Do

Communication is KEY to engaging families and developing a trusting relationship. What type of communication does the family prefer? How often? Does the family know who to contact about specific issues?

Do you know what is most important to the family? Have you identified the family’s strengths? Build on these elements to strengthen family engagement.

Trusting the care of your child to people you have just met is not just difficult, it can cause anxiety and fear! Do you encourage families to share those fears, and how do you address their concerns?

Families may have ideas and preferences for school goals. Do they readily share these priorities, or do they need to be discovered with the support of the team?

Families may not be able to be part of daily decisions while their child is in the ICF and that can feel like a loss of control. What decisions are most important to the family? What decisions can be made by the family? How can they maintain the parent role on a daily basis?

What additional information and connections does the family need? Do you have these available to offer? Where can you locate additional resources if needed?