Strengthening Protective Factors: Engaging Questions

Training & Curriculum Specialist Family Engagement Lesson 5 Apply Strengthening Protective Factors: Engaging Questions Program Tool	WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG ACTIVITY ID: 26976 Name Certifier Date
As you build a positive relationship with individual families, you can strengthen their protective factors in ways that are respectful to their culture and family perspective by observing their interactions, listening to their ideas, and asking questions. Through these interactions and thoughtful conversations, you will become better able to support each family. Review the following list of questions adapted from the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Action Sheets with staff members and direct care providers. Use them to foster reflective thinking or lead small or large group discussions where you and staff members can adapt the questions in the activity to align with your programs’ culture. Parental Resilience: What are your dreams and/ or goals for your child, yourself, and your family? What worries and frustrations do you deal with during the day? What tools to you use to manage them? Who or what supports you to meet your child's needs when you are stressed? When you are under stress, what is most helpful? What do you do to take care of yourself when you are stressed? Social Connections: Are you a member of any groups or organizations? Who do you lean on for advice? What kind of social support do you like or need? What helps you feel connected to people and things around you? Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development: What do you like best about your child? What do you like about parenting? What do you find challenging about parenting? Are there things that worry you about your child’s development or behavior? Concrete �Թ�� in Time of Need: What do you need to _________ (stay in your house, keep your job, pay your heating bill etc.)? What have you done to handle the problem? Has this worked? Are there specific barriers that have made it difficult for you to access services in the past? How does dealing with these issues impact the way you parent? Social & Emotional Competence of Children: How is the emotional relationship between you and your child? How do you help your child express his or her emotions? In what situations are your child’s emotions hard for you to deal with? *Adapted from:

Program Tool

WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG

ACTIVITY ID: 26976

Name

Certifier

Date

As you build a positive relationship with individual families, you can strengthen their protective factors in ways that are respectful to their culture and family perspective by observing their interactions, listening to their ideas, and asking questions. Through these interactions and thoughtful conversations, you will become better able to support each family. Review the following list of questions adapted from the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Action Sheets with staff members and direct care providers. Use them to foster reflective thinking or lead small or large group discussions where you and staff members can adapt the questions in the activity to align with your programs’ culture.

Parental Resilience:

What are your dreams and/ or goals for your child, yourself, and your family?
What worries and frustrations do you deal with during the day? What tools to you use to manage them?
Who or what supports you to meet your child's needs when you are stressed?
When you are under stress, what is most helpful?
What do you do to take care of yourself when you are stressed?

Social Connections:

Are you a member of any groups or organizations?
Who do you lean on for advice?
What kind of social support do you like or need?
What helps you feel connected to people and things around you?

Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development:

What do you like best about your child?
What do you like about parenting?
What do you find challenging about parenting?
Are there things that worry you about your child’s development or behavior?

Concrete �Թ�� in Time of Need:

What do you need to _________ (stay in your house, keep your job, pay your heating bill etc.)?
What have you done to handle the problem? Has this worked?
Are there specific barriers that have made it difficult for you to access services in the past?
How does dealing with these issues impact the way you parent?

Social & Emotional Competence of Children:

How is the emotional relationship between you and your child?
How do you help your child express his or her emotions?
In what situations are your child’s emotions hard for you to deal with?

*Adapted from:

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