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Family Connections

Family Connections. Fostering positive interactions for families facing adversity in Early Head Start & Head Start Centers Catherine Ayoub, William Beardslee, Caroline Watts, P.I.’s Mary Watson Avery, Director. Why Address Depression & Adversity in Early Head Start & Head Start Families?.

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Family Connections

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  1. Family Connections Fostering positive interactions for families facing adversity in Early Head Start & Head Start Centers Catherine Ayoub, William Beardslee, Caroline Watts, P.I.’s Mary Watson Avery, Director

  2. Why Address Depression & Adversity in Early Head Start & Head Start Families? • Almost half of mothers eligible for Early Head Start were depressed • Women who were depressed were much more likely to remain depressed • Early relationship between maternal depression & lack of positive child self-regulation is strong • Early Head Start programs are effective with depressed mothers & buffer negative outcomes for their children (Ayoub, et. al., 2004; Chazen-Cohen, 2006)

  3. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital Boston Theory of Change: Using a prevention/ intervention approach to build the capacity of Early Head Start/Head Start staff & programs to better understand & respond to the needs of parents (& their children) suffering from adversity, particularly those experiencing depression.

  4. Figure 1: The Family Connections Pyramid Clinical Intervention & Identification of depression & parenting difficulties/ disconnections; extended outreach & crisis services Targeted Prevention (At Risk Parents/Children) Enriched prevention programming, mental health outreach, social & academic skill building, networks to specialized services in mental health, substance abuse, marital counseling Universal Prevention (All Children & Families) Education on depression; support in accessing resources; communication & relationship-building in families; classroom-based enrichment activities to support social and academic development; community networks to connect families to supportive prevention services Community & Systems Development (All Head Start Staff) Education on depression, mental health, & factors of resiliency; classroom consultation; professional skill development including self-reflection and parent engagement; community connections to enrichment and family nurturing programs

  5. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital BostonMajor Implementation Activities • Educational program seriesfor all staff on depression, mental health, &relationship building, & fostering resilience to adversity. • Professional skill development including reflective practice with emphasis on child & parenting skill support. • Classroom consultation to build staff knowledge, understanding skills to effectively engage parents and children, particularly those affected by depression & emotional difficulties. • Training & educational programs for parents on the topics of communication and relationship-building in families including depression & mental health.

  6. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital BostonMajor Implementation Activities (cont.) • Classroom-based enrichment activities to enhance children’s social & academic functioning. • Community networks to connect staff & families to support prevention services. • Referrals to treatment & support programs for related difficulties (substance abuse, domestic violence) as well as for depression and parenting concerns. • Enriched prevention & treatment services tailored to meet the needs of the individual HS partner sites.

  7. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital BostonA new way of consultation: Engagement ProcessReadiness first Full staff focus & engagement Useful assessment & feedbackClassroom consult & support Classroom interventions – social skill groups & Tell Me a Story curriculumChild on site interventions - pair play therapy & social skill/conflict resolution

  8. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital BostonA new way of consultation: Parent engagementDrop-in times Social support groups Educational workshops Parent night consultation Drop-off/pick up connections Community Connections Community group participation Service exchange Crisis community response

  9. Family ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital BostonA new way of consultation: Institutional connectionsEngage middle & upper management Build center-wide/institution wide plans & policies (ex: Mental Health First Aid) Jointly plan for sustainability

  10. National Replication StrategiesFamily ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital Boston Lessons Learned: • Assess readiness & resources first • Start with an engageable task & build supports • Use crisis as opportunity • Lead with the message of effective parent engagement • Present full cycle of activity from knowledge to skill • Speak from strength & vulnerability perspectives • Focus on staff transformation over time • Spend time in the classroom • Know that adult mental health is for all – staff & parents • Build assessment processes that are relevant & practical • Develop system wide plans for mental health first aid

  11. National Replication StrategiesFamily ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital Boston Developing “off-the-shelf” products • A self-assessment for program readiness to engage in mental health-related consultation and staff development. • A set of guidelines in the form of short 3 to 4 page resource papers on the core components of the Family Connections intervention. • “Modularize” the Family Connections intervention model to create stand-alone training materials which HS programs can choose to implement based on their unique needs, assets, & program readiness. • A program manual & training guidelines, with the expectation that HS programs will implement Family Connection with their own support systems. • Materials in hard copy & web-based (ECKLC) formats.

  12. National Replication StrategiesFamily ConnectionsChildren’s Hospital Boston Future Directions: Train-the-Trainer Approach Through separate funding, develop capacity to train consultants to support comprehensive implementation of Family Connections methods and tools in HS/EHS sites nationally. • Create cadre of Master Trainers for Family Connections. • Master Trainers serve as trainers & expert consultants to HS programs nationwide seeking to implement comprehensive model. • Convene annual conferences to support network of Master Trainers and provider booster trainings and expand network of certified Master Trainers. • Provide technical assistance and support to HS programs implementing Family Connections.

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