Jun 24 2019

Authors: Margaret Caspe, Catherine Atkin, Laura De Reyal, Isabelle Hau, Dorreen Keesey, Nisha Ligon, Katelin Wilton, and Steven Salinas

Global Family Research Project joined with four other organizations as part of the LEGO Idea Conference to take an in-depth look at letting families guide the creation of programs and services that best meet their needs. This summary of the event session, held in Billund, Denmark, includes international examples of collaborating with families and the four concepts that can help practitioners truly understand families and what they want for their children.

• The first principle is that it takes time for program staff members to develop the types of relationships with families that lead to a deeper understanding of their needs.
• Second, programs designed to engage families should be welcoming and easy for all to access but also allow families to share their individual strengths and pursue what’s important to them and their children.
• Third, co-creating with families is not a one-time process. Revisiting the design of a program—and making sure families feel comfortable sharing their feedback—is important for determining whether the program is really having an impact on their lives.
• Finally, going to scale means more than growth in numbers. Do adults have the skills to support and nurture children’s growth and development? Are interventions that support learning becoming a regular part of families’ routines? These are among the ways to measure whether families feel a sense of ownership in the programs designed for them.

The four concepts delineated at the conference are important when planning the next generation of family engagement.

Family Agency and Voice: Designing the Next Generation of Family Engagement

This report outlines four key concepts important for co-creating the next generation of family engagement.

Family Agency and Voice Activity Guide

This supplementary compendium provides three activities you can use to facilitate co-design in your work.