Family Leadership

Family Leadership for EHDI Stakeholders

Equitable partnerships between families and early intervention programs and systems are critical to the success of EHDI programs and the achievement of optimal outcomes for children. Family leadership and involvement are critical when developing policies and programs to ensure that the systems of care support a genuine reflection of the day-to-day challenges and opportunities facing families.
An organizational culture that prioritizes and facilitates family leadership is vital to sustain and improve mechanisms for family engagement and partnership over the long term and across the EHDI system.

Imagine a family leader with ‘all the right stuff’ – how would this make the areas you, as an EHDI stakeholder, are seeking to improve better for all?  How does having Family leaders involved improve the supports you are seeking for families?

  • It can improve the planning process.
  • It helps you carry out the mission of the program.
  • It increases your knowledge and skills.
  • It helps you do a better job.
  • It brings fresh perspectives to problems.
  • It provides an ally to advocate for better services for children and families.
  • It increases your empathy for and understanding of families
  • It brings about better consumer satisfaction because there is a team effort in providing what the child and family need.
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Spotlight on Success

 

“Spotlight on Success” is a series of brief articles appearing in the FL3 eNews, featuring strategies family-based organizations/family leaders and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs are implementing to foster family engagement.

Read Articles Submit Article FL3 eNews

Families who have the following qualities can indeed lead your system to better services for the next family on the journey through your state’s EHDI system.  These qualities include:

Sometimes parents who have not had the opportunity for training, are placed on boards to offer input. Often there is only one parent and this parent is meant to represent all parents. The parent comes infrequently, and this becomes the measure of parent disinterest in the issue. Advisory Board meetings are indeed important in that they determine the policy direction and overall goals of the EDHI system. However, if the parent is not taught how a board works, how to represent others outside their self and how to represent other families, the parent will not come with bounding enthusiasm or offer ideas. Parents need to be treated as equal stakeholders in the process and co-production of the system. If not, the parent will usually feel quietly incompetent with few attachments to participation.

Your support as a professional for family leadership development can help to ensure that meaningful and positive family exist in your state/territory.  Parents can be effective partners in improving care for infants who are deaf/hard of hearing.

Professionals and Families working together as partners

As noted in A Conceptual Model of Healthcare Service Coproduction healthcare services should not be viewed as a ‘product delivered’ but is better conceived as a service. Services are always co-produced by service professionals and service users. Good outcomes are more likely if the patient (family/consumer/youth) communicate effectively, develop a shared understanding of the problem and generate a mutually acceptable evaluation and management plan.  This includes ‘duality’ of satisfaction by professionals and consumers (end users) This model encourages the idea of moving away from ‘what’s the matter with you’ to ‘what matters to you’ and can create a culture where  co-creation and generosity grows, and productive relationships form more naturally.
(Coproduction of healthcare service, Armstrong, Lisa et al. BMJ Qual Saf published online September 16, 2015) http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2015/09/16/bmjqs-2015-004315.abstract

EHDI Grantee PHASE I/YEAR ONE PLANNING TOOLS for Family-to-Family Support, Family Engagement/leadership, and DHH-to Family Support 

The following sections are provided to support the development of mandated statewide infrastructure plans for HRSA funded states and territories (HRSA-24-035) in the areas of Family-to-Family Support, Family Engagement/Leadership, and DHH-to-Family Support elements of the plan.

Overall Infrastructure Plan Guidance

Evaluating Family Engagement in your EHDI System

Other ways to ensure Family Leadership within your EHDI system:

Evaluating DHH to Family Support in your EHDI System

More Information to explore:

Other Resources to support Planning:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Guidelines that can help in all areas of planning development:

Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Guidelines.
These guidelines provide background and examples of the value of diverse lived experiences and then culminates in an ever-evolving plan for H&V/FL3 to carry out its mission for the benefit of all children who are DHH and their families. Whether you represent a program, community organization, or are a parent leader, the resources we have packaged will help you build a better understanding of the needs of underserved and underrepresented communities. By focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility we can do our part to transform our community for all families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Evaluating Family-to-Family Support in your EHDI System 

Please go to our Models of Family-to-Family Support page for information on evaluating, assessing, and providing family-to-family support.

2019 H&V FL3 EHDI Coordinator Survey

In December 2019 the FL3 conducted a survey with EHDI Coordinators to collect information about the kinds of data collected by EHDI Programs and/or FBOs around families referred and enrolled in family to family support services and families that were referred and enrolled in deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) Adult to family support services. In addition, we asked about the kinds of programs EHDI offered that utilize D/HH adults to serve families. The FL3 EHDI Coordinator Survey was open for 3 weeks, from December 18, 2019 through January 10, 2020, and respondents were asked to reply based on their current EHDI program activities. The survey was emailed to 80 contacts from all 59 state/territory EHDI programs on two separate occasions. Individual responses were received from 35 states/territories (59% response rate), including four territories.

[ Download Survey Report ]

Resources for more ideas on how to facilitate family leadership

Tips for Meaningful Participation by Parents and Adults who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Serving in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Systems
Specifically, Advisory Committees and Learning Communities

Fostering Family Engagement and Leadership in EHDI Systems:
explores parent/professional partnerships and family engagement in EHDI systems with a direct focus to family leaders.  (Webinar from August 31st, 2017)

Powerful Partnerships: A Handbook for Families and Providers Working Together to Improve Care
http://www.nichq.org/resource/powerful-partnerships-handbook-families-and-providers-working-together-improve-care

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs – Family & Engagement
http://www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/family-engagement/Pages/default.aspx

National Center for Family Professional Partnerships
http://www.fv-ncfpp.org/

JCIH Supplement – Goal 8
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1324