Empowering Those We Help: Building Trust & Credibility
https://learn.extension.org/events/2125
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense under Award Numbers 2010-48869-20685, 2012-48755-20306, and 2014-48770-22587.
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Available resources
https://learn.extension.org/events/2125 Find slides and additional resources under ‘event materials’
Alicia Cassels Extension Assistant Professor & Curriculum Specialist 4-H Youth Development Programs West Virginia University
Webinar Presenter
Training Overview
This training will provide an overview of key strategies for helping professionals in serving as effective resources with military families.
Guiding Principles
Effective services are provided with and not for families. Effective services focus on empowering families and increasing resilience. Effective services recognize that families have expert-level knowledge regarding their own experiences and key insight into the needs of their loved ones.
Personal Attributes
Personal and Professional Experiences
Training Professional
and Skills
Professional skills, personal attributes and experiences influence family support provider interactions with families.
The family service provider perspective is important.
From the EFMP Family Support Reference Guide (Figure 3:1)
Share your thoughts Which of these attributes represent your strengths? Which attributes do you feel you need to further develop?
Set the stage for success by establishing credibility and trust
Communication styles, family culture, base culture, special needs and other factors impact family decisions to seek support.
Share your thoughts What has worked well at your installation (in your experience?)
Work with families to develop accurate, comprehensive needs assessments, which identify family strengths and needs. Use reflective listening techniques to demonstrate interest and check accuracy in understanding. Determine the immediacy and priority of needs.
A strong family needs assessment will provide a good foundation for family service plan development.
Assessing Strengths and Needs
Goal Setting
Assist families in the development of goals that they identify as important. Help families manage expectations at the outset of the goal-setting process. Support families in testing expectations based on knowledge of typical timelines and experiences.
Goals and objectives should build on family strengths, address family needs and incorporate realistic timelines.
Conduct periodic reviews of goals. Communicate regularly with families regarding their progress and needs. Document goal achievement and add new goals as necessary.
The goal setting and subsequent review process may be used to help families manage expectations and assess progress.
Goal Management
Check for signs of effective collaboration
Families are comfortable sharing information and asking questions.
Families initiate contact.
Families communicate realistic expectations.
Goals and objectives are able to be adjusted in order to address changing family needs and priorities.
Set the stage for success by establishing a reputation of caring and expertise
Family support staff are ideally seen as hubs for information and support.
Ensure that families and key stakeholders have accurate expectations regarding the roles and responsibilities of family support staff members. Maintain and distribute accurate and updated information regarding programs and services. Know how to find answers to family questions. Maintain strong relationships with families and stakeholders.
Proactive service provision requires professional relationships
Communicate regularly with families through individual contact, mailings, and participation in events. Communicate and coordinate with service providers in order to share programmatic information and eliminate duplication of efforts. Maintain up to date knowledge regarding family networks, which serve the installation population.
The provision of formal and informal services is important for success.
Proactive service provision requires anticipation of common issues and needs
Communication concerning common family issues and service timelines can be helpful to new families and service providers. Be prepared to address common issues such as long waits for service, unrealistic expectations, and resistance to asking for help. Learn as much as possible about the cultures represented at your installation.
Communication styles, family culture, local (installation) culture and other factors impact family decisions to seek support.
Proactive service provision requires involvement inside and outside the gates of the installation
Communication with service providers and key stakeholders will help improve service provision and reduce overlapping efforts.
Identify representatives of the agencies and key organizations in your community which address the needs of your installation population. Collaborative working relationships with organizations that serve your population will increase your capacity to help your families access services.
Check for signs of effective service provision Providers are invited to serve on key groups and
participate in events.
Families initiate contact to seek consultation or information.
Families and stakeholders have accurate expectations regarding services.
Families and stakeholders demonstrate understanding of typical timelines and various program requirements.
Referrals and ongoing collaboration flow both ways.
Effective service provision empowers families and helps increase resilience.
Effective service providers recognize that families
have expert-level knowledge regarding their own experiences and key insight into the needs of their loved ones.
Communication styles, family culture, base culture,
special needs and other factors impact family decisions to seek support. Professional skills, personal attributes and experiences influence provider interactions with families.
It is important for providers to learn as much as
possible about the cultures that they serve.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Effective helping professionals convey key characteristics when collaborating with families. These characteristics include: unbiased, emotionally mature, culturally competent, non-judgmental, accepting, empathetic, objective and empowering.
Comprehensive needs assessments should be
conducted prior to goal setting and should identify family strengths and needs.
Periodic reviews of goals should be conducted in
order to address changing family needs and priorities.
Providers are ideally seen as hubs for accurate information, family support and needs-based referrals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Cont.
Collaborative working relationships with
organizations that serve your population will increase your capacity to help families access necessary services.
It is important to assist families in adjusting
expectations regarding services based on knowledge of typical timelines and experiences.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Cont.
Key Resources
• Helpful information regarding communicating with families is available at: http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/Project%20Documents/MilitaryHOMEFRONT/Troops%20and%20Families/Tools%20for%20Families/EFMP_Family_Support_Reference_Guide.pdf
• Plan My Move program available at: https://apps.militaryonesource.mil/MOS/f?p=PMM:ENTRY:0
• Find contact information for the gaining installation’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP): http://www.militaryonesource.mil/efmp
• Military installations online at: http://militaryinstallations.dod.mil.
Contact Information Alicia Cassels, West Virginia University
Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor
Tel. 304-293-7993
Email: [email protected]
Evaluation and CE Credit The Military Caregiving Concentration Area will offer 1.0 credit hour(s) from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
To receive CE credit please complete the evaluation and post-test found at: https://vte.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6g0ZVmea0ovsr7D
*Must pass post-test with an 80% or higher to receive certificate.
Military Caregiving Upcoming Event Going to College: A Guide to Transition Planning for Those with Disabilities
• Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2015 • Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern • Location:
https://learn.extension.org/events/2168 For more information on MFLN- Military Caregiving go to: http://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/military-caregiving/
Find all upcoming and recorded webinars covering:
http://www.extension.org/62581
Personal Finance Military Caregiving
Family Development
Family Transitions Network Literacy
Nutrition & Wellness Community Capacity Building
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense under Award Numbers 2010-48869-20685, 2012-48755-20306, and 2014-48770-22587.
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