesn’t always have to be you and often shouldn’t be. • HAVE A PLAN. It will help with retention and recruitment. Others want to get involved with something organized. Word of mouth works too!

22. Where to start… • Brainstorm all of the community organizations, churches, and neighborhoods where the families of the students may gather. • Determine who from the SBHC and school community could represent the interests and needs of the SBHC. • Decide the first three steps you can take to make connections with the targeted list above.

23. Putting it into Practice Attending open houses Attending Registrations Sitting and talking in the waiting room Parents engagement in handing out fliers and information Speaking to different organizations, groups, school administration ect Providing asthma education to parents Involvement in advisory boards Relationship building with your school administrators and board members

24. Leadership "Trust men and they will be true to you: treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.“ — Ralph Waldo Emerson