z. Working with Resistant Families

Target Group: 

This course is designed for professionals who predominantly work with children, young people and/or their parents/carers and contribute to assessing, planning, intervening and evaluating the needs of a child and parenting capacity where there are safeguarding concerns. For example, Police, Social Workers, health professionals including midwives, school nurses, health visitors, teachers, probation staff.

Aim:

To enable professionals to work effectively with reluctant, resistant and/or aggressive families. The course will look at professionals’ roles and relationships with family members, explore issues of power and conflict management, and look at effective strategies for working confidently with these families on a multi-agency basis.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand that the safety and welfare of the child or children is paramount
• Understand the principles of the comprehensive model of change to inform decision making
• Describe how to engage with families to lessen the likelihood of resistance or aggression
• Recognise signs of disguised compliance and its implications for risk assessment
• Use lessons from serious case reviews to inform their professional practice
• Examine their own and other professional's responses to reluctant, resistant or hostile families and the impact on the worker and professional networks
• Describe a model for the assessment of parental motivation and capacity to change
• Describe what leads some families to be reluctant, resistant or hostile towards intervention by agencies
• Employ effective responses in engaging with this group of families which take into account the principles of anti-discriminatory practice
• Understand conflict theory and how the use of power is exercised in the professional relationship
• Develop strategies to ensure that they implement safe working practices by clearly assessing any risks to personal safety
• Use supervision and support effectively to identify and manage cases where parents display these characteristics
• Develop action plans to work more effectively with families who are aggressive, resistant or reluctant to engage Families Who Resist Change
• Maintain the momentum of change
• Develop action plans to work more effectively on a multi-agency basis with families where there are issues of neglect

• BSCP Instructions to Delegates Attending Face to Face Training:

  For our socially distanced face to face courses…

  • Please follow social distancing guidelines when attending the venue and show consideration for your fellow delegates.
  • If you would like to, feel free to wear a mask for your own protection. When doing so please make a conscious effort to communicate clearly when you are sharing in group discussions, and bear in mind that much of your natural facial expressions will be hidden from the Trainer and fellow delegates.
  • Please note that refreshments will most likely NOT be available during these courses and so we encourage you to bring your flasks for hot drinks and snacks with you for breaktimes. As usual, it’s important to plan well if you want to leave the venue at lunch time to purchase food.

  For our virtual courses…

  • Virtual Courses will take place via Microsoft Teams and - to a lesser extent – Zoom.
  • Please read the course information, confirmations and any follow up emails carefully during and after your booking process, and follow the instructions for receiving or locating the link to the course. Virtual courses have been re-designed from their usual face to face format, and so some alterations such as the requirement to complete pre-course work (in some instances) are in place for you.
  • If your organisation allows it, Microsoft Teams should be downloaded on your device and you should know how to use it prior to training.
  • For staff who cannot download Zoom (eg Birmingham Children’s Trust Staff), it will not be necessary to download the Zoom program in order to attend the virtual session.”

  When joining a Zoom call:

  • Join the call using a browser (internet explorer or Edge) – you must not download the Zoom software  
  • You must not transfer information to the group on the call (such as files etc.) via Zoom.
  • If this is a new partner you are working with you may need to consider if attendees are required to complete a confidentiality agreement (this is separate from the use of Zoom etc.)