What
is Strengthening Families about?
Strengthening Families enhances the
work of Face 2 Face, which is an expanding network of local
schemes that provides emotional support to parents whose children
have been recognised as having a disability. Schemes recruit
and train volunteer parents, who themselves have disabled
children, to act as befrienders. Befrienders are able to share
and empathise with parents because of their own experiences;
they support them to make positive adjustments to their child's
disability. Befrienders have reported that often the parents
that they were working with were experiencing difficulties
within their relationship because of their child's disability.
The Strengthening Families training development was a direct
result of parents' concerns.
Strengthening Families
aims to provide supporters with the basic skills to work empathically
with families when a child has a disability. We feel that
it is important that supporters understand the stresses that
parents as a couple may face and this is outlined throughout
our training materials. We hope to encourage supporters to
develop active listening skills and to feel more confident
when working alongside parents. We aim to encourage supporters
to develop positive relationships with parents that will benefit
the whole family. This training should be viewed as an introduction
to subsequent modules that will explore in more detail the
“relationship process” and “family dynamics”.
Why
is this training needed?
Contact a Family surveyed
more than 2,000 parents in 2003; 76% experienced stress or
depression, 72% experienced tiredness or lack of sleep and
51% had financial difficulties. It is important that supporters
are aware of the pressures that many families with a disabled
child are facing if they are to work with them in an empathic
manner. It is essential that parents and supporters maintain
a positive relationship where each person feels respected.
Many supporters have said that they have never received specific
training in working with families and often lack confidence
in this area. By giving them the basic skills to liaise effectively
with parents we hope to open up the lines of communication
to benefit all concerned in this three-dimensional relationship
between the supporter, the parents and the child.
Who
is the training for?
The training materials
are suitable for any worker who comes into contact with parents
of disabled children, including teachers, health workers,
social workers and volunteers. Modules 1 and 2 of the training
material are particularly pertinent for relationship counsellors,
ensuring that they have an understanding of the issues that
may impact on the couple when a child has a disability. The
training materials should be used flexibly to suit the needs
of the participants on each individual course.
Aim
and Defintions of Training
To explore how parents
adapt to having a disabled child and to assist supporters
in developing skills to work empathically with parents.
Objectives
of Training
The objectives of training are:
 |
to
recognise the impact that having a child with a disabilty
may have on parental relationships |
|
to
explore issues that may impact on family and parental
relationships |
|
to
explore the essential qualities of an effective supporter |
|
to
develop skills to work empathically with families developing
partnership skills |
|
to reflect
on individual practice when working with families |
Methods
|
Learning
is through sharing experiences and listening. Participants
explore their own personal experiences to develop concepts
and tools that enable them to understand the challenges
faced by parents and the impact that having a child
with a disability may have on their relationship. |
|
Various training
methods are used throughout the course including experiential
exercises, role-plays, discussions, demonstrations,
handouts, skills practices and evaluations. |
Course Outline
The course can be carried
out over one day or alternatively it can be delivered a module
at a time. A module lasts approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
|
Personal
reflection |
|
Personal
constructs |
|
Issues
and emotions parents may face |
|
Emotional
tasks that parents may undertake |
|
Cycle of
Transition |
|
Factors impacting
on parents relationships and the whole family |
|
Essential
qualities of an effective supporter |
|
Recognising
signals that parents need support |
|
Core qualities
|
|
Personal
barriers |
|
Active listening
|
|
Listening
to silences |
|
Developing
positive partnerships |
|
Difficult
feelings |
|
Signposting
on |
Taken
from the Strengthening Families Training Pack
To download
this page click
here
For more information contact
the Strengthening Families Project:
Tel: 01480
454875
Email strengtheningfamilies@scope.org.uk
|
