Supporting Relationships

Relationships are the key ingredients for a child’s success, relationships with professionals, parents/caregivers and children. Use this section to reflect on enhancing your connection with others in supporting children and their families.

• Principles of working together
• The Five Categories
• Using the principles of working together
• Using the five categories when working with other professionals
• Using the five categories when working with parents
• Approaches to Foster Positive and Responsive Relationships

Principles of working together

• We all have expertise
• Focus on relationships
• Child-centred
• Let’s figure it out together
• Strengths based
• It takes a village
• Everyone can contribute
• Lots of opportunity for learning

In order for children to succeed, we need to build better relationships with each other.

The SEARCH Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework identifies five categories to help guide us in this effort.

Visit Our Kids Network for more on Developmental Relationships.

The Five Categories

1. Express Care: show me that I matter to you
2. Challenge Growth: push me to keep getting better
3. Provide Support: help me complete tasks and achieve goals
4. Share Power: treat me with respect and give me a say
5. Expand possibilities: connect me with people and places that broaden my horizons

Using the principles of working together

Using the five categories when working with other professionals

1.Express Care: show me that I matter to you

• Pay attention when the other is speaking
• Put away the phone and other distractions
• Do what you say you will
• Focus on finding workable solutions

2. Challenge Growth: push me to keep getting better

• Ask for constructive feedback
• Respond to requests for feedback
• Invite others to work together with you

3. Provide Support: help me complete tasks and achieve goals

• Share ideas, equipment and resources with each other
• Offer help

4. Share Power: treat me with respect and give me a say

• Ask for help or input
• Include others in decisions
• Share relevant information

5. Expand possibilities: connect me with people and places that broaden my horizons

• Recommend others who should be included in the conversation
• Recommend other agencies for services

Using the five categories when working with parents

1.Express Care: show me that I matter to you

• Show understanding to parents
• If there are concerns, address only one or two at a time, seeking the parent’s perspective
• Focus on the positive

2. Challenge Growth: push me to keep getting better

• Ask parents to use their strengths to enhance the program (e.g. ask a chef mom to lead a sandwich workshop)
• Provide a tip to try in addressing a challenge

3. Provide Support: help me complete tasks and achieve goals

• Learn parent names and communicate regularly
• Be authentic and approachable
• Use humour to lighten a tough situation

4. Share Power: treat me with respect and give me a say

• Ask a parent for advice about what works for their child
• Give parents options about how to support the program/classroom
• Provide parents with opportunities to give feedback

5. Expand possibilities: connect me with people and places that broaden my horizons

• Send home creative projects that families can do together
• Ask parents to share a hobby, a favourite book or a cultural tradition with the class

Approaches to Foster Positive and Responsive Relationships