One professional provides weekly support to the family, backed up by a team of other professionals...

One professional provides weekly support to the family, backed up by a team of other professionals who provide services to the child and family through joint home visits with the primary service provider. The intensity of joint home visits depends on child, family, and primary-service-provider needs.

McWilliam, 2010

What Exactly is a Primary Service Provider?

The Purpose of the PSP Enable families to establish and maintain

an ongoing working relationship with a lead team member with needed expertise who then becomes an expert on the whole child and family

PSP teaming requires an interconnectedness of all team members regarding their role in promoting parent-mediated child learning and development.

Primary Service Provider ModelThe PSP acts as the principle program

resource and point of contact The PSP mediates the family’s and other

care providers’ skills and knowledge in relation to a range of needed or desired resources

The team members use coaching practices to build the capacity of parents and other primary care providers

Benefits of a PSP ModelRelationship between practitioner, family

members and other care providers enhanced

Efficient use of family and program resources

Reducing both gaps and overlaps in supports and services

Misunderstandings about the PSP Model It limits services It forces staff to be “generalists” - not

“Early Interventionists” It provides “indirect treatment”Direct service is better It restricts family choice It violates professional ethics

Characteristics of a PSP TeamMembers include at least an early

childhood special educator, OT, PT, SLP and service coordinator(s) with expertise in child development, family support and coachingMay have social work, psychology or

other disciplines as neededGeographically based

Responsible for all referrals within a predetermined area

Capacity of a PSP TeamCaseload

Shelden and Rush: 7 FTEs can serve 100-125 families when drive time does not exceed 30 – 45 minutes one way

McWilliam: 16 visits per week

Five PSP Implementation Conditions1. All team members must be available (and

willing) to serve as a PSP.2. All team members must attend regular team

meetings for the purpose of colleague-to-colleague coaching

3. The team must use a consistent process to select a PSP according to four factors: parent/family, child, environmental, practitioner.

4. All team members shall participate in joint home visits as necessary

5. A PSP should change as infrequently as possible.Sheldon and Rush 2013

Critical Issues in a PSP ModelEach team member must

Be an evidence based practitioner in:his/her own disciplineearly interventionearly childhood developmentparent education and family support

Be an active participant in all team meetings Take an active role in professional

learning/development Be willing to share knowledge with rest of team See parent (rather than child) as focus of

intervention

Critical Issues in a PSP ModelEffective team members

Are agreeable Are conscientiousHave high general mental abilityAre competent in their area of expertiseAre high in openness to experience and

mental stabilityLike teamworkSocialized to the organizational culture

Bell, 2004

Shelden & Rush

What We Know Leadership

Administrative support for use of the approach is essential

Program administrators must attend at least some team meetings

Early Intervention Process Same team should support families from initial

referral through transition Primary coaches do not (and should not) change

frequently Joint Visits

15-20% of total visits are joint visits Disciplines other than core, may require more joint

visits Three steps are required for joint visits to be

effective

What We Know Team Meetings

All team members must attend all meetings Meetings average less than 1 ½ hours per week Meetings need a competent, consistent facilitator The order in which items occur on the agenda

matters Teams that meet weekly learn and implement

practices Weekly meetings lead to higher accountability

among team members When coaching occurs at team meetings, the

practices are implemented Time

Moving to a primary coach approach takes intensive support over time