Family Advocate Meeting

Virtual Learning

Before

school begins

Know who your team

manager is so that you

can send your parent

meeting minutes,

policy committee

minutes and classroom

calendar of events to

the correct Head Start

manager.

Be sure to document

all monitoring

deadlines in your

Outlook Calendar

Parent Board

Make sure you have all updated required forms on parent board and remove all outdated material

Make sure the parent board is easily visible, neat, organized and has a colorful heading that will attract the view of families

Make sure you update monthly the parent meeting information and policy committee information

When school begins…Know your Team

Manager

Your Team Manager will be the HS Grantee manager who is assigned to monitor your particular classrooms you are working with.

Send your Team Manager the following items:

Parent handbook

Bus safety plan

Monthly Parent Meeting minutes

Monthly Policy Committee minutes

Monthly Classroom calendars of events

*Please discuss with your Team Manager the method for receiving the monthly report information so that they have this on time.

Case Notes

Any communication other than the Family Visit will be documented into

the Family Case Notes.

Individualized case notes verifies your communication and the services

that you have provided to your family.

This will also be critical in reviewing this information through the Family

Advocate Folders.

Family Advocate

CaseloadsAssigning Families on COPA

When school begins…. Please be certain to assign

yourself as an Advocate so

services can start with families

as soon as the child is

enrolled.

We work with parents and caregivers as soon as the application process begins and

continue this throughout the school year.

How to assign yourself as a Family

Advocate

On the right-hand side of the screen, you will Click on the

“Enrollment tab” of COPA. you will scroll down to

“ASSIGN FAMILY ADVOCATE”.

Under Unassigned Families, select the needed Family

Advocate. You should see a list of families that are

assigned to you.

Scroll down to “Unassigned Families” and select a family

by selecting box to the left of their name.

Select “Assign Caseload”

Changing Family Advocates

Go to Family Data Sheet

Below Family Data Sheet, you will see Primary Caregiver General Information

Select the yellow pencil image and scroll down to view the FA dropdown box

Select the correct FA here and select the gray box at the bottom of the screen

stating, “Update General Information.”

If the family changed schools, you will need to transfer the family to a

different Enrolling Agency/site under the “Primary Caregiver Enrollment

Information” section

Family Visit

Family visits will be done virtually through the remainder of the year. A decision will be made later whether we will be returning to in-person Family Visits.

The Family Advocate will schedule a minimum of one (1) home visit/conference with each family between the time the child is accepted into the Head Start program and up to 90 calendar days after enrollment in order to complete the Family Assessment and Partnership Agreement. (see Family Assessment and Family Partnership policies). All family home visits must be posted on COPA within 120 days.

Policy and

Procedure of

Family Visit

requirements

Family Visit involves:

Parent Family Community Engagement (PFCE)framework

Family Partnership Agreement

Family Visit note

Goals and/or referrals

Parent meeting information, community resources, calendar events

Family Interest Inventory

Prior to the Family Visit

Attempt to develop a relationship with the family prior to coming to

the home.

Prior to the Family Visit use the communication method the family

prefers most such as Facebook messenger, texts, FaceTime, email.

Make certain the family is aware that you must see and hear them

during the Virtual Family Visit.

Send reminders to the family of the upcoming Family Visit, you could

gauge the frequency of this need through your communication.

Be prepared for the Family Visit by having all paperwork with you

ahead of time.

Success during an In-Person Family Visit

and listen to the family, avoid interview style questions making the feel they are being judged.

Communicate

casual and wear comfortable clothingDress

parameters before the visit so that the family know how long the visit will be and what you will be discussing.

Establish

aware of your tone, body language and pace of the conversationBe

strategic in notifying others of your location prior to leaving, awareness of clear exit and knowledge of pets prior. Be

Success during a Virtual Family Visit

Discuss with the family what platform they feel most comfortable

using; remind the family that they must be seen and heard during this

visit.

Briefly inform the family the basics of using the social platform, in

case they feel uncomfortable asking.

Test the social platform prior to make sure the equipment and setting

work correctly; be certain to mute background noise

Be prepared for the Family Visit by having all paperwork/supplies in

with you, prior to the visit.

If you are aware of a goal that the family expressed prior then

encourage family to elaborate more to determine the referral

needed.

Sample of Family Visit form

Documentation on the Family

Visit form

On the visit form, list the family name and any others that were

present.

The time of the visit should be when you began the meeting whether

it was in-person or virtually and then when you ended this visit.

Under the location heading, select “Online” if done virtually. During an

in-person Family Visit, you would select “Home.”

Staff/FA-Family Advocate would select their name here

Under the Results heading, you would select “Completed/Received.”

Under the Provider heading, list the county and classroom name

Under Visit Type, select “Required Visit, Family Advocate Home Visit.”

Continued Family Visit documentation

Purpose-The reason why you are having this Family Visit.

The areas you would need to include are as follows:

State to develop a rapport with the family

discuss healthcare needs of the child

complete the PFCE

discuss goals/referrals

provide info on calendar events, next parent meeting

updates and Facebook classroom page

Family Visit ObservationBe certain to state what occurred during the meeting.

This is where you would state how the Family Visit went and what you

accomplished during the visit. For example, “Visit went well. Donna completed

the family assessment. Donna set a goal to gain employment. She asked for

assistance to find a dentist to help get dentures. She was referred to Home

Place Clinic. Updated family on community events and parent meetings.

Documenting the use of social media with virtual Family VisitsBe certain you document what platform

you used to do your Family Visit (i.e.

Zoom, FaceTime, Google Classroom,

etc.).

Parent Family Community

Engagement (PFCE)

framework

What is the

PFCE

framework

The Parent Family Community Engagement (PFCE)

framework is also referred to as the Family Assessment.

This assessment provides a better understanding into

what the family’s needs and strengths are so that we

can best assist them.

The PFCE framework is broken down into 7 headings:

Family Well-Being

Positive Parent-Child

Relationship

Families as Lifelong

Educators

Family Connections to

Peers and Community

Family Engagement in

Transitions

Families as Learners

Families as Advocates and

Leaders

What the

components

include:

1- The Family Well-Being

This area includes the areas of safe and adequate housing, nutrition awareness, employment, money management, health insurance, medical assistance, stress and resilience and transportation

2- Positive Parent-Child Relationship

This area includes family relationships, Head Start involvement, engagement, developmental screenings and attendance

3- Families as Lifelong Educators

This area involves current education status/furthering education

Cont.

Components

of the

PFCE

4- Family Connections to Peers and Community

This area includes community involvement

5- Family Engagement in Transitions

This area involves kindergarten readiness

6- Families as Learners

This area involves family interest/goals

7- Families as Advocates and Leaders

This involves promoting Head Start

Every family must have 2 assessments completed during the year.

This must be done before the due date shown on the COPA

screen.

The first assessment is to be completed No Later than 90

calendar days from date of enrollment.

Second assessment is to be completed No Later than 150 days

after the first assessment unless school year ends prior to this

date.

PFCE Family Needs

Assessments

Family Partnership AgreementThe written agreement between the family and the Family Advocate when a goal is established by the family. The form is completed by the Family Advocate from the responses of the family. This is completed during the Family Visit.

*The white copy is given to the family and the yellow copy is kept in the Family Advocate Folder.

What is a Goal Goals are what families are

working toward achieving.

Requirements for goals

Goals must be exact and detailed

Goals must be measurable. This is why they must be broken down into many steps. This allows the FA to determine the progress of the steps and what assistance is needed.

Goals must be reachable

Goals must have a timeframe in which to get things completed. This is why there are steps you are working toward in this timeframe.

Examples of acceptable goals:To obtain a GED

To obtain full-time employment; to obtain part-time employment

To obtain rental assistance

To obtain information for grief support group

To obtain affordable healthcare

To develop a healthier lifestyle

Unacceptable

Goals

To be a better parent

For child to learn how to tie his

shoes

To lose 50 lbs. in the next month

Tips for Goals:Always use SMART format

Always use the word “to” in beginning a goal

Avoid duplicating goals just because it is a common goal. For example, to receive

assistance with LIHEAP, to receive a food basket

Completing goals

Go to Family Data sheet

Click the Family Goals tab

Click the yellow pencil

Complete fields and include comments and the steps to reach the goal

Select Update Family Partnership Agreement

Goal Setting

We want to make sure that the

goal is one that can be

achieved.

Remember the goals set must

be the parent’s goals and not

ours.

We want to avoid setting the

family up for failure with an

unrealistic goal.

What is a Referral?

A referral is the method of sending someone to a location or individual for assistance.

Building a strong relationship with the family and listening to them will help determine what referrals are most needed.

Referrals include the written documentation on what the family’s needs are, as well as, what you have accomplished working with the family.

Examples of acceptable referrals:

Local extension office for healthy eating recipes and nutritional information

RYSC for backpack programs

Big Sandy Area Community and Technical College for assistance for college courses, GED assistance, tutoring

Appalachian Pregnancy Center for baby supplies

Red Cross for disaster assistance

Cont. acceptable referrals

Christian Appalachian Project for assistance with building supplies clothing, furniture, household items, Christmas program

Local food pantries

Big Sandy ADD-family caregiver services, aging program

Local extension office for healthy eating recipes, gardening/farming/budgeting and nutritional information

Tips for

successful

referrals:

Knowing your family and listening to what their needs are

Researching who you know that can help in the family’s needs

Expanding your Community Partner contacts so that you know who can help your families.

Being willing to more than just provide a telephone number or website for those families who feel uncomfortable reaching out for assistance

Unacceptable referrals

Mom needed help with stress

management and FA provided

literature on stress management

tips.

A FA can’t refer a family to herself

Parent was moving and needed

boxes. FA referred mom to Walmart.

Avoid attempting to refer a family

to a location they already know.

Completing a Referral

Go to the Family Data Sheet

Click on Referral & Services tab

Click on pencil beside Family Referrals & Services

Complete all fields and submit description of referrals under

Observation/Comments section

Select follow-up date before 60 days under notification heading so that

a follow-up referral wouldn’t be overdue

Select New Referral/Service

Completing follow-up referrals

Follow-up referrals

From the referral page go to Follow-up notes

Document the date, status, comment on the follow-up and the next follow-up

date

Select Add Referral Follow-Up (without selecting this, the follow-up can’t be

submitted)

Follow-up goals and

Follow-up referrals

Be sure these are completed within 60 days from the

date of the initial goal and initial referral. For

immediate needs, please complete as soon as possible

so that the family has no delay in receiving needed

services.

Follow up on goals and referrals (to be reflected by case

notes in COPA)

Community Partners

Keeping contact information for those in the community that may assist your families is essential.

Some examples of these contacts are:

• Mayo Vocational Technical College

• Christian Appalachian Project

• Local food pantries

• Local extension offices

• Department of Community Based Services

*The more willing you are to network, the greater your success will be in receiving assistance

Staffing

This is a task done twice a year, using the checklist on COPA to determine what medical information is complete for a family.

During the 1st monitoring in October, you will check all that is completed. In March, you will determine what health information is still needed. You will use the checklist in COPA. To view this, go to Child Data Sheet→ then select checklist tab.

*Staffing is monitored two times a year; one in October and once at the end of April

Parent Meetings

Policy

Parent meetings will be held on a monthly basis to provide opportunity for

parents to become involved in on-site decision making, parent education and

curriculum development. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards

45 CFR Part 1301.3 1301.4 1302.46

Parent Meetings

PROCEDURE:

1. All parents at the site are members of the Parent Committee and will receive

notification of the time, date and location of the monthly meetings.

2. Parent meetings will be held at a time that is most convenient for the

majority. Input about these times will be solicited at the beginning of the

program year.

3. Minutes/notes of each parent meeting will be recorded and included with an

attendance sheet, topics discussed and decisions reached. Efforts will be made

to inform parents who do not attend meetings, which could include posting

minutes/notes in Parent Corner/bulletin board, sending a brief summary to each

parent, or including information in newsletters, etc.,

Parent Meetings Cont.

Parent Meeting Agenda

4. The agenda for parent meetings will contain at least the following items: .

Policy Committee/Policy Council report- Representative or alternate

representative . Classroom update/activities/curriculum- teacher . Community

resource update –Family Advocate . Parent education topic –Family Advocate or

guest speaker

Parent Meeting-Schedule at least 1 week in advance

-Post on classroom page and Facebook classroom page; if one has been created

-If parent meeting is done in-person, make the meeting also available virtually

-Make certain to send Family Services Manager the parent meeting invite as soon

as this is scheduled

-Send reminders to parents of the parent meeting

-Immediately reschedule any cancelled parent meetings, post and re-send all

invites including Family Services Manager

Statistical Report

POLICY: Staff will generate a monthly report of services provided to Head Start

families. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 45 CFR Part

1301.3, 1302.51

PROCEDURE:

1. A monthly report, which documents volunteer hours, parent involvement

activities, family home projects, attendance and enrollment, will be completed

by the Family Advocate for each assigned classroom or group of children.

2. The report will be completed in cooperation with other direct services staff.

3. Once completed, the Family Services Monthly Report will be submitted to the

Grantee Family Services Manager, no later than the fifth working day of the

month, who will compile and analyze the information for areas of concern.

4. Family services statistical information will be reported to the Program Director

and Policy Council each month.

90 Day Deadline Reminders

PFCE Family Needs Assessment

A minimum of at least 50% of Family Partnership Agreement Goals

A minimum of at least 50% of Referrals

*For families with emergency needs such as food, shelter, electricity, we would want to make certain these goals and referrals are made a priority.

Due in COPA

90 Days

PFCE Family Needs

Assessment

Due in COPA

120 Days

At least 1 completed home visit on all families

50% of families must have a written goal

(date must show it was completed within 90 days of enrollment)

50% of families must have a referral (date

must show it was completed within 90 days of enrollment)

Sometimes we are tested not to show our weaknesses, but to show our strengths

Success.com

Big Sandy Area Community Action Program

Head Start

Locations for all Head Start forms:

www.bsacapheadstart.org