Overview

Family Footings introduces families to the benefits of using Person Centred Thinking Tools when they are interacting with professionals involved in their children’s lives.

Person Centred Thinking can help families to:

• feel listened to
• be more in control of their lives
• work in partnership with services to find the best outcome for their child
• feel more connected with their local community
• express their aspirations for their life both now and in the future.

Who is Family Footings for?

We can work with:

Individual families

• A Family Footings Facilitator can explain to you about ways to use Person Centred Thinking in your family’s life.
• They can help you put together information about your child and learn how to use Person Centred Approaches.
  
• If possible, we will put you in touch with other families who live near to you. You can also use our website to search for existing groups.
  

Family support groups

• A Family Footings Facilitator can meet with your group to talk about Person Centred Thinking and how it can be used in family life.
• Your support group can host a Family Footings series of sessions designed to help parents start using some Person Centred Thinking Tools.
• We can hold a Family Fun Day style event for the whole family to experience Person Centred Thinking activities in fun and engaging ways. This is especially useful for siblings to get involved.

Children’s Centres

• A Family Footings Facilitator can run a session(s) in the centre with parents, or parents & children, or the whole family to introduce the concepts of Person Centred Thinking.
• We can hold one to one sessions with a Facilitator at the centre for parents to put the ideas of Person Centred Thinking into practice.
• We can hold a Family Fun Day style event for the whole family to experience Person Centred Thinking activities in fun and engaging ways. This is especially useful for siblings to get involved.

Schools

• A Family Footings Facilitator can run a session(s) in the school with parents and /or teachers to introduce the concepts of Person Centred Thinking and the specific benefits within the educational system of working in this way.
• We can hold one to one sessions with a Facilitator at the school at key times in the school year – for example involving the family in creating a One Page Profile. These are useful for children who are starting school, are in transition to secondary school, work experience or are about to start something new.
• We can hold a Family Fun Day style event for the whole family to experience Person Centred Thinking activities in fun and engaging ways. This is especially useful for siblings to get involved.
• Person Centred Thinking can help schools and families to:
  • prepare for the statementing process
  • understand a child’s communication across home, school and other settings
  • celebrate individuality & success, and raise aspirations.

GP Surgeries

• A Family Footings Facilitator can run a session(s) for patients of the surgery who have recently received a diagnosis of disability for their child. We can share with them information and person centred thinking tools.
• We can hold one to one sessions with a Facilitator at the surgery for parents to get some help to put the ideas of Person Centred Thinking into practice.
• We can share ideas with health professionals and parents to improve their joint working using Person Centred Thinking Tools, in order to get the right care and support for their children.

Local Authorities

• Family Footings can run a programme of activities to enable families with disabled children to feel more empowered and in control of their lives.
• A Family Footings Facilitator can run a session(s) in partnership with the Local Authority for parents, or parents & children, or the whole family to introduce the concepts of Person Centred Thinking.
• We can hold a Family Fun Day style event for the whole family to experience Person Centred Thinking activities in fun and engaging ways. This is especially useful for siblings to get involved. We can also run sessions as part of a wider event.

Using the basic principles of Person Centred Thinking, we can tailor material to suit specific needs and circumstances of families and organisations - listening and working in partnership with you.