Lena's case study

Stage Four: Where next?

Lena decided that she needed to spend time talking with families and colleagues at her Centre about Background Information sheets - whether or not to use them, whether and how to change them. She speculated about possible outcomes:

• Are there any questions we shouldn’t ask (make parents feel uncomfortable)? Are there any things they just want … someone to know, but not everyone? Make sure everyone understands it is voluntary for them to provide the information’. … What kinds of information, knowledge, thoughts, ideas and insights would be shared by parents if staff weren’t telling them what was important information by using things like Background Information sheets? … Maybe we could use a blank page and each family could choose how and what to use it for? … Maybe we could ask parents something along the lines of ‘What do you want to share with us?’ ‘What do you think it is important for me to know (and) do you mind sharing this with me?’ Should parents have to disclose personal information ‘in the interests of the child’ and should staff expect it? Who benefits from this disclosure? Does this disclosure qualify as equitable communication that helps to build shared meanings of the child?’
  

Lena emphasised that lack of time (for herself, for parents and for colleagues) restricted her ability to explore her current relationships with parents and to consider other ways to work with them:

• Time is always an issue. Time for thinking, time for reflecting, time for engaging with my colleagues and with the parents and guardians I work with. Time for documenting everything (according to the Regulations & Acts, the QIAS requirements, the policies of our organization, the things that I think are important to document).
  

Consequently, Lena was clear that any further exploration of her relationships with parents required time to talk with others and to reflect on her own understandings and practices:

• More facilitation through projects such as this one with people from the CEIEC. Time and space for continual reflection and discussion. Opportunities to discuss some of the ideas with higher management to make changes at a higher level and on a broader scale to include parents’ (and children’s) voices in decision-making processes from the beginning. Time with my colleagues to discuss all of this.