One day training (6 hours)
Engagement skills begin at the first contact with family members and continue throughout the processes of assessment, planning, service delivery, evaluation and closure. The building of an effective alliance between family members, the agency and community members supports a shared responsibility for achieving desired results. Due to the involuntary nature of most Child Protection cases, it is not unusual for families to resist offers of help. Resistance is a normal and predictable response when people feel forced to change.
Through the use of case study and interactive practice activities, this training will explore the reluctance of families to receive help as well as examine the essential practice of engagement, shifting from fact and fault-finding interviewing to respectful and cooperative relationship-based and solution focused interactions with families. Participants will learn how to engage families through the use of communication skills in order to encourage family involvement, ownership, alliance and participation during agency intervention regarding issues of child safety, permanency and well-being.
Upon completion of this training, participants will:
- Understand the role of effective engagement in achieving safety, permanency and well being
- Gain knowledge of the key skills and strategies of effective engagement
- Define & Identify resistance
- Learn how to engage with clients respectfully, while holding the client accountable for the safety of their children
- Practice using strengths based assessment and interviewing techniques or “keys to engagement”
- Understand the influence of culture in the engagement and assessment process
For more information contact Beverly Crockett at 813-974-9007 or email at:
