Building Capacity of Professionals to Strengthen Families

Resources for integrating Strengthening Families into training or professional

development

A variety of approaches to build knowledge and capacity

• In-person or online training– In-depth, multi-day or multi-session courses– Half-day stand-alone courses or institutes– Two-hour overview

• Coaching to a Strengthening Families approach• Staff meetings, brown bag lunch trainings• Individualized technical assistance• Integration in post-secondary education courses

Core content to be covered in any Strengthening Families training

• About Strengthening Families• Protective factors and everyday actions• Tools to support implementation• Opportunities to apply new knowledge and perspective• Links to additional resources

About Strengthening Families

• Use “Strengthening Families 101” slides as appropriate for your audience

• Credit to the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and the state and national partners that support your implementation

• “Big ideas” behind the initiative:– Protective factors– An approach, not a model– A changed relationship with parents– Alignment with developmental science

Protective factors and everyday actions

http://www.cssp.org/reform/strengthening-families/2014/SFProtectiveFactorsExpanded.pptx

Protective factors: Custom slides by field

• CSSP also provides additional slides customized for specific fields:– What we might see in the families we work with related to each

protective factor – Specific actions a caseworker, teacher, etc., can take related to

each protective factor

Tools to support implementation• Training should always point people to tools that will help them

make the shifts in their practice• CSSP and partners have developed tools – both general and for

specific fields– Program self-assessments (for center-based early care and

education, family child care, home visiting, community-based programs)

– Family assessment tools (adaptations of existing tools)– Accountability tools (Protective Factors Survey, staff survey)– System-level tools (contracting/RFP guide, leadership team

tools)

Opportunities to apply new knowledge and perspective

• We all learn better with opportunities to reflect, process, think through application to our own lives and daily practice

• Always include activities that engage participants and help them reflect on:– The protective factors in their own lives– Possible applications in their work– Application to concrete situations they encounter

Links to additional resources

• Training participants should always learn about the wealth of resources available at www.strengtheningfamilies.net

• Other relevant resources from national partners, state-level partners, etc.

Beyond training: Coaching to a Strengthening Families approach

• Supervisors play an important role in ongoing professional development– Administrative (e.g., integration of protective factors into tools

and processes)– Educational (e.g., directly providing or supporting participation

in training; sharing information in supervision)– Supportive (e.g., helping workers practice self-care; reflection

on cases and experiences; review of training portfolio)

Informing our thinking on using Strengthening Families in supervisory

practice

Changes in worker attitudes, behaviors and skills

Critical Thinking

Coaching

Reflective Supervisi

on

Common Elements• Worker is supported in examining

their own thoughts, patterns and behaviors

• Core of supervision is built around the challenges worker is facing on the ground

• Supervisee leads the process• Relationship mirrors the relationship

we are striving for with parents

Resources in the field to support professional development

• Online training: www.ctfalliance.org/training • Trainings of trainers and/or materials offered by:

– National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds– Idaho Toolbox Training– Massachusetts Children’s Trust– Be Strong Families– ZERO TO THREE

• Guidance for supervisors in child welfare is coming soon to www.strengtheningfamilies.net

https://twitter.com/CtrSocialPolicy

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-the-Study-of-Social-Policy

www.cssp.org

www.strengtheningfamilies.net