Introduction
Raising a child can be problematic, and every parenting situation has unique challenges. However, there can be a huge difference if caregivers are equipped with the necessary tools. In this case, a home visitation program can ehance parent education, which can help support child development and reduce the risk of neglect. Servicing families can encourage positive parenting practices to ensure better well-being, safety, and permanency for parents and children.
Personal Reasons for Servicing Families in the Community
As a parent educator, one personal reason to service households in the community is based on personal experience, which has instilled the understanding and empathy to help parents address the challenges they face while raising their children. My motivation to help families is also associated with altruistic influences and passion to support child development. Family relationships are often under threat due to behavioral and environmental impacts (Siegel & Hartzell, 2013). Families in crisis may find navigating the world of services and support problematic. Thus, another reason is to support early intervention and link parents with resources to improve their own and children’s well-being.
It is important to regularly engage families to find solutions to do their best for their children. Evidence shows that children from a supportive and thriving home can achieve optimal early childhood outcomes (Black et al., 2020). How adult caregivers, especially parents, act toward children at an early age and how they meet their basic needs can determine their brain architecture that will last a lifetime, positively or negatively (Black et al., 2020). Children with nurturing and positive relations do better socio-academically than those who experience uninvolved, deprived, and harsh caregiving (Siegel & Hartzell, 2013). I believe that by providing families with the tools they need to succeed, it will be possible to establish a more equitable and just society.
What Parent Education Through Home Visitation Means to Me
Home visits can foster a healthy engagement with clients and offer a broad yet intimate view of their lives. Therefore, visiting parents and educating them means many things to me. Firstly, visitation provides a chance to interact with their surroundings and how this affects their functioning, parenting style, and well-being. Visitation offers a platform to observe parents’ living conditions, such as the situations of their homes, the status of neighborhoods, and safety concerns (Kelty & Wakabayashi, 2020).
Secondly, it helps build relationships with them because they may be most comfortable in their homes (Lees et al., 2019). Thirdly, visiting means creating an action plan since it might be easier to address their needs. Rather than in an office, interventions delivered in the houses can easily be implemented since that is where problems are typically experienced. Finally, service barriers, including scheduling conflicts and limited transportation, can be avoided through a home visitation program.
Home visitation is valuable because an educator can assess what tools a family needs to provide children with a caring and positive environment. Similarly, one can determine whether they are experiencing a job loss or have an eviction notice. Such visitation can link them to additional long-term services, such as parenting classes and early childhood programs, and resources to address their immediate needs, such as rental and food expenses. Supporting them during times of need can enable them to look for opportunities to cater to their children’s needs, even under stress. Thus, home visitation allows the educator to establish every parent’s unique needs or circumstances, connect them with resources, and promote children’s healthy growth and development.
Fears and Anticipations
As a parent educator, I understand that each family has challenges that can surface while working together. I fear that I may get overwhelmed by parents’ experiences, especially when I must prioritize empathy or tune into their experiences to assess their needs. Negative emotions may be elicited when they share a traumatic experience and their struggle with parenting, and this can be exhausting and debilitating.
As a parent educator, I am conscious of the risk that constant exposure to working with clients who might have experienced difficulties can cause to my emotions. Thus, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are some of the imminent dangers that may be associated with home visitation programs. However, I look forward to helping parents and their children thrive and grow.
Acquiring skills, such as knowing the signs of compassion fatigue and seeking support, can be crucial in monitoring oneself for triggering responses and defensive patterns. Thus, proper self-care, including regular self-reflection and seeking psychological help, might be essential in maintaining perspective and preventing burnout. Such measures can ensure that any personal struggles would not compromise the role of assisting parents.
What to Be Done During Future Home Visits and Related Fears
There are several things I look forward to doing with these services. An evidence-based framework has been established to foster a healthy and conducive environment for children by promoting families’ well-being and helping them identify and develop their own protective factors (Children’s Trust Fund Alliance [CTF], n.d). Using the CTF guidelines, the primary objectives of home visits will be based on the five protective factors. These include improving parental resilience, offering an array of social connections, ensuring that parents are provided with tangible support when facing challenges, promoting family knowledge development, and facilitating children’s healthy emotional and social growth (CTF, n.d.).
These services will enable families to recover from challenging life experiences, build supportive social networks, exercise effective parenting techniques, maintain healthy family connections, and access external support to minimize stress (CTF, n.d.). As a result, these households will become less vulnerable because these services can prevent social isolation and teach what to expect as children develop cognitively, emotionally, and physically. Families will also learn to communicate clearly, regulate emotions, and improve themselves.
What I fear when providing these services in the future is the inherent challenges and obstacles that might arise. For instance, some families may be unwilling to be supported or may live in unfriendly neighborhoods. A home educator can struggle to engage clients actively during their visits. Those who have had unpleasant experiences may be depressed and become unapproachable. Others might be distracted during the visitations or ignore the educator.
Additionally, some parents have unique needs that may pose emotional difficulties in establishing professional boundaries. There might be circumstances that will be distressing or impossible to cope with. For example, a family may be experiencing a crisis like a lack of food or need transportation to an emergency room. In such situations, an educator can be tempted to help them, especially if they can offer assistance. Nevertheless, I strive to adhere to the protocols for such events and be transparent with families to find remedies that will benefit all involved parties.
How to Prepare to Work with Family That Differ From Me and Practice Harm-Reduction
Educators need to be open-minded, empathetic, and willing to learn in order to work with parents who are different from them. Such conduct can not only help understand the former’s perspective but also personal biases and assumptions. In my case, I will prepare to work with a family that differs from me by learning more about their culture and traditions. This would help me build trust and mutual respect to facilitate open communication.
I will also exercise harm-reduction strategies, such as being non-judgmental, in order to create a safe environment where all members can express their concerns and have them addressed. These practices can be fundamental in making the families feel valued, respected, and comfortable sharing their experiences and perspectives. Lastly, I would be keen to identify and address systemic barriers that hamper access to resources and services to ascertain social justice and equity for all families regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status. This is because educators have a role to advocate for policies and collaborate with communities to bring a positive social transformation.
How the Acquired Information Will Support the Parent Educator Role
The education and training received will impart robust knowledge on child growth and family dynamics and help understand techniques and models to use to address their needs. With this information, families can get the needed support (Siegel & Hartzell, 2013). For instance, active listening, effective communication, and problem-solving skills will be crucial for creating strong relationships with family to guarantee their success. Finally, the knowledge gained through this education journey can build a strong research foundation and develop evidence-based practices to guide the work in this field.
Conclusion
In conclusion, altruistic motivations are the main influences for servicing households in the community. Visitations can provide families with the necessary tools to develop safe homes for their children. In this regard, parents will be equipped with knowledge on how to foster healthy relationships and improve their children’s mental and physical outcomes. Home visits also have added advantages because educators can assess every family’s unique needs and connect with linkage services. Referral programs can ensure children access food and other necessary resources.
References
Black, M. M., Trude, A. C., & Lutter, C. K. (2020). All children thrive: Integration of nutrition and early childhood development. Annual Review of Nutrition, 40, 375-406. Web.
Children’s Trust Fund Alliance. (n.d.). Protective factors. Web.
Kelty, N. E., & Wakabayashi, T. (2020). Family engagement in schools: Parent, educator, and community perspectives. Sage Open, 10(4), 1-13. Web.
Lees, D., Frampton, C. M., & Merry, S. N. (2019). Efficacy of a home visiting enhancement for high-risk families attending parent management programs: A Randomized superiority clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(3), 241–248. Web.
Siegel, D. J., & Hartzell, M. (2013). Parenting from the inside out: How a deeper self-understanding can help you raise children who thrive. Penguin.