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.
Mission and Key Principles for
Providing Early Intervention Services in Natural Environments (PDF: 44kb)
A consensus document developed by a national workgroup, sponsored by the Community
of Practice on Natural Environments.
Seven Key
Principles: Looks Like/ Doesn't Look Like (PDF: 96kb)
Key Principles from the document cited above with illustrative practices that support or do not support the principles.
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.
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.
Families as Presenters: A Manual and Directory (2006)
(PDF: 485kb)
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
NV: Nevada Early Intervention Services - Mission Statement and Guiding Principles
NC: North Carolina's. Principles of the Infant-Toddler Program
Other Programs
Gentle Touch Parent-Child Program, a neonatal intensive care program describes Family-Centered Care