Questions for Families from Providers
Continuing our posts from our third Stronger Together event, we are looking at the questions Providers need to ask families.
These are just a starting point but if they are raised at the beginning of the relationship, there is a better chance that things will go well and not fail.
If you can think of more questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.
Working Together
- How can I involve you better?
- How can we plan together for the worse times as well as the best?
- What can we provide, in support, to you as a parent?
- Our support staff are a vital part of your life, how can we work together to value, train and support them?
Working with the family makes the biggest difference. Involving them from the beginning in all discussions and letting them know that you value their input is so valuable to any relationship.
Families are often the most valuable resource. Their knowledge and experience can save time and failure.
What do the families already know?
- What would have helped avoid admission?
- What has worked before?
- What hasn’t worked before?
- What unforeseen situations arose – if your child left hospital previously but had to be readmitted?
- What would have helped avoid re-admission?
- What is the biggest barrier for your child?
- What does great support feel like to you?
- What are the top three things we can do to make things work better?
- We know you’re you’ve had really bad experiences with providers, what steps can we take to build trust?
- What has been most important and most difficult to get professionals to understand?
In addition to the questions about their own child, young person or adult, it became clear from our event that there are also questions which Providers need to be asking families generally.
General Questions:
- What top three qualities do you want from a provider?
- What can we do better?
- What one thing would you change now?
- What is your biggest worry about providers?
- How can I make it easier for you to find us?
- How do families really get to know and understand provider organisation experience?
- Who do you think makes decisions about where your child lives?
Coming soon
We will be looking at the questions families have for providers, questions they should consider asking any provider they are working with, or could be working with.
These questions all came from families who lived experience and many are the questions they wish they had asked at the beginning.
We will also be discussing what our hopes for our children are and what can we do now to make a difference.
Debs is one of the co-founders and Directors of Bringing Us Together. She is mum to three child with a variety of SEND and has a great husband.
