Family-Centered Principles and Practices

Family-Centered Principles are a set of interconnected beliefs and attitudes that shape directions of program philosophy and behavior of personnel as they organize and deliver services to children and families. Core to family-centered services is sensitivity and respect for the culture and values of individual family members and each family's ecology, as members define the people, activities and beliefs important to them. The purpose of early intervention is to achieve family outcomes as well as child outcomes. Preschool special education services must include family involvement as well as accomplish child outcomes. Extensive resources about measuring child and family outcomes are available elsewhere on the NECTAC site.

Formal definitions of "Family-Centered services" exist in the fields of social services, child welfare, developmental disabilities, early childhood and children's health care. While the definitions are different there are common words and descriptions among them all.

The definitions from different fields and disciplines often include these common descriptors: strengths based, consumer driven, family systems, family support, empowerment, proactive service delivery, promotion, competency focused, partnerships, collaborative relationships, family driven. (from Pletcher and McBride 2003 below)

Resources Illustrating Principles and Practices

Family Centered Services - Guiding Principles and Practices for Delivery of Family Centered Services (PDF: 27kb)
Brochure developed in 2003 by Dr Susan McBride and Lynda Cook Pletcher for Iowa's Early ACCESS system. Gives guiding principles in and examples of behaviors /practices that early intervention staff would do. Also includes a bibliography of related materials on back cover.

Family-Centered Practice
Resources from the Child Welfare Information Gateway to support and preserve families through a respectful, strengths-based approach that views the family as central to the child's well-being.

Resources and Connections. March, 2003. Volume 2, Number 1 (PDF: 174kb)
Early intervention newsletter devoted to Family-Centered principles and practices.

Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and Answers about family-centered health care from the Institute on Family-Centered Care.

Family-Centered Care and the Pediatrician’s Role (PDF: 72kb)
American Academy of Pediatrics publication on the role of the pediatrician in delivering family-centered care.

Parent to Parent of Vermont
Results of family surveys across systems of care related to Family-Centered principles and practices. Results share what is important to families.

Families as Presenters: A Manual and Directory (PDF: 359kb)
Family-Centered practices used throughout a module providing training for parents to be co-trainers with professionals.

Examples of Guidance Promoting the Use of Family-Centered Principles

State Part C Agencies

MO: Missouri's beliefs for Early Intervention System

NM: New Mexico's Philosophy and Beliefs of the Family Infant Toddler Program

NV: Nevada Early Intervention Services - Mission Statement and Guiding Principles

NC: North Carolina's. Principles of the Infant-Toddler Program

WI: Wisconsin Birth to 3, Training and Technical Assistance, Waisman Center's Key Elements of Family-Centered Services

WV: Important Beliefs of the WV Birth to Three System

Other Programs

ARC Youth Services, CT Family-Centered Principles

Gentle Touch Parent-Child Program, a neonatal intensive care program describes Family-Centered Care