Provide opportunities for family members to participate in program
Orientation to the service
Who are the family members?
Partnerships with families
Parent involvement
Level of involvement
Creating an atmosphere of collaboration
Creating opportunities
Effective strategies to promote participation
Male inclusive practices
Introduction to the service
Facilitate parent and carer support networks
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How do families commence care in a service? After being contacted about a possible spot, the family will attend the service, if they have not done so already, for a visit. Once they have accepted a place, the family will attend an enrolment interview to complete all necessary forms and become familiar with the service’s philosophy and policies. This visit might include an orientation to the service, or this might be completed at a later date. Orientations are very important as they set up the relationship which will be formed between the service, its staff and the new family.
Orientations need to be individualised to the family’s specific needs and wants.
Some families may be able to spend large amounts of time at the service before the child starts, for others this might not be a possibility.
All families will need to:
• have a tour of the service, with greater detail spent in the room their child will attend
• be personally introduced to the child’s future primary carers
• discuss and agree on orientation visits
• have a designated area for their child’s belongings
• have a designated place for centre communications for the family to be posted
• be provided with written information about the services philosophy and policies
• have their feelings listened to and acknowledged
You may or may not be involved in orienting families to a service (depending on the procedures of the service you work at), but you will always be expected to be able to conduct introductions and to explain your role at the service clearly.
© NSW DET 2010
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It is important that families are supported and encouraged to establish a drop off and pick up routine. This routine will vary according to the individual family and child. It is important for the child to gain a sense of consistency to assist with settling into the service. The routine will need to be negotiated with the family based on their and their child’s needs. Some families are in a hurry in the morning to get to work. A quick routine, eg putting the bag away, applying sunscreen and walking the parent to the gate might be appropriate here. For other families who have more time at drop off joining in the morning activities might be a more suitable routine. What is involved is not as important as it being suitable to those individuals and being consistently carried out. Quite often the child will initiate a separation routine, eg waving goodbye through a window.
Similarly, a pick up routine is important. Children may be so caught up in playing that they do not want to go home. Assisting the family in understanding that this is a normal occurrence, and establishing a pick up routine can avoid difficulties.
When a new child starts at a service, we are aware that they will need time to settle. But what about their family? If this is the first time their child attends care, it might also be the first time they are apart from their child. They might have left their child in the care of family and friends, but probably never with a ‘stranger’.
Every family is different and may have different needs when settling themselves and their child into a service. However it is important that we acknowledge their feelings and offer support in all our interactions.
It is important that carers acknowledge parents’ feelings about child care and support the parents in all conversations. From the outside it might seem that our role is only to develop and support children in our care, but this can not be achieved away from their families. Relationships with families have an important role in the quality of the relationships and interactions we are able to develop with their children. Children’s families are the sole greatest influence on children’s wellbeing and development. We therefore must work in partnership with children’s families if we are to fulfil our duties to children in our care. So who are these families?
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What is a family? While this might seem a silly question, like asking ‘what is a house’? it is important that we spend some time considering it. Just like with houses, your definition of what a family is will vary depending on your experiences. The definition of a house will greatly vary between someone who lives in Sydney, Barcelona or a small rural village in Africa. The definition of family might greatly vary between someone whose parents and friend’s parents never divorced, and someone who grew up in foster homes.
In Australia today there are many different family types. We are a rich and diverse society and you will meet many families when you work in children's services. Some of these may be familiar to you, others you may have never encountered before. Think of all the different types of families you have met and heard of and complete the exercise below.
Diversity of cultural and language backgrounds is often associated with people from overseas cultures, yet all of us, even those born in Australia to Australian parents, will have experienced our own cultural and language background.
Every family has their own ‘culture’, for example, always giving the chicken breast to the youngest child, or place where parents sit at the table, level of teasing between siblings, whether clothes can be borrowed between family members, and many other practices. There might be even language differences, such as types of words used, special meanings to some of these words, whether ‘please and thank you’ is expected.
These practices might be unknown to those outside of the family, and may seem quirky or strange at the beginning. It is important to get to know the family and gain an understanding of their background to assist you in communicating and working with them in partnership.
© NSW DET 2010
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You will learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in other units, but it is important to remember some of the shared experiences of these cultures, which include:
• Disposition. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were the first inhabitants of this land. They had sophisticated cultural structures.
Australia was discovered by Captain Cook and invaded by white people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lost their homes, lifestyles and traditional livelihood as the white people took over their land.
• Stolen generation. Between 1910 and 1970 a very large number of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcefully removed from their families and placed into missions. This occurred within the living memory of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, leading to unresolved trauma and severe distrust of official figures.
• Cultural heritage. While many of the traditional languages became extinct through government policies banning their use, some have flourished and are experiencing greater usage as younger generations take up their use. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and lore continue. Kinship ties, and values such as reciprocity, generosity and obligations to the group are highly valued. There are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance and rock groups, writers and performers who follow in the footsteps of traditional culture, raising awareness of what it means to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities continue to draw on spiritual concepts and traditional forms of community organisation to address present day issues and problems.
• Access to education and health care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders have much shorter life expectancies than the Australian average. They have a higher rate of many preventable diseases, and lower education outcomes.
• Diversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia is diverse.
Traditionally there were hundreds of language groups, or countries.
Apart from being culturally diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander and Torres Strait Islander people live in communities ranging from remote/traditional to urban, and as with any other family, experience individual different events and circumstances.
As discussed earlier, there is great level of differences even within cultural groups.
It is important to establish appropriate communication with all families so they may feel comfortable sharing this information with you.
Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN511A: Reader LO 9403
© NSW DET 2010

Just as there are many different family backgrounds, you are likely to encounter many variations in child rearing practices. Some will feel ‘natural’ or ‘right’ to you, as they will probably closely match your own. Same may feel ‘alien’, or ‘strange’, probably because they will be different to what you have encountered before.
As a child care worker you will be expected to be respectful of variations in child rearing practices. Consider the following scenarios:
Laura believes children eat and sleep as much as they need to. She would like you to follow Seth’s (2:3) lead, providing as little or as much lunch as he asks for, and letting him sleep until he wakes up.
Juliet believes that Roman (2:3) will not eat enough unless he is reminded.
She knows that if Roman has a long nap he will not sleep through the night. Juliet requests that you ensure Roman has a full serve of lunch, and that you wake him up after 20 minute nap.
Regardless of their family structure, cultural or language background, each family is unique and will have their own needs and expectations of a service. We will now look at how we can build partnerships with families so that these needs and expectations can be met.
Regardless of the family’s background, there are a few assumptions we make when working towards establishing relationship with them:
• Everyone’s aim is for the child to be supported to develop to their full potential, become socially competent and be happy.
• Families have the greatest impact on a child’s development, and they know the child best.
• Children will develop their sense of identify through family, language and community ( which includes the child care centre)
• Families deserve support and understanding, not judgements.
• Early childhood staff work in conjunction with families, never in spite of them.
© NSW DET 2010
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For a partnership to be successful it is dependent on an active flow of two-way communication. Each partner in the relationship is equal to the other and each will bring to the relationship a different set of values and beliefs. Yet at the end of the day the objectives and the underlying principles are the same.
Before we can venture too far in this topic we need first to understand what we mean by the term ‘partnership’ and how this relates to children’s services.
You have probably previously learned about the importance and benefits of collaboration, that is working together towards a common goal. Stonehouse and
Gonzalez-Mena (2004: 23) state partnership shares this characteristic, while also including the following:
• mutual respect
• trust
• sensitivity to the other’s perspective and role
• ongoing, open communication (as opposed to staff just reporting or giving advice and requiring certain kinds of 'reporting' from parents)
• an absence from rivalry or competition
• recognition and valuing of the unique contribution and strengths of the partner
• a good fit between the different strengths of partners (in other words, it is not necessarily a good partnership if both partners are good at the same things)
• shared decision making.
'The focus of a partnership … [with parents] … is the child’s wellbeing, development and learning, not the operation of the services, and that leads us to think about the difference between partnership and involvement.' (Stonehouse and Gonzalez-Mena (2004) p 23)
As you will have learnt previously, both verbal and non-verbal communication convey a lot of meaning. While we often focus on verbal communication, we need to also be aware of our body language, posture and facial expressions, as these often convey the most meaning. Think about what message you would receive in the following scenarios.
Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN511A: Reader LO 9403
© NSW DET 2010

Early childhood services have long boasted of their 'parent involvement'.
Traditionally, this has related to the parents’ willingness or ability to physically contribute to the smooth running of the service. Parents or family members would volunteer to participate in such things as working bees, fundraising activities, attending excursions as volunteers, contributing materials (tissue boxes, egg cartons, a piece of fruit daily), attending the centre at specific times (to share a skill or assist with a task) or at special occasions (social function, talk, open day).
Community-based centres also provided the opportunity for parents to become a member of the management committee and require their attendance at annual general meetings. Seems like a long list and it is not exhaustive! Having these reference points and perspectives may taint our appreciation of parents’ real contributions and motivations. Consider the following examples:
Mr and Mrs Fully Involved turn up at every centre function. They love their two daughters deeply and as such they want to know about everything that happens in their lives. They respect that the carers have training in early childhood education but also accept that their children are their responsibility and wish to participate in decisions affecting their children. They get frustrated when they see or hear of other families not being active at the service. They believe this demonstrates that they do not care for their children.
Mr and Mrs Involved When We Are Requested To turn up at centre functions when the carers suggest to them that this is a function not to be missed. They love their two daughters deeply and have made a commitment to work in partnership with the carers to ensure continuity of experiences for the children. This does not mean, however, that they need to know all of the incidental information about the centre such as how much money was raised on the last fundraising drive. They trust the carers implicitly and rely on the carers to impart the information that they need to know.
Mr and Mrs Uninvolved never turn up at centre functions. They love their two daughters deeply and as such spend much time researching before selecting a centre to which to send their children. They pay a lot of money for quality care and expect no less than the best. They respect that the carers have training in early childhood education and as such leave the care of their daughters and the control of the centre to the ‘experts’. After all they would feel quite frustrated if anyone tried to tell them how to do their jobs! Mr and Mrs Uninvolved lead very
© NSW DET 2010
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10 busy lives. The demands of work, home life and family leave very little time left.
They are very protective of this time and place time with the children high on their list of priorities. The last thing they want to do with this time is go back to the centre where their children have already spent considerable time.
Quite a stark difference, wouldn’t you agree! Each one of the perspectives described is valid. None is more valid than another. More importantly, none excludes the possibility of forming a partnership between the service and the family.
At times people can mistake a lack of involvement as meaning that the family does not care for their child. Looking at involvement from the perspective of the families mentioned above brings new light to the subject. As carers we don’t have the right to make a judgment on families and the decisions they make. We may never be privy to the perspectives of others and assuming that we know can be counterproductive in the formation of partnerships.
As well as the perspectives outlined in the case of the Involved/Uninvolved families, there are valid reasons why families may not get involved in their children’s service. Some of these reasons are a conscious choice while others are not. Reasons may include:
• a lack of time in a very busy life
• being unclear about what is expected from families
• negative experience previously when the family has made attempts at getting involved—this may have been at another service or it may have been that they felt that their efforts were not appreciated
• lack of support systems to help care for their child while they are involved in centre functions.
• Feeling uncomfortable at the service, whether due to culture, background, or even gender (we will talk later how some men might feel less welcome at a service because of their gender).
It is extremely important that in all our communications with parents, whether face-to-face or written, formal or informal, we as childcare workers demonstrate an acceptance of varying levels of parental involvement. It is not necessary for every parent to devote time to the service their child attends. The level of involvement a parent chooses to take on should never be viewed as a reflection of their commitment to their child.
Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN511A: Reader LO 9403
© NSW DET 2010

If we are to invite families to be involved in the service we must work at creating an environment that says ‘you are welcome at any time’. Involving families in the life of a centre is not a new idea. The notion of an open-door policy has been around for a long time. However, the way this policy is implemented does not always make family members feel welcome into the service.
If children's families are comfortable in the service then it will be apparent to the children. It will be evident through families’ relaxed body language, by their willingness to talk in positive terms about the centre and through their enthusiasm. While this will greatly depend on the type of social encounters families have in the service, we also need to consider the physical environment.
We spend a lot of our time and energy creating a wonderfully stimulating and relaxed environment for children but what about the children’s family? How does the environment that we create say ‘you are also welcomed here’?
Foyer area
• There is a notice board or space for displaying family news and celebrations.
• The lobby is clean and attractive.
• There are welcome signs in multiple languages.
• There is furniture for adults to sit on and wait.
• There are photos and position titles of staff displayed.
• The posters depict a range of family types.
• There are displays of children’s work.
Playroom
• There are photos, paintings and posters of families and familiar places and images of familiar procedures.
• The furniture is clean and in good condition.
• The environment is child-centred.
• There are comfortable places for adults to sit.
• There is minimal clutter.
• An effort is made to keep the room tidy.
• Children can be heard laughing and generally having fun.
• Children are at ease with staff and frequently ask for help when needed.
The office or area for discussion
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• There is a comfortable space to sit and talk with adult furniture, drinks.
• There is an office or separate area available for confidential discussions.
• The area is quiet/ away from children’s play.
Centre facilities
• There are facilities to make a drink.
• The centre is clean and tidy.
• The centre is attractively decorated.
• Safety has been considered.
• Accessibility has been considered in the location of the service.
• The décor is pleasant.
Let’s now consider the interactive component of the environment, mainly how we communicate with families.
Written communication
• Newsletters convey information in a positive manner.
• Information on notice boards is current.
• There are personalised messages for parents.
• Messages are conveyed in a positive tone.
• Families from non-English-speaking backgrounds are considered.
• People who are unable to read or write are catered for.
Staff interactions with families
• There is always a friendly welcome.
• There is a comfortable space to sit and talk.
• Staff greet families by name.
• Staff give their full attention to families' questions and concerns.
• Staff are available to help settle children into the service.
• Staff follow up messages from families courteously and promptly.
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We have done the hard work. We have explored our expectations of families and have created an environment where families feel welcome and able to spend as much or as little time as they choose. Once these foundations have been laid the next step is to continually review how we invite families into the service to participate in children’s experiences.
There are many reasons why we create opportunities for parent participation.
These opportunities promote partnerships with parents, creating a greater understanding between the service and the home environment. This partnership and participation also creates an advocacy of the service. As family members gain a greater understanding of the program offered by the service they will then advocate for the service and the industry. Another important benefit of family participation in children’s activities is the effect it can have on parents. By participating in their children’s activities, and relating with the service's staff, parents can gain a sense of empowerment as their choices and interactions are validated.
Staff will go out of their way to create opportunities that welcome families if the service views family participation as an absolute right of families. If a service only encourages participation because it is expected or required, the opportunities they provide will be tokenistic and leave families wondering if it was worth the effort.
While most parents will generally like to participate in their child’s experiences, not all will be able to do so. However, the opportunities need to be provided to allow families a choice. This said, it should not be used as a basis to judge families; rather, we need to consider the ways we offer options for participation. Being physically present in a service is not the same as participation. Standing in the kitchen cutting up fruit all day is not the same as participating in children’s experiences.
© NSW DET 2010
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The basic principles of honesty, open communication, clear expectations and flexibility to accommodate individual families needs to be reflected in any strategy used to promote family participation. You might consider the following:
• written invitations, both general (at the beginning of a year) and specific
(to a particular outing, performance or day)
• verbal invitations
• written policy
• flexibility in the program to allow participation.
You will need to consider not only appropriate verbal, but also non verbal communication. Consider the body language used. Lack of eye contact, or even a very poorly folded note, can imply a disinterest in the interaction. Non verbal communication often conveys much more meaning than verbal.
Children’s services have traditionally been a female dominated field. It is important to consider practices to welcome members of families and community which may not have traditionally been as represented, especially males.
There are many organisations and websites that discuss and promote the inclusion of fathers. These are listed in the resource section. Some principles to guide your practice include:
1.
Father awareness and respect. Having an understanding of the impact and role fathers have on the wellbeing of the child. Engaging with fathers respecting their strengths, skills and role.
2.
Equity and access. Evaluating your practices and activities to ensure fathers have equal and fair access.
3.
Your own strengths. Exploring the qualities you bring to working with fathers.
4.
Advocacy and empowerment. Becoming an advocate for men to overcome barriers to being positive fathers.
5.
Research and evaluate your ability to engage fathers and other significant males in the child’s life.
Think for a moment of your first day in a children’s service. How did it feel?
Picture yourself just entering the children’s playroom. How did you begin your day with the children? How did you feel standing there amidst the business of the service?
Most parents on entering this situation would be feeling a little lost. This is a new environment for them. They will be unfamiliar with the centre’s expectations in
Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN511A: Reader LO 9403
© NSW DET 2010

regard to interactions and the way children are redirected. It is all very new. They will be aware that staff have had different levels of training and experience. We need to consider how we create an environment that remains consistent for children and allows family member to participate in meaningful ways.
Let’s start with the invitation to spend some time at the service.
Imagine a tattered, old sign is hung just outside the front door, saying ‘Parent participation is welcomed’. In its time it was an attractive sign but after years of weathering it looks a little tattered. The message is replicated in the first newsletter of each year with no further explanation: just the same message.
Consider a new parent, John, who has been thinking about spending some time at the centre to see what it is like for his children but doesn’t really know how to go about it. Should he just arrive one day with the children and not go home? Should he make an appointment? What’s the procedure? John isn’t interested in spending the day washing paint pots or cutting fruit. He’s inquisitive about the children’s day. Does he need to tell staff this or would they know? John doesn’t want to feel patronised, and is concerned about being the only adult male in a service with 9 female staff.
Some services have found it helpful to have some information prepared on ways that families can help to facilitate children’s play while at the centre. Written information serves as a nice introduction to the service. Families might sit down in their children’s playroom and read through the information as the children engage in their activities. This allows the family member an opportunity to sit back and get a feel for the room, observe the way that carers interact with children and it also provides a chance for the children to familiarise themselves with a visitor.
We have looked at very structured ways for family members to participate in their children’s experiences. However, we need to also consider spontaneous participation. While family members may not be able to make an appointment at a particular time, drop-off and pick-up times are a great opportunity for them to engage in children’s experiences. The key is to create an atmosphere where family members feel comfortable staying at the service and participating in the activities their children are undertaking. This will greatly depend on the environment you have set up and your attitude towards their participation.
© NSW DET 2010
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It can be daunting to have family members observe your interactions with their child. You are probably still uncomfortable when being observed by one of your teachers! While these feelings are normal, we need to become comfortable in our practices even while being observed. Though few parents will want to spend all day at the service, most will spend some time participating in their children’s experiences if the invitation is extended and the atmosphere is welcoming.
All these responses are valid. If we are to develop as professionals, being observe while performing our job becomes a necessity. Hopefully during your Work
Placements you will develop confidence in your performance and this will become a less daunting task.
‘It takes a village to raise a child’. Proverb
Raising a child is a very difficult task. Some families do it with apparent ease and grace while other struggle. The process of raising children is difficult regardless of a family's public face.
The role of children’s services has changed considerably. No longer are children’s services considered only in terms of the care that they offer young children. Their role is regarded as much broader. There was a time when services catered for children while hardly interacting with the child’s family. Families would arrive at the preschool at 9 am, take their child directly to their locker and leave. At 3 pm they repeated the process in reverse. There was little interaction with staff or occasions for parent participation. It is quite different now.
Children’s services now offer more holistic care, recognising their responsibility in supporting the family in their parenting role.
It seems today that isolation is a way of life for many families. Extended families are in decline, with a lower number of children leading to fewer cousins, aunties and uncles. We also relocate homes, commute and live long distances form each other. This means that families may not have the luxury of family or friends close by to support them.
For many families, their neighbourhood might be just as isolating. They may not know the names of the people who live close by or be able to rely on them for
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© NSW DET 2010

support. This is not necessarily different in rural areas. For many families the children’s service they choose for their child will often be the first real link they will have with other families with children. The staff at the centre become not only carers of their children but experts that can be turned to if needed.
Given that staff working in children’s services are not experts on a wide range of topics (although sometimes we feel like it after fixing a blocked toilet yet again), how can we support parents in the establishment of networks?
There are a range of ways that staff might support parent networks. Staff may facilitate parent networks by:
• allowing time and space for parents to communicate with each other. For some families their community consists of their home, the centre and the local shopping centre. It can be daunting turning up to community centres and meeting new people. Children provide parents with a common interest. Making conversation with people who are in a similar situation is much easier than when their experiences are vastly different. It is therefore important that time and space is provided so families do not feel like they are intruding on the service. This will mean that they are less likely to rush in and out: rather they feel like they can stay and relate if they choose to.
• hosting meetings of parents—a centre may allow their facilities to be used to host information sessions or a place for families to get together to discuss particular issues over a cup of coffee
• hosting social events—having a café night, breakfast morning, end-ofterm picnic or other such events, not as a way of raising funds, but as an opportunity for parents to relate and socialise
• providing information or referral to facilitate contact with a network.
Information should not only be supplied when there is a problem to deal with. Information brochures about the services available in the local community provide a frame of reference for this family and others with whom this family might come into contact.
All the points discussed in this topic, if implemented appropriately and with regards to the individual nature of all families, will encourage parents and family members to familiarise themselves and their children with the service and workers as well as providing clear information and reassurance to assist parents to develop confidence in the service.
© NSW DET 2010
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