Engaging families and carers

Working with families and carers can be complicated, but it can also lead to the best results. No matter how problematic family relationships may be, all young people will appreciate having improved family relationships. 

Running a meeting with a family can be tricky. It requires skills from you, and it can feel like an unnatural arrangement for the family. 

While it is not within the role of the school to be providing family counselling, engaging the family in a group meeting can be a really useful way to communicate with them openly about the young person’s wellbeing. It can also be an opportunity to model positive attitudes and communication techniques. 

Meetings can demonstrate to all members of the family that you are optimistic change is possible, committed to assisting in the process of change and open to hearing all sides of the story. It is important to remind all members of the family that everyone has the same goal: improved relationships and the young person’s wellbeing.    

A group meeting can be a really useful way to communicate with them openly about the young person’s wellbeing 

While it feels quite unnatural to begin with, it is best if meetings are highly structured. This prevents them defaulting to existing communication dynamics between family members. It is not the role of the school teacher or wellbeing coordinator to predict a prognosis or prescribe a solution. Instead, provide a sounding board for the family and present options. 

Some steps to think about when planning a meeting: 

• Have a plan! A clear structure keeps the session on track, but it also reinforces that there is a clear intention for the meeting. Be clear that everyone has the same understanding of what this intention is. (Is it to explore support and referral options, discuss how the home environment can complement school interventions, raise concerns about drug or alcohol use etc?) 

• Set positive expectations. Thank people for coming, demonstrate positivity, make clear in your introduction the hopes for the meeting and provide a brief description of how you aim to achieve that. 

• In the session, have any activities, worksheets or documents well planned and ready to go. 

This is an area where the role of the school and wellbeing coordinators can begin to get blurred with that of other professionals.