Introduce
Effective inclusive practice ensures that barriers to participation are removed for families and that inclusion and equality are promoted. No single approach will be effective in engaging all families and therefore a multifaceted approach is required where practitioners are creative and open to new ideas.
The following video returns to Rachel Hover from Home-Start GM, who helps us to understand what these barriers might be and how we can overcome them:
Develop
It is not only the family that can bring resistance or obstacles to working in partnership. Practitioners may also find it difficult to engage for a variety of reasons such as:
- Lacking the skills needed to address barriers to engagement
- Misunderstanding the practical and emotional challenges that affect a family’s ability to engage
- Insufficient time to build meaningful, trusting relationships with the family
- Differences in practitioner and family values, beliefs, and attitudes
- Pressure for families to engage and make changes quickly
Reflect
Stop and Reflect: It’s time to think about the barriers you might be experiencing and how you might overcome them. Think through the following questions:
– What strategies do you use to identify potential barriers to participation?
– What barriers are preventing family engagement in your setting? How are these being addressed?
– How well do you seek out and respond positively to potential partnerships which lead to better outcomes for the children and families you work with?