connecting with communities: vision and vocation · connecting with communities: vision and...
TRANSCRIPT
Connecting with Communities:
vision and vocation
Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott :
Why connect with communities?
There is a strong correlation between:
•Local Government Areas with high levels of social disadvantage (SEIFA measures), and
•High levels of child protection reports, and
•Number of children identified as vulnerable in one or more domains of AEDC
Cummins, Scott & Scales (2012) Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry Report
A Story about Connecting with Community
The Principal on the Corner
by Imogen Fullagar
Vision
“…He looked at the awfully old buildings, and the terribly tired teachers and the restless and rowdy and rip-snortingly rude children … and he said very firmly to all of them – ‘I believe in this school’.”
the source of a vision….
… the realization of a vision
Lillian de Lissa
Vision in our time and place
Think of an example of a vision which is about “connecting to community” (a micro-professional practice of an individual educator, a new program, or a whole of school initiative).
How did it come into existence?
Was it effective?
Was it sustained?
Did it spread to other places?
Vocation
“He stood at the end of the little road … every single school morning and every single school afternoon, in the sun, in the rain, in the frost and even in the snow!”
What is a “vocation”?
Is “vocation where the heart’s desire meets the world’s need?” Or is it where the heart’s pain meets the world’s need? Can it be both?
Think of someone you know who has a vocation in early childhood services.
What is the source of their vocation?
What strengthens it?
What weakens it?
identity
integrity
inspiration
What values guide me?
How is my work part
of who I am?
What inspires and
sustains me?
Exemplars of Vision and Vocation
• PaL – parentsandlearning.com
• VICSEG New Futures –vicsegnewfutures.org.au
• Doveton College – dovetoncollege.gov.edu
• Child and Family Centres, education.tas.gov.au/parents_carers/early_years/Programs-and-Initiatives/Pages/Child-and-Family-Centres.aspx
What do they have in common beyond vision and vocation?
1. Relationship-based
2. Family inclusive
3. Culturally competent
4. “Joined up” services
5. Participants are contributors, not just “clients” or “consumers”
The 3 Rs – relationships, relationships, relationships…
“The principal treated everyone with respect and care. He looked every kid and mum and dad in the eye… He bent down to talk to the little kids. He gave everyone a fair go…”
Community Context
Organisational Setting
Parent Educator
Child
The “ecology” of relationships
Relationship-based Practice
In relationship-based practice with vulnerable families, we are the instrument of our own practice. How do we care for and fine tune this instrument? How do we sustain ourselves in our work? What are the elements in the relationship which nurture G R O W T H?
GROWTH
Genuineness
Respect
Optimism
Warmth
Trust
Humility
Family Inclusive
Putting fathers in the picture…
Intensive playgroup for children of parents in drug treatment
Culturally Competent
1. Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview.
2. Attitude towards cultural differences.
3. Knowledge of different cultural practices
4. Cross-cultural skills.
Family
violence Disability
Correctional
services Homelessness
services
Drug and
alcohol
services
Mental
Health
IServices
Children
in State
care
Statutory Services
such as Child
Protection
Universal Services
for all Children
Targeted
Services for
Vulnerable
Children and
Families
Joined Up Services
Adult Specialist Services
Effective Collaboration Preconditions White and Winkworth (2013)
Capability
Authority
Capacity
Values
Participants as Contributors
“… the Grade 6s helped the Grade 3s with maths… Grade 5s helped the Grade 2s with reading…Grade 4s helped the Grade 1s with painting…Grade 3s helped the preps with singing…”
“Mums and dads found ways to join in too. They helped with the canteen, and reading, and sports teams. They had working bees.”
Required helpfulness and resilience of children
• Elder (1995) Children of the Great Depression: reanalysis of the Oakland Growth Study birth cohort 1920-21 and the Berkeley Guidance Study birth cohort 1928-29.
• Werner & Smith (1992) Overcoming the Odds: identified “required helpfulness” as a major protective factor
In conclusion, we need to …
1. Nurture vision
2. Value vocation
3. Connect with communities through services that are: relationship-based; family inclusive; culturally competent; collaborative; and which welcome children and their families as contributors
References Cummins, P., Scott, D. & Scales, W. (2012) Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry Report
Elder, G. (1995) Life trajectories in changing societies. In A.Bandura (ed) Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge University Press
Scott, D. (2005) Inter-organisational collaboration: a framework for analysis and action. Australian Social Work, 58(20, 132-141
Scott, D. (2010) Family-centred practice in early childhood settings. In F. Arney & D.Scott (eds) Working with Vulnerable Families, a partnership approach. Melbourne. Cambridge University Press.
Sheard. H. (2016) A Heart Undivided – the life of Dr Vera Scantlebury Brown. University of Melbourne.
Werner, E. & Smith, R. (1992) Overcoming the Odds: high risk children from birth to adulthood. Cornell University.
White, M. and Winkworth, G. (32013) Rubric for Building Effective Collaboration, unpublished paper
Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott Australian Centre for Child Protection
University of South Australia
[email protected] www.unisa.edu.au/childprotection