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ERIC Number: EJ695612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-9325
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Boundaries in Family-Professional Relationships
Lord Nelson, L.G.; Summers, J.e.a.n.A.n.n.; Turnbull, A.P.
Remedial and Special Education, v25 n3 p153-165 May 2004
The issue of boundaries between professionals and individuals/families is well documented within the clinical fields of counseling and social work but not thoroughly investigated in special education. Because maintaining quality relationships between families and educators is important, the development of appropriate guidelines requires a thorough understanding of the preferences of families and educators about the boundaries of their relationships. The authors investigated those preferences through a secondary analysis of a qualitative data set focusing on preferences for partnerships between families of children with disabilities and professionals. They analyzed transcripts from 34 focus groups and 32 individual interviews, identifying three themes related to boundary issues: (a) accessibility/availability (being reliably and flexibly available to families), (b) breadth of responsibility (going beyond strict interpretation of one s job description in working with families), and (c) dual relationships (fostering friendships, mutual support, or other roles in addition to a strict parent-professional relationship). Implications for parent-professional relationships and suggestions for conversations between professionals and families on preferences for boundaries are discussed.
PRO-ED, Inc., 8700 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Austin, TX 78757-6897. Tel: 800-897-3202 (Toll Free).
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A