This article explores factors that facilitate moving from the service-provider role to becoming part of a family's constellation of helpers. Elements of empowerment are juxtaposed with the following metaphors for practice: building a definition of disability, following the parent's lead, creating a community of helpers, and expanding perspectives.…

Applicable to any school district or school interested in starting a family resource and support program, this guide provides help for both planning and implementation of family resource and youth services centers. It outlines the philosophy behind family resource and youth services centers and how that philosophy is to be reflected in all aspects…

This resource guide was developed to provide a single source of current information for practitioners working with African American children and families. The guide describes materials, programs, national organizations, and other sources of information pertaining to the African American family. It presents information on a wide array of topics,…

Intended for people interested in replicating the ideas contained in this manual in their own communities, the handbook describes the Family Exchange Center (FEC), an approach designed to support families with developmentally disabled children. Services offered include social, recreational, educational, mutual aid, support, and respite activities.…

One effective way schools can involve family members in the important process of motivating children to read is with a family reading night. This kit is designed to streamline the process of implementing a family reading night in schools. The kit begins with success stories from several schools using family reading nights. It then presents the…

Family support programs have proliferated in many different settings in response to an increasing emphasis in the public policy arena on a family support strategy. This book offers guidelines for effective family support practice representing the consensus of family support practitioners as assessed in focus groups with over 2,000 staff and parent…

This article discusses the increased emphasis on providing early intervention services within natural environments and how to maximize natural learning opportunities by using everyday activities that children experience and embedding intervention in daily routines. Guidelines for deciding the frequency of services, changing services, and the level…

This paper questions the appropriateness of characterizing infants/young children who are handicapped or developmentally delayed as a group in jeopardy for abuse/neglect. It proposes the adoption of a family-focused view, which considers child, family, and environmental variables to determine risk and provide services to abusive and neglectful…

This article presents a framework for providing services to infants with disabilities and their families, by conceptualizing early intervention in terms of levels of prevention. Primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention are proposed to prevent the manifestation, severity, or extended impact of developmental delays; and implications for…

Presents information to facilitate ideal family involvement in early intervention. Strategies for conducting family assessments while building collaborative partnerships with families are presented. Characteristics which produce effective collaborative partnerships are reviewed, and the reality of working with families is presented through two…

Minnesota's Interagency Early Childhood Network, which includes representatives of early childhood, family, and health-related programs from four state agencies, developed this set of outcomes and indicators measuring the well-being of children and families. The outcomes and indicators are designed to be a source for community programs that focus…

This monograph is designed for family support professionals who struggle with the challenges of finding the optimal mix of revenue sources with limited staff and resources. It contains nine articles that offer a variety of perspectives from people who work in the family support field either as program providers or as funders. The articles offer…

The manual covers the design and implementation of respite care services for families with developmentally disabled members. An introductory chapter examines the concept of respite care, notes the benefits for families, providers, and community residential programs, and places the service as one part of a comprehensive array of family support…

How early childhood funds are channeled to communities significantly affects what supports and services are available, how they are provided, how well they are linked to other resources in the community, and who benefits from them. As pressure mounts for states and communities to strengthen their commitment to families with young children and meet…

This booklet focuses on direct service work with parents and children, and explores how leaders and staff can use the reflective approaches of the Look, Listen, and Learn model to establish high-quality relationships with families. The booklet addresses the complex decisions that service staff face daily by presenting strategies for use in setting…