Family Early Help
This section contains ideas and resources for direct work in the exploration phase of our work with families, right at the beginning. Remember to begin your partnership with the family with some contracting (you can find more about that here):
Resilient Families 'Starting Out' Conversation Cards
Our RF pack has some lovely examples of conversation topics for exploration. These could be send in advance, or used over the phone. Here are the RF Starting Out Cards (right-click on the image to save it):
Systemic Conversation Cards
Some incredibly thoughtful conversation cards from our friends in CSSW to help us explore a family's world and get to know them. Five to choose from, two examples shown, click on the links to open a PDF version each one:
Appreciation and Strengths Card
Resilient Families Working in Partnership and Contracting Cards
Here are the partnership cards from the Resilient Families pack to help you when you're doing your initial contracting with a family or your reviews (right-click the image to save it):
You can find copies of these Resilient Families tools on the Guidebook here
and all the other Resilient Families tools and materials here
https://ascpractice.camden.gov.uk/early-help-guide/resilient-families-practice/
Human User Manual for Parents or Young People
This might be a positive way to start to get to know a young person or parent right at the beginning of your relationship as part of your contracting. This will give you indicators about what they like, don't like, what they need from you, and how you can best help them.
Human User Manual might feel like an awkward term, so 'things you need to know about me' might be an alternative.
There is a link to a human user manual template below, which includes a completed example.
Strengths-Based Questions
Some examples of questions designed to draw out the strengths in a child, parent or family – could be used over the phone (or you could put them in an Office 365 form and share that with the family if they would prefer to write down their answers - there are details about how to make an Office 365 Form further down this section). Could be used alongside the Resilient Families 'Starting Out' conversation cards to help draw out particular issues or themes.
Strengths Based Questions and Practice Activities
Roll Me a Question
An easy game to play to start to get to know each other. The question card can be sent via Mailsmart or email. Two dice needed but can be played without (each person selects two numbers between 1 and 6).
Roll Me a Question Conversation Starter
Other Assessment Tools and Packs
A link to a resource of over 30 different tools and methods to use to help the explore/understand/make sense phase of the work (many can be adapted for virtual use)
http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/30-tools-11-work-children-assessment-planning/