Family Partnership Services

POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development collaborates with each family in a family partnership process that identifies the interest, needs, strengths, and goals of the family. NOCAC Child Development provides services and resources that support the well-being, safety, health, and economic stability, of the family.

PROCEDURES:

Center Based

1. 1. The Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) is outlined in the NOCAC Family Handbook and Calendar, which list all of the family services and partnership opportunities available to each family throughout the program year. Service opportunities include:
      1. Home Visits
      2. Emergency or crisis intervention
      3. Encouragement and support for the family’s own effort to obtain quality services they desire
      4. Develop goals and strategies that are identified as areas for personal growth
      5. Support for child development, discipline, and stress management issues
      6. Advocacy for families in dealing with agencies or individuals
      7. Information to support any training and educational needs
      8. Assistance with medical and dental needs, including securing health coverage
      9. Translation services for non-English speaking families
      10. Support for fathers and significant males in parenting roles
      11. Transportation to appointments when needed
      12. Work with the parent on your child’s attendance
   2. NOCAC Child Development focuses on the well-being of the family including but not limited to:
      1. Safety
      2. Health
      3. Economic stability
   3. That supports the participant’s learning and development, including any participant with disabilities.
   4. Fostering parental confidence and skills that promote the early learning and development of their child.
   5. The process is initiated as early in the program year as possible and continues for as long as the family participates in the program, based on parent interests, strengths, and needs.
   6. These opportunities are promoted through:
      1. Family Picnics
      2. Family Fun Nights
      3. Policy Council
      4. Parent meetings
      5. “Bring your…” weeks
      6. Newsletter
      7. Social media
      8. Socializations
      9. and other newsprint.
   7. At the Open House (or the first home visit for home based families) before classes begin each family gets an Enrollment Packet that they fill out and give to the Teacher or Home Visitor at the first Home Visit. Packets are available in English and Spanish  The following is included in the packet prior to start of classes:
      1. A Guide to Your Child’s Health pamphlet
      2. Teaching Strategies invitation
      3. Online teaching strategy informational sheet
      4. Pamphlet of oral health
      5. A schedule of area Health Department Immunizations
      6. ABC’s and 123’s About my Child
      7. Family Interest Survey
      8. Family Strengths and Needs Survey
      9. Information on the Child and Adult Care Food Program
      10. Pamphlet on NOCAC HS/EHS Transportation and Bus Monitoring
      11. Pamphlet for volunteering
      12. Pamphlet for volunteering
      13. Emergency transportation permission form
      14. Allergies, Special, Health or Medical Conditions, and Food Supplements form
      15. Enrollment Consent form
      16. Transportation Orientation Information form
      17. Dental History, Diet History, and Health History form
      18. Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers *DECA-P2) form
      19. Child and Adult Care Food Program Enrollment form
          1. Packets that are given to families after the start of classes also include:
             1. Health Record Form and Oral Health Form (mailed in June to children who are accepted prior to classes beginning)
             2. Enrollment and Health Information form and Pick up list Authorization List form (mailed in August to children who are accepted prior to classes beginning)
   8. Family Progress Notes (FPN)
      1. The Family Advocate (FA) and Teacher and/or the Home Visitor meet in early October for their first FPN meeting at the beginning of the program year and ongoing bimonthly or as needed.
      2. FPN will also be completed in October, December, February, and April or as deemed necessary by the FA and/or teacher or home visitor.
      3. FPN are documented in Childplus by the Family Advocate and reviewed by the Social Service Manager.
   9. Family Advocate Caseload
      1. Family Advocate’s case load is determined by:
         1. The first FPN
         2. Selection criteria from the original application
         3. Family strengths and needs survey
         4. Observations from:
            1. the initial application
            2. the first home visit with the teacher
      2. Using guidance from above the FA chooses 15 of the highest needs families to be on their caseload.
      3. A family on the FA’s caseload will receive the following services:
         1. in depth case management and
         2. three home assessments, Family Partnership Agreement (FPA).
            1. one early in the program year based on the FPA the family along with the FA will complete the Family Goals, Strengths and Support form.
            2. one at the end of the program year in order to measure gains the family has made as a result of being in the NOCAC HS/EHS program.
      4. As family dynamics change so may the FA caseload for reasons such as:
         1. A family who was in crisis in the beginning of the year may have reached their goals and are no longer in need of case management services from FA.
         2. A family may choose to no longer be on the FA caseload.
         3. A family who seemed stable in the beginning of the year may experience a crisis later on in the year and need to receive case management services and be put on the FA’s caseload.
      5. Family Advocates create partnerships with other social service agencies that could possibly support the family either in collaboration with or as not to duplicate services.

Home Based

The Home Based families receive all of the above opportunities.  The only different between the family services center based families and home based families receive are:

1. Families receiving home visits through the home based program do not complete the FPA as their GGK curriculums family partnership processes go above those of the FPA.
2. The Home Based Curriculum GGK family partnership services far exceeds that of what the FPA process provides.
   1. Therefore the FPA is not required for any home based family.
   2. Home Visitors will continue to use and document all the family partnership efforts on their curriculums documentation.
3. If there is a family with extremely high needs the Home Visitor will contact the FA to have that family put on the FAs case load so that FA can work with that family as well to help them make gains and follow up with goals.
4. In addition to the family partnership services offered to all families as described in 1302.52, will engage enrolled pregnant women and other relevant family members to specifically focus on factors that influence prenatal and postpartum maternal and infant health.
   1. Home Based families will also be engaged in discussion about program options, plans for their infants transition into the program, enrollment and be supported during this process whenever possible.

Forms and Additional Guidance: