Words Can Be Powerful: Changing the Words of Helping to Enhance Systems of Care

SUMMARY

In this paper, the schema for family-centered practice is proposed as a tool that would make it easier for workers to practice according to system of care values and principles. The use of a system of care model of practice requires both providers and consumers of services to make a paradigm shift in their thinking about how assistance is conveyed. The model emphasizes forging a partnership between service providers and consumers rather than founding the helping relationship on a more traditional hierarchical approach that places the provider in the role of expert. Unfortunately, much of the language used by the helping professions reinforces a more conventional provider-as-expert approach. To assist providers and consumers in making the necessary paradigm shift away from the provider-as-expert approach, the authors propose using a schema for family-centered practice (schema). The schema, comprised of six steps (Joining gt; Discovery gt; Changing gt; Celebrating gt; Separating gt; Reflection), promotes the use of a new user-friendly language format, which is consistent with system of care's thinking and practice focus on partnering consumers and service providers. The values of the schema as a tool for use in system of care work along with descriptions of the experiences of service providers and consumers in using the schema are included as are suggestions for its use.

KEYWORDS:

• Family support
• family-centered
• child-centered
• schema
• systems of care
• partnership
• collaboration